LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1930, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

As the result of recent bank hold-ups in Australia, all bank clerks were now receiving revolver practice, said Mr. G. Bishop, bf Gore, after his return from a visit to Australia.* Targets were erected on the roofs of the banks and some of the staffs had become very efficient. ‘I read a paragraph in one newspaper,” he said, ‘in which a bank manager said he could guarantee that fully 80 per cent, of his'staff could hit a 2s piece at a distance of 20 paces.”

Shearing operations in the Bush District have been considerably hampered- this season by wet weather. One sheep farmer of Tiraumea. in the Eketahuna County, who has kept a record of rainfall for the past half century, says that the present season, from the point of view of rain interfering with'shearing, has been the worst experienced for 47 years. In 1883 it took him nine weeks to shear his flock and this season he thought it would take about 12 weeks.

k fine of £1 plus £4. 4s costs was inflicted yesterday on John Wood for unlawfully obstructing traffic on the Main South Road when droving cattle ncai Oakura on October 29. Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., had previously found Wood guilty but had ' deferred entering the -penalty pending a possible decision to appeal. Yesterday Mr. C. ;H. Weston announced that Wood was satisfied to accept the verdict. -At the hearing Mr. R. H. Quiliiam represented the informant, Robert Afoa, inspector to the Taranaki County Council. An American visitor to New Zealand who called at the Government Tourist Bureau in Christchurch on Monday was inquiring as to the means of getting ■to Paradise, in the Southern Lakes District. ‘lt isn’t that I’m really anxious to see the place,” he explained, “but I’ve been to a place called Hell in Norway and' another called Purgatory in Alaska, so I thought that it would be rather nice to see Para dise, then I’ll have done the round trip, which is more, than most earthly or even heavenly dwellers can boast.”

" “The Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore, has had a great deal to say about agricultural bias in education,” said Mr. J. P. Kalaugher at the prize-giving ceremony of the Sacred Heart College, Auckland. . “I was in charge of agricultural instruction in Auckland for several years, and I consider a boy’s best, training for farming is an all-round education, with general science instruction. Whether a boy is to become a farmer is mainly an economic problem. When there is land readily available, there are plenty who will take it up.” i

An incident which shows that there still exists among various classes of the community a spirit of co-operation in times of hardship came under the notice of the Auckland Star’s representative at Dunedin. A runholder who usually shears about 5000 sheep was approached by his shearers in a body, and they said that as times were bad they would be willing to accept a lower rate for shearing, than that which had existed in the past. The runholder was very appreciative of this fine spirit on the part of the men, and he told them that he would pay them the usual rate this year, but he could not say what would happen next year.

In commenting on wide divergences in evidence of witnesses in Court regarding various events the Otago Daily limes sa ys ; —“As good an’ illustration as could be given of how impressions differ was the result of a test not long ago at the Otago University. A play was performed before a class which was not informed of what it was to be asked to do. ■ In one of the acts a man quite unexpectedly appeared on the stage and shot one of the actors. Confusion followed, and the play was immediately stopped, and the member j of the class were asked to give an account of what had happened. There proved to be an extraordinary and amusing difference in the descriptions which were written.”

Patrons : of the Melbourne Ltd.’s Grand Xmas Fair are requested to endeavour to do their holiday shopping as early as possible in order to avoid the inevitable rush. In their own interests as well as in fairness to the salespeople it is really good policy to shop when there is less risk of being bustled and while assistants have more time at customers’ dis-

Hard quarters cured—l 9 cases out of 20—this is the experience of a Kaitaia dairyman using Lissaman’s Mammitis Paint. Send 5/6 to Box 63A. Kaponga, for a bottle.

■Officers and N.C.O.’s of the Taranaki Regiment have decided, in view of the t’j- • nouncement of tjie Minister of Defence that there would be no camps as promised earlier in the year, to hold a voluntary camp early in the New A ear, officers and N.C.O.’s paying their own expenses. Since the Government some months ago decided to discontinue compulsory military training the officers and N.C.O. s with a desire to maintain old associations, have been undergoing voluntary training m machinegun work, meeting, weekly for that purpose. The course of training for this year has concluded and on Wednesday evening a social was held at which about 30 officers and N.C.O.’s, a number being accompanied by their wives, were present. Not the least of the wonders to be seen among the side-shows at the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s summer show was one from Southland itself. It was a huge wild boar, which, so far as is known, has never been equalled in size in the district. The massive animal was caught some time ago at Mason’s Bay, in the bush country, not far from the Tuatapere district. Being only three years old, the boar is still increasing in size. The latest dimensions taken were:— Length, Bft. 3in.; girth, 6ft lOin; height 3ft 6in.; weight, 9001bs. ' The feet of- th& boar are as big as those of a cow. From the characteristics of the animal it is judged to be a cross between a wild pig and a Tamworth which had run wild. A pause in the middle of a sentence was responsible for some amusement at the expense of Mr. A. Bell, Assistant-Director of Education, at the Rongotai Boys’ College break-up, says thq Wellington Post. Mr. Bell was impressing upon the boys the importance of attending to the real things in life after they left school, and was telling them of a young man who, during his school career, was successful in practically everything he did. But after he left school he did not go very far. He became a teacher—. Mr. Bell paused here a few seconds, and there was a ripple of laughte? from the masters and others on the platform. “Yes, he became a teacher,” continued Mr. Bell, “but unfortunately he spent so much time in these other activities that he neglected his main object in life.” ,

The 'Westward Ho Midget Golf Company opened its new course at Inglewood last night. There, was a large attendance of the public, over 100 spectators and players. The course proved to be as good as claimed and was an excellent test. The thick felt on the greens played excellently; In an K exhibition match 8. Lovell (Inglewood) and T. Wilson (New Plymouth) defeated C. H. Stephenson and S. F. Cook (both New Plymouth) one up at the 36th hole after a great struggle.

Worry! Worry! Worry! That’s what upsets people. Well, why worry? Bring the children to , see our big wheel and shop in comfort. Also no worry because your money won’t go round. Our prices make it easy to buy, and our special 10 per cent, or 2/- in £ reduction on showroom goods makes shopping a pleasure at McGruer’s, Central Devon Street, New Plymouth.*