Shannon News TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 1927.

Shannon News, 21 June 1927, Page 2

Shannon News TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 1927.

A special meeting of the Shannon Borough .Council will be held at 7.30 this evening to consider the Horowhetiua County Council's recommendation re the Foxton-Shannon bridge road.

At the evening service at Yen. Bede's Church en Sunday, the solo "0 Faithless Men," "vvas nicely rendered by Mr Leng-Ward, his singing being much appreciated.

The gate takings at the football match in the Shannon Domain on Saturday was £oo 17s .6(1., being 17/6 above the amount taken when the two teams mot at Levin last season.

The sale advertised to have taken the dwelling of Mr. A. Johnson or Saturday last, was postponed. It is announced that the auction will now be held on Saturday next.

A benefit dance will be held in the Druids' Hall on Friday evening, at which the management will provide dances for both young and old. Good music has been arranged for and an excellent supper will be provided..JDuring the evening a spot waltz competition will be held.

The tint practice of the Shannon Choral Society for Meirie England will be held on Thursday next when it is hoped that every member will be present to receive their books. If un able to be present, members are asked to notify the secretary or conductor to keep flieir books for them if they intend to join up. The number of books ia—limiU'd, Final -arrangements are to be made on Thursday night for the Society's trip to Mangahao, which takes place on Wednesday, June 20, the Society being the guests of the residents of Mangahao in the afternoin.

The dance held in, the Druids' Hall on Saturday evening by the committees of the combined stalls in connection with the Shannon Athletic Club's carnival was most successful. The hall was packed and dancing was kept up iintil midnight. Mr. J. T. Bovis capably filled the position of M.C., the Maori Orchestra providing the music, extras being played by Misses M. Butler and M. Young and Messrs Merwood, .Taylor and Kerchona. An excellent supper was provided by the ladies. During .the evening competitions were held for a goose presented by Mrs F Jamieson and a cake presented by Mr. J. Roach. The former was won by Mr. E. Sathcrky and the latter by Mr. W. Butler. Following the success of this dance the committee of the Footballers StalJ have decided to hold a dance next Saturday evening.

Y\ r hile working at a pump at No. ;•' dam ar Mangahao on Thursday evening lan Ross, a fitter, came into contact with a live wire, with the result, thar his leg was fiactured, while he also fuffered severely from shock. On Suu-

l;;y morning'Ross was admitted to the Pa.lmerston Public Hospital. Apart from the leg his injuries are not serious, but he will probably remain i" hospital for some weeks.

The neat apearance of the schools in the Nelson Education Board's district Mas been commented on by travellers, stated members of the board at a meeting the other day. It Avas added that motorists also apreciated the fact that, the names of the schools which were painted on the buildings were a convenient guide to travellers who were strangers to the district.

Great intorest is being aroused by the return this month of Pons-Wiu-nccke's comet, which, on June 27, approaches within 4,000,000 miles of the earth. There is a possibility of the comet becoming bright enopgh to be visible to the naked eye, and an encounter with the meteor stream connected with this comet may,yield a splendid meteoric display in the last week of this month, when the comet makes its nearest approach.

Mr Allen Abbott found his launch, the Scout, stranded on a sandy beach at the ■Rurima Islands (says an Auckland telegram)- The launch was swept away from its moorings at Whale Island in a storm last Tuesday night, with the result that a fishing party was marooned. The launch.went ashore on the only sandy beach in the vicinity. Had it gone ashore elsewhere it must have been dashed to pieces. The engine was not damaged, but one plank was sprung and two anchors, a coil" of rope and an oar were missing. The launch is valued at £OOO.

Bishop Mitchell, a visitor to Auckland from the Philippines, told a Sun reporter: "Wt never eat anything but New Zealand oirtter at our home in Manila. Mrs \ljtchell refuses to have any other, Wef certainly pay a little more for it.thari.we do for American, but it's the best."

A suggestion v.'as made at the last meeting of the Palmerston Chamber of Commerce that a "deputation wait, upon the Prime Minister re changing Pal--.n.erston's name, "T. think that it would be a bit premature," said the chairman (Mr M. A. Elliott). - "We had better leave it for a while."

