LOCAL AND GENERAL

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10730, 6 January 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

We have now so completely conquered the air that we can do almost anything up there provided, we have luck and nothing happens.

In a Rugby match. Scotland beat France by 15 points to 6 at Paris. No bankruptcies were recorded locally by the D.0.A., Mr J. D. Wilson, last month. The total for 1927 was five. The Administration of tlie Island of Jersey has forwarded to the British Chancellor of the Exchequer a cheque for £300,000 as a contribution to the war expenditure. A Madrid message says that Cabinet is utilising the Budget surplus of £950,000 to enable persons throughout Spain to redeem pawned articles of clothing. President Coolidge has asked Congresis to authorise him to appoint a commission of five, three of whom should be civilians, to investigate the sinking of submarine S 4. - Advices from Moscow deny the reported sinking of the Ogoza. An unconfirmed report through Berlin stated that the Russian steamer Ogo-za foundered in the Black Sea at' the height of a istorm and that 250 were drowned. Nominations for all first day events at the Pahiatua Racing Club’s annual meeting, which will be held on Ist and 2nd February, 1928, close with the secretary, Air J. G. Swainson, at 9 p.m. to-night. The big game fishing season was opened in Whangaroa. at the weekend, a mako shark weighing 3021 b being landed by Air H. L. Reese. Four strikes were obtained and the season promises tq be exceptionally good (stfys a northern exchange). Exports from New Zealand for the ten months of last year exceeded imports >by nearly £3,000,000, according to the latest statistical information contained in the New Zealand Official A’ec.r Book for 1928. The total value of exports w«is £40,259,995, of which produce accounted for £39,512,282. _ In the Wanganui Swimming Championships two local records were broken. In the 100 yards Ladies’ Championship Natalia Stratton won in 72 secs. The previous record was 77 3-ssecs. In the 220 Girls Intermediate Championship the same swimmer won in 3min 18 3-ssecs, the previous record being 3.29 3-5.

The Prince of Wales was hunting on Tuesday with the Cottesmore pack, and during a spirited run his horse stumbled at a fence. The Prince was thrown, landing first in a deep snowdrift on the other side. He: was still holding the reins and proved to be unhurt. ’Tlie Prince remounted and continued the chase.

A youth aged 18 years was caught under a bed in a house at Point Chevalier, Auckland, on Wednesday night, and in his pockets were found a torch, a black mask, a key, and sandshoes. He was remanded in the Police Court yesterday morning on a charge of breaking and entering. The tenants of the house were temporarily absent.

A comn.iiss.ion for a memorial to the late Marquess Curzon, former Foreign Secretary, has been given to Sir Bertram Alackenncl, who has been responsible for much public work, including a number of statues of Queen Victoria and King Edward. The intention is to erect a full length statue of the distinguished statesman in Carlton House Terrace, where he long resided, and also place a plaque in Westminster Abbey. The .New World states that statistics just published by the Department of Health disclose that 770 Iversons were killed by bad liquor in 1927. New York City had the greatest number of any year since the Volstead law has been enacted and more than the deaths in any of the ton preceding wet years. The rate of alcoholism deaths in 1927 was thirteen per 100,000 or slightly more than the rate for measles in peak yeai s. The teacher of the open-air class was doing her best to instil the rudiments of natural history into her young charges. She held before them the picture of a deer, but no one could tell her what it was. “Now. Tommy,” she said, pointing to one small boy, “surely you know what this animal is called. Come now, think. What does your mother sometimes call your father?” The child’s eyes beamed with intelligence. “Well, teacher,” he said haltingly, "it don't look much like a pig to me.”

Fears of dismissal because of the disappearance of substantial sums of money while lie was in charge of tlie office, embezzlement, to hide the defic cncy, heavy betting on racehorses in a frantic effort to retrieve his position, and thou further defalcations extending over a. period of years: these were the reasons why Harry Stephen Liver.sago, a clerk, aged 35. gave for his appearance in the Police Court at Wellington fin a charge of having stolen nearly £S(XK> from Messrs Joseph Nathan and Co. The total amount involved was £4BOB 0s Id, which had disappeared between June 1921 and the 3rd o' last mouth. Accused pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. The N.Z. Sporting and Dramatic Review begins the Now Year well by offering to its readers a wonderful selection of illustrations from all sources and covering all (.pacts. Racing enthusiasts arc well catered for in scenes from the Auckland Racing Club’s summer carnival at Ellerxlicp the Taranaki Jockey Club's Christmas meeting at New Plymouth and the Manawa.tu Racing Club’s gathering at Awr.pu.ni. whilst Trotting is represented by scenes of the Auckland Trotting Cluo'c Summer nic -t----ing. The opening of the Hunt ng season in England is depicted in a graphic sat of photographs and an unique scries i« that showing tie Hunting meeting in S.nilis Forest and the picturesque blessing of tlie hounds. Of keen interest will bo tlie pages devoted to the Athletic Championship meeting at Wellington with a group i t the New Zealand team and a. viv d snap of R. Rose winning the one mile championship. Huge stocks of tyres and tubes (Aliehelin, Goodrich and Goodyear) have been procured by A. and U Donald in readiness for the holiday season.

