TOWN EDITION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16496, 31 July 1924, Page 9

TOWN EDITION

The Tiroa. arrived from Auckland via Hicks Ray at 2 o’clock this afternoon. Measles have been very prevalent in Auckland and the surrounding districts. The suburban areas are affected just now. Makara County has sent in proposals to expend £12.009 in bitumen surfacing on the main West Const highway through the county. The county does not propose to put any of this work in hand next season.

The liist new potatoes of the season made (heir appearance in Wellington last week, being from Nelson. The now potatoes realised 5-)d a pound, which works out nit £sl a ton.

Passenger boats from England and America to Xew Zealand in September are expected by the. shipping companies to be well booked up, as the flow of visitors to the Empire Exhibition hack again to the Dominion is expected to take place about that time.

Two schemes for new railway ’stations on thei Auckland suburban lines have bean- approved by the Government, following on petitions from residents at I’apatoetoe and Henderson respectively for increased facilities for passenger and goods traffic. Jointly the schemes involve an expenditure of about £IO,OOO.

The vital statistics for the month of July, 1924, arc as follows (those for the corresponding period last year beinggiven in parentheses)Births, 47 (58); deaths, 6 (17) ; marriages, 8 (7). For the seven months’ period ending July thev are : Births, 317 (341); deaths, 92 (104)'; marriages 98 (81). A women’s hospital is to be erected adjoining the Queen (Mary Hospital at Hanmer, and a, contract for its erection has boon let. About ICO patients will be accommodated ■> hospital, which will be constructed of concrete and will be one one storey. It will be finished in about a. year’s time.

With the re-opening of the railway line from Stratford to Tahora for the first time since the disastrous slips that 'occurred last, April, the towns of Tahora and Whangamomoua are at last relieved from long isolation. The Public Works Engineer estimates that the work of clearing the road through to Oliuro will take about a further three months to complete. It is reported that a, hardy farmer, who resides not far from the Wairau Valley, look drastic measures a few days ago to free himself of a bout of lumbago (says the Marlborough Express). He instructed a relative to rub him down vigorously with a veterinary embrocation generally used for horses. The cure was a complete success, but the sufferer is now in hospital undergoing treatment for a blistered and highly-inflamed bad;.

Horse racing is claimed to be the sport of kings, and rightly so (remarks the Wanganui Chronicle), for one certainly requires a considerable “bank roll* if lie desires to follow the irregular “ge-e gees’’ from week io week. However. foitune siniled on a none too wealthy punter who resides in the vicinity of Wanganui, and lie can boast of having purchased a car, valued at £650, out. of his winnings on the tote. He lias decided to give' the game up before his luck turns.

Complaints have been made at Wanganui concerning petty thieving from graves in cemeteries. In one ease a family plot was stripped of a number of vases which relatives weroi in the habit of regularly refilling with flowers. At the Aramolio Cemetery a woman was seen taking .ribbons from wreaths. A visitor to the cemetery states that when a, by-standor ventured to voice a remonstrance the woman coolly retorted : “I’ve a family of four or five girls to provide hair ribbon for, and this suits me better than buying it.”

Many strange experiences fall to the lot of newspaper reporters, but something new was introduced at Oamaru last week whoa it was suggested that the representatives of the two local papers should act as arbitrators in a fencing dispute between neighbors. Their decision to decline was unanimous and immediate. The fence is question was described by a witness as “very mixed.” He said: “Tt had wire in it. all sorts of posts, standards, and stakes in it. netting in it. gorse in it, roofing iron in it, and lots of other tilings.” “Evidently mixed,” drily remarked the magistrate.

It is rather late in the season for breeding ewes to be shipped from the North Island, says the Christchurch Sun, but during the week a. consignment of over 2CCO was brought, down,, by the' Atua., from the Gisborne district, but the owners were rather disappointed with the sale on Wednesday and they were passed after the bidding had gone to 38s. They were four, six, and eighttoothed Romney cross ©w-cs, duo to lamb early, and 200 wore in the pen with an option on 1500 of the same ewes. Inlamb ewes often travel down on the boat surprisingly well.

A report of the electrical engineer on the ■ electric light installation presented to the Nelson City Council shows Inal the development has been phenomenal since the light was turned on nine months ago. Instead of, as expected, having to pay all capital charges out of capital on the first year’s working, there lias been only a loss of £566 19s 3d for the period of 257 days. During the months of May and June the Department actually showed a profit, such a satisfactory state of affairs not being anticipated until the third year of working. The engineer recommended that an extension of plant should be considered.

The lambing season lias commenced in the Waikato, a- large number of lambs already making their appearance (stales the Auckland Herald’s Hamilton correspondent). Calves are likely to be a glut on the market this year. Owing to Ihe very low prices realised for halves last year, there seems little possibility that manv will be reared. A great shortage of pigs is evident throughout the district, and exceptionally high prices for baconers nra being realised. The long spell of wet weather lies done much to kill off I lie rabbits. They have either been drowned or have moved to higher country. It >s raro’y now that a rabbit is seen in the low-lying arcus to the east of Hamilton.

The Marlborough Farmers’ Union has resolved that the secretary shall inquire into the position in regard to (he inspection of internnl combustion engines used on farms. Mr. Ferguson said if was ridiculous to thin!; that a. small, low horse-powered petrol engine used a few hours—,or days, perhaps—-a year should have to he inspected annually at the cost of the farmer hv a Government official. while the high-powered motorears which were used every day and held a greater risk were no| subject to supervision. Inspection was all very well in the davs of tin* steam engine, but now. with the safe molor-engine, il was obsolete, .and only served to keep a. host of inspectors in jobs at great expense to the country and annoyance to the farmers. Several members agreed that it was perfectly right that all engines should he inspected after installation to ensure that they were properly prelected. Far Menial's of the Traders Finance Corporation, shares ■ in which are now being offered to the public, will he found on pages 7 and 8 of this issue.