At this time of year there is considerable interest as to when ihe days will begin to lengthen. The afternoons commence to lengthen a'ter Jane 15, whereas the sun continues to rise later daily until June 29. The shortest day this year is June 22, when in Levin the sun rises at 7.12 a.m. and sets at 4.3 S p.m.

A fruit tree not often seen in a T -.y garden here is the persimmon (says the Hawera Star). At Mr 11. Bett's farm at Okaiawa, is one in full bearing. The tree is just a mass of yellow fruit, while it is quite bare of leave,. Last year 40 pounds were picked to be sent away and there was ample left for the ust of the house. The fruit is regarded as a great delicacy, being left to become dead ripe before being used.

A coincidence probably without parallel w r as related by Professor F. J. Worley when addressing the Auckland Chemical Socu'y. Professor Worley said that the professors of chemistry at Auckland, Canterbury, and Victoria University Colleges each graduated in the same year and each, after sitting for their final examinations abroad, returned as professors of chemistry to their own colleges.

When the log of the steamer Ngapiihi was taken on board as the vessel reachTauranga from Auckland on Tuesday, a bright piece of ivory was found-in the cylinder. Closer examination revealed that a shark had evidently a£ tempted to swallow t'ie log, and in the process had lost a tooth. The cylinder was full of water, which accounted f"r the log running slow from Old Man Rock to Tauranga.

It was on May 21. 18.00, that James McKay purchased from the Maoris the .whole*.of- the West Coast from below Mt. Cook to Cape Farewell, and half way inland, for the sum of £3OO. Little did they Know that they were standing oil the beach, between Hokitika and Grevniouth, the sand was strewn with gold, millions .of pounds worth being subsequently extracted therefrom. McKay was a great explorer on the Coast and the only memorial to -him left is a street in Grevmouth named Mac Kay Street.

Rumours of an amalgamation of the two biggest theatrical firms in Australia—Sir Benjamin and Mr John Fuller and J. C. Williamson, Ltd.—were contradicted a|t- Auckland by Mi John Fuller. "No, there is nothing to it,' ! he said. "We find that we work quit'.' well as we are." Before bcginnin" a world tour Mr Fuller is paying a visit to Auckland to consider certain business concerning the new St. James' Theatre to be built in the Civic Square "I will visit Loudon, Paris, Berlin, New York and many of the other big theatrical centres," said Mr Fuller, "and for a time will become a resident of those cities, -watching for suitable productions for our theatres."

j An indication of the terrible power !of electricity was given at Cairnbrae (says the Ashburton Guardian) when at the height of the wind a tree fell near Roud's sawmill, bringing down a high-tension wire to within two feet of the ground. A group, of men from the mill approached .the-wire to investigate the damage. With them went a dog, which, in an attempt to leap over the hanging wire, came in contact with it. Instantly it was reduced to a withered, shapeless mass as big as a man's hand. This incident shows how careful people should be not to come in contact with wires that might be brought to the ground.

Evidence of the remarkably drj- weather experienced during the last few months in some parts of Canterbury is afforded by the fact that a Methven mill-owner who has just completed his season, threshed the remarkable total of 132,000 bushels of wheat and oats, with a loss of only one working day. This surely must constitute a record for the district. The time occupied in putting through this tally was 18 weeks. Previous seasons have resulted in larger quantities being threshed, but the time occupied has been considerably longer.

Thirteen and a-half chains of the

otal length of thirty chains of the first

tunnel bi\ the Stratford-. Main Trunk railway has now been pierced, reports Mr T. M. Ball, district Public Works Engineer, who paid a visit to the work recently. As it is pierced the tunnel is l.eing lined. It is going through papa formation and is perfectly dry. A lucky find, up a. creek between the second and third tunnels, is a fine deposit of shellfock, which js needed for fie concrete used in lining the tunnels. Situated as it is, this deposit will obviate a lot of. .1' aula go.