NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1933, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

To-day is the pay day of the half yearly rentals in the Waitara district, and a large crowd of Natives is expected in the town.

Three people were rescued from a particularly heavy undertow at the Fitzroy beach, New Plymouth, yesterday morning. One, a young girl and a good swimmer, had been in the water only two or three minutes when she was dragged out by the undertow. Her plight was noticed by a man who swam to her rescue. She was later able do proceed home. Two or three others were also caught by the heavy undertow and were helped out by more experienced swimmers. The breakers were large at the time.

Climbers on Mount Egmont yesterday were not deterred by slight showers. A party comprising Messrs. J. Woods (Marton), W. Griffiths and D. Rawson, left the North Egmont house at 5.30 a.m., and 40 minutes later Messrs. S. Arthur and C. Nodder followed. The latter party took only two hours 55 minutes on the journey to the summit, and their total travelling time going and returning was four hours 20 jminutes. Both parties sunbathed in the crater for over an hour. Mr. Rod Syme took a party of five to the summit from Dawson Falls. At Dawson Falls the rain was the first for 15 days.

A judgment debtor who was examined at the Opunake Magistrate’s Court could certainly not be called a pessimist. Sixtyeight years of age and an old age pensioner, he said he purchased a small house, paying for it with £3O that he had borrowed on the security of the house with the understanding that if he did not pay back the loan within five years the house would be taken over by the mortgagee. Asked how he hoped to pay he remarked that he might not always be poor. Needless to say on that evidence the magistrate declined to make an order with regard to the judgment debt, which was not connected with the deal mentioned.

The danger of young children going out of their depths while unable to swim sufficient distances was emphasised at the New Plymouth baths on Saturday afternoon, when amid the general confusion attendant upon a crowd of children swimming together, the plight of a boy, Bill Royce, went unnoticed. In preparation for the carnival in the evening, the baths had been filled, giving a minimum depth of over five feet. Royce was in the middle, making frantic efforts to get to the side, when he was noticed by Mr. L. Kerr, a member of the Fitzroy Surf Club. Mr. Kerr brought the much frightened lad to the side, where after some minutes he was himself again.

Severe scalds on both legs were suffered by Mr. B. H. Couchman, Wilson Street, Fitzroy, when paraffin wax he was melting boiled over and ignited the floor. The New Plymouth brigade was called shortly before 5 p.m. and, using a small hose, quickly quelled the outbreak. As the house was concrete, the damage was confined to clothing and part of the ceiling, where a couple of boards caught fire, necessitating the firemen lifting part of the roof to reach the seat of the flames. Mr. Couchman suffered somewhat severely. He was working in shorts and rubber shoes and when the paraffin boiled over he was scalded on both legs. \

A solitary flash or brilliant light was observed in the sky to the west from New Plymouth about 11.30 a.m. on Saturday. There was no thunder and the threatening clouds soon disappeared. Struck on the eye by a ball in a junior cricket match at Sanders Park, New Plymouth, on Saturday, H. Wolfe, the New Plymouth club wicketkeeper, received a painful injury. He was unable to continue.

A broken arm was sustained by a six-year-old child when she was flung on to the roadway at Moturoa yesterday afternoon as a result of the door of her parents’ car swinging open. The car was moving slowly.

Evidence of the shifting nature of the population in certain parts of Taranaki is found to a remarkable extent in the roll of Lower Mangorei School. Of a total of 73 children attending the school, 38 came this year. An unusual number of jellyfish was washed ashore at Moturoa yesterday, there being portions of the fish every few yards for a good stretch of the sand. Bathers also encountered them in the water. At Fitzroy on Saturday a particularly large specimen was taken ashore by a bather. The satisfactory position with regard ■to the finding of employment for boys which was reviewed some weeks ago in the Daily News continues, according to statements made by members of the Boys’ Employment Committee on Saturday. There are not so many town positions but the demand from the country continues steadily.

