LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 28 August 1930, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Seamen’s donations towards the radio set had reached over £5O, it was reported to the New Plymouth W.C.T.U. yesterday, and the committee had purchased a combined radio and . gramo-phone-machine which had been installed at the seamen’s rest. “Take off that hat!” cried the court ■crier, when a man and, a woman came, into th© New Plymouth Supreme Court yesterday. Th© cry shivered the momentary silence. The man pulled off his hat and the woman, to the astonishment of the court, snatched hers off too.

A graphic description of Syria and •Palestine with sidelights on the Holy Land formed the subject of a very interesting lantern lecture by th© Rev. J ,D. McLennan Wilson to a large audience at th© St. Andrew’s Hall, New Plymouth, last night. Mr. N. K. MacDiarmid presided and introduced the speaker.

■ During the hearing of legal argument in the Supreme Court at Wellington as to the apportionment of costs in a defended divorce action, his Honour, Mr. Justice Blair, remarked that a lot was heard about th© high cost of litigation, “but,” he added, “litigation in New Zealand is a much more economical process than it is in England.” s

When Newman Johns was. charged in the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch with driving without a license he did not appear, but he wrote a letter. “This man is rather candid,” remarked Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., when he had read the letter. “He writes, ‘I cannot think of any fresh excuse to try to put over.’ ” Johns was fined 16s and costs.

. Each team had its supporters at the provincial Rugby championship final at Stratford yesterday,' as was evident by th© outbursts of applause that followed good movements by players of the respective teams. Ribbons, too,• were flying, ■ the amber and black of the southern team being perhaps more prominent than th© black and whit© of Old Boys. One enthusiastic party of Hawera supporters appeared leading a fox terrier gaily caparisoned in a coat of amber and black. The dog appeared to be anxious to keep in the background, as though realising that his true colours were the white and black of th© opposing team.

The manner in which th© people of New Plymouth have not only supported th© voluntary contributions scheme but also provided casual labour for the relief of unemployed meh was the subject of favourable comment by the secretaries of the Unemployment and Relief Committee yesterday. They stated they had numerous telephone messages and letters asking for an unemployed man for a day’s gardening or to . cut a hedge or clear a paddock. It had been their policy to send only good honest toilers on these jobs and the result was that the satisfied employer gave the man a good recommendation which usually permitted him to find other casual work.

The presence of a wild deer stag on a turnip field half a mile from' Otorohanga promoted unusual/ excitement among local sportsmen, says the Waikato Times. Messrs. J. Bremner, Fred Hyde and Rangi Moerua quickly picked lip the trail of the animal, and then commenced a running fire at the fast travelling stag, which was eventually brought down with the fifth shot (by Mr. Hyde) while in the act of jumping a wire fence. The chase from the turnip field led over rough country covered with heavy fern, teatree and gorse, and lasted several hours, as frequently the stag was lost to the view of the huntsmen in the smother of cover. “It seems absurd that cars arc required to carry rear lights, and that bicycles are not,” commented His Honour, Mr. Justice Reed, during the hearing of a motoring case in th© Supreme Court at Gisborne. Counsel for the plaintiff commented that it was hoped to be able to prove that a front light on a bicycle was of little use when the machine was being overtaken by a car. Counsel for the defendant explained that the by-laws made it, compulsory for bicycles to carry rear reflectors, and common experience showed that these, when picked up by the lights of a car, reflected effectively.