There are now six steamers idle through the seamen’s dispute, three at Sydney and one each at Melbourne •Adelaide and Brisbane. It is anticipated in shipping circles .that unless * the seamen nirjn the idle chips within, a lew days, the owners will issue an ultimatum calling upon the Union to .supply full crows for all vessels; otherwise a goner ad tic up will ho ordered.

One does not often hear of a hawk tackling a person, but t-hic happened to a boy of thirteen on a farm near Hawera, when he was out- after the cows (says the Star). A similar happening is reported of magpies on the Eltham golf links. It seems j robable that in each case the bird had its nest nearby, and that it was"Tlie natural desire to protect the nest and. eggs, or perhaps the young, which caused the attack.

Five eclipses will take place in 1928, three of the sun and two of the moon. A total eclipse of the sun on May 19 will be visible as such only in the South Atlantic Ocean. South Africa will witness a partial eclipse. Two partial eclipses of tbo sun occur on June 17 and November 12, the former being visible in Siberia and, the latter over the northern part of Europe, The first dTt lie lunar eclipses is a total one on Juno 3, of which we may obtain a glimpse in New Zealand; the second is another total eclipse on November 27, also visible in this part of the world!

On Christmas Eve in Eltham, a Chinaman got in a little of Yus commercial handiwork that ccet the benighted, complaisant white folk a “bob” or two (says the Argus). There were many people in town, trade was good, and "there was a demand for green peas. One of tlie Chinese tradesmen saw an opportunity. and he rushed it like a trout at a lly. He raised the price of peas to three shillings a peck but the people paid it. In other Chinese shops, the price was respectively 2ts 6d and Is 9d, and the peas were all of the same quality. Evidently, there was no ring. Cherries were selling in the morning at Is 6d per In, which the people paid willingly. In the afternoon. .the price was raised to two shillings.

A conference of school inspectors is to be held towards the end of next month to consider modifications in the primary schools curriculum, and the recommendations made »in that connection by the School Svllabias Revision Committee which lias been hearing evidence on the question at intervals during the past twelve months An advance draft of the committee’s report is now under consideration by officers of the Education Department, and it is anticipated that an advance draft of tlie revised syllabus will he plated before the conference of inspectors. The final meeting oif tlie Svlla.bus Revision Committee will alio be held in February, when tlie fiiuishing touches will be put to the i-eport, which will then go on to the Minister of Education.

On hoard tlie lerry steamer which left \\ ellington with the first of the Christmas crowds was a man r rcm “out-'jack,” with several of his cronies. All appeared to have imbibed too freely. Tlie central figure went to his bunk wearing onlv a shirt and a huge pair of boots. About midnight ho went on deck tor a rroiuenailo. After a time lie returned to an emiitv bed which he thought was his own. " hen he awoke next morning st lt fuddled, lie discovered that lie was in a women’s boudoir He got up and wir.s seen with a blanket wrapped round Ims waist, and a half-smoked cigarette behind his ear. frantically soc.roiuug: for lii< clotlu?s. H.s cronies joined him in the search, but when the other passengers left the ship at Lyttelton the missing clothes had not been discovered.

Americans are becoming more interested in New Zealand, said ALr E. G Miner, steel manufacturer, , f Rochester, New York, who, with Mis Aimer, reached Auckland by the Magma on Monday. Air Aliner is on a tour of investigation and is going on to Sydney. while Airs Aimer will remain lor a fortnight sight-seeing in the North Island. “I am very anx--1? US j*° observe tlie development the dairy industry hero,” sa d Mr -\ iner. “It is going to bulk somewhat. largely in American eyes.” Ho le foiled to a shipload of bur ter ivliidi went to the I ill tod States a year ago. and said lie was inclined to be!iev« that as time went on New Zealand dairy produce would command greater interest in the States. Mr Miner henries to see something of conditions in New Zealand on lrs return from Australia.