SEVERE ELTHAM STORM

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1931, Page 6

SEVERE ELTHAM STORM

DAMAGE AT ELTHAM. GOAL POST SHATTERED. A hail and thunder storm of exceptional force, accompanied by vivid flashes of lightning, was experienced at Eltham on Sunday. Commencing with a roll of thunder about two o’clock, the storm broke suddenly and . for several minutes big hailstones fell thickly, ing gardens and lawns white. The hail was followed by an exceptionally' heavy shower of rain. A remarkable feature of the storm Was the damage done by lightning. At Taumata Park the goal post at the south end of the football field was struck, and one upright went high in the air to land about 25 to 30 yards distant. Splinters and chips of wood were scattered everywhere, some pieces being found near the gates about three chains away. The padding round the lower part of the upright was also blown to pieces and pieces of sacking and straw were found over a wide radius. The. main piece of the upright was found in two sections about 5 feet long, past the 25yard mark on the field, and a watermain near the surface was found to be ‘burst. , . _ The engineer of the Taranaki Power Board (‘Mr. B. H. Goldsmith) states that some disorganisation was caused to the electrical supply in the Toko district. This was due apparently to a direct stroke which occurred on the lines ,in East Road near Gordon Road. A line switch was burned out, half a dozen insulators shattered and portions of the top of a concrete pole were blown off. Temporary connections were made to replace the burned-out switch, and the service was quickly restored. In the meantime the storm had moved south, and a high-tension fuse was blown on Hunter feoad. A meter was blown out in a house near Taumata Park, probably by the same stroke which destroyed the goal-post nearby. Many country telephones were put out of order. The fuses in most cases were burned out, and these are being replaced as quickly as possible. On Lower Stewart Road a flash of lightning seriously damaged a chimney and a range in a farmer’s residence. MAGISTRATE’S COURT. SITTING AT STRATFORD. Judgment for plaintiffs by default was given in the following undefended civil cases heard at the Stratford Court yesterday by Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M.j Stratford Hospital Board v. J. A. White, £l2 5s (costs £2 18s); R. Fraser v. G. Ansley jun., 13s 4d (8s,); same v. R. Hill, £1 Os 3d (12s); R. H. White and Co. Ltd. v. C. G. Booker, £3 7s 3d (£1 7s fid); Stratford Borough Council v. R. Collins, 14s (8s); Weston Bros. v. R. L. Pepperell, £6 (£1 10s fid). Harold Pearce pleaded guilty to failing to give way to traffic on his right and was fined £2 (10s). The accident occurred at the intersection pf Opunake Road and Broadway, defendant having failed to stop to let a motor-cycle pass. A collision resulted. Arthur N. Cameron was ordered to pay his wife, Ida Cameron, 10s a week towards the maintenance of each of four children. . 1 Maurice Jury proceeded against Leonard E. Knight’for possession of a house and £l3 7a fid. Judgment was entered for plaintiff but the warrant for possession will not be made until 14 days have elapsed. EMPLOYMENT FOR GIRLS. REGISTER TO BE OPENED. When the special committee set up to investigate the question of finding employment for boys, particularly those leaving school, reached the problem as it affected girls in Central. Taranaki, it deferred discussion pending a report from the Stratford branch of the Wo : men’s Division of the Farmers’ Union. Under the presidency of Mrs. M. T. Phillips the executive of the division met on Saturday, Mr. H. A. Hunt being in attendance as a delegate from the union’s special committee. In the course of discussion the Mayoress (Mrs. P. Thomson) intimated. that the Women’s Central Relief Committee, which had done such good work last winter, would be reopening its depot in March. Members thought that the organisation was best fitted to study the interests of women and girls for the time being out of work. In the meantime Mrs. Phillips offered to take charge of a register of women and girls in search of work, and with the assistance of the executive to endeavour to find them employment. ELTHAM THEATRE. “THE ROMANTIC VAGABOND.” Reginald Denny, one of the most engaging personalities in pictures, appears ■at his best in “The Romantic Vagabond,” showing at Eltham to-night. It is full of swift-moving fun, packed with interest, and tinged with just enough dramatic action to round out a talkie that promises to be one of the most entertaining pictures shown here for a long time. Denny appears in the role of a tramp who is given the position of chauffeur in a wealthy household, the mistress of which collects tramps as her hobby. It is a story of mistaken identity with novel twists and unusual situations. Charles Coleman provides a large share of the talkie’s hilarity through his excellent portrayal of William, the English butler. More than any member of the household, William is indignant at the entrance into the family of an erstwhile tramp as chauffeur, and his threat to quit when his two weeks’ notice is up is modified only after he discovers that the chauffeur was a former officer of the Coldstream Guards with which he himself served. Little Anita Louise provides a great deal of amusement as the mischievous young daughter of the house, who is instrumental in bringing Denny and Eileen together. i