Usually golfers are quick to take shelter when rain falls on the links. Yesterday morning, however, that was not the case. When a shower fell at about 11.30, despite the fact that nearly all were in tennis attire, only one player sought cover. All the rest played on cheerfully as though enjoying the rain after a dry, hot period. An original method of ensuring proper attention for a plantation of young trees has been introduced at Fitzroy School, New Plymotuh. Each of over 100 young pohutakawas has been given to a child, who is thus made responsible for its protection from injury and the provision of water and manure. So far the system has worked admirably, the children being most diligent in attending to the needs of their charges. The annual Christmas tree presentation and party for children of members of the Mount Egmont R.A.0.8. Lodge was held at the Foresters’ hall on Saturday. A members’ committee organised the function. Mr. W. Ainsworth,was Father Christmas and handed each of the 70 children a parcel from the tree, a balloon and a bag of sweets. Light refreshments were provided for the jixveniles and afternoon tea for the women. “I am a plumber by -trade,” declared Sir George Julius during a short address tc the members vf the Wheat Research Institute at its quarterly meeting at Christchurch. Sir George, who was replying to a speech of welcome from the chairman, Dr. H. G. Denham, asserted that he had been more or less pitchforked into the position of chairman of the Commonwealth Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Word from Taranaki that a world’s shearing record has been established has awakened memories, and Mr. W. Higgins has communicated with the Wanganui Chronicle forwarding a clipping from an issue dated Friday, December 28, 1923, in which an article and photographs support his world’s record tally of 406 sheep in nine (not ten) hours. The Taranaki record was a tally of 412 in ten hours. Mr. Higgins established his record at Mr. Bradley’s shed, Moumahaki.

Moturoa fishermen are finding blue sharks to be rather a nuisance. One yesterday caught half-a-dozen specimens five miles off Saddleback Island. All were from six to seven feet long. On Saturday another fisherman had a thrilling fight with a 12ft. blue shark. He had dragged it to the side of the launch and was about to gaff it when it tore away from the light tackle he was using. The sharks on the long lines, some of which contain 400 hooks, have, so the fishermen say, a habit of biting through the line, meaning a loss of other fish, as well as of some valuable line and hooks. Conditions yesterday were thoroughly unpleasant, most of the launchmen returning with small catches.

The engine of the Western Federated Flying Club’s ZK-AAX, which was destroyed by fire while on the way from Hamilton to New Plymouth last week, was brought to New Plymouth by train on Satu?day afternoon and taken to the aerodrome at Bell Block. The engine is merely a conglomerate mass, with a hole four inches in diameter in the crankcase, and the cylindefs merely a mass of metal. The engine is useless and will probably be burned. ZK-AAX ran amok at the Hamilton pageant, crashing into a car and damaging a wing. While being returned to New Plymouth by lorry it caught fire and was burned to a cinder. The federation executive will meet at Hawera to-night to consider replacement.

Ten carriages containing approximately 200 people were, used on the first excursion this summer from Hawera to New Plymouth yesterday. Several went on with the train to Moturoa, but the weather was unkind, and though the water was exceedingly warm, a wind did not help bathers. The excursion will be run every Sunday until March or April. Next Sunday’s train will join the Wel-lington-New Plymouth special, which will leave Wellington late on Saturday. For the Tabor Shield surf championships at Opunake on January 21, there is a possibility of excursions being run from both Wanganui and New Plymouth, while for the surf championships at New Plymouth on February 18 there is a possibility that excursions will be run from Taumarunui, Wanganui and Hawera, making a record for the town.

“There is no question that the immediate reaction in the United Statej to President Roosevelt’s firm steps : n March and April this year vzas one of grea x enthusiasm,” said Mr. C. W. Collins, who returned to Christchurch last week after two years abroad. “His decided moves seemed to be needed to cheer the people up and his desire to lay his cards on the table was widely acclaimed. The difference in he atmosphere of Washington in April, compared with the spirit of the people at the end of last year was most noticeable, for in spite of heavy cuts in Civil Service salaries the spirit of optimism was abroad. The spirit of the United ' States is nowhere more easily appreciated than in Washington itself, and in this centre of administration the change of feeling was most obvious.

An official "funeral” was last week accorded the two five-gallon kegs of “Hokonui” whisky which were seized by the Collector of Customs, Mr. H. S. Cordery, and Detectives Hewitt and Lean when they apprehended a lorry driver on the Wyndham-Edendale Road, near Invercargill. When the accused was fined £5O in the subsequent Court proceedings, the magistrate, Mr. E. C. Lewey, made an order that the liquor should be confiscated, the collector rema-king that it would be of too poisonous a nature to be sent to the hospital for medicinal purposes. In the cortege r.t the final, rites were the collector, Inspector '2. Gibson. Detective-Sergeant D. J. Hewitt, Detectives Lean and Hill, several constables and two reporters, the pall-bearers from the police station to the Magistrate s Court yard being the detective-sergeant and Detective Hill. The whisky was then lowered into a nearby drain, the collector delivering' a panegyric, taking as his text. "As the evil \