NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 22 February 1935, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Swimming Postponed. After the long spell of summer weather it was unfortunate for the New. Plymouth Boys’ High School that the rain long awaited should come yesterday. It meant the postponement of the’heats of the school swimming sports. These were to be swum yesterday, but they will now be swum on Monday. The finals and the championship events will be contested next Thursday.

Bathing in Heavy Surf. In spite of the weather bathers enjoyed themselves in the big surf at Strandon yesterday morning. The water, in comparison with the air, was warm, and the young men had good sport with a surf board. Owing to the mud brought down by the river the froth on the breaking waves had a peculiar yellowish tint.

Fireman’s Family’s Record. Tribute to the services given to Patea by the firemen members of the family of the senior gold star man Mr. M. Carey, was paid by a speaker at the firemen’s social at Patea on Wednesday. The proud record of the four firemen is: Messrs. M. Carey 33 years’ service, C. H. Carey 27 years, A. A. Carey 20 years, and M. Carey junr. 6 years. All of their service has been with the Patea brigade. First Aid for Motor-cars.

Mr. R. Gredig, service officer to the Taranaki Automobile Association, who attended the Cape Egmont dog trials yesterday, had a very busy time servicing motor-cars. The heavy rain all day, sometimes falling with torrential force, found out the weak places in several cars. Eight cars had to be towed some distance before they could be induced to function under their own power.

For the Court, by Lorry. Sending to Awakino for a black Hereford beast which figured in the case against a farmer on a charge of cattle stealing delayed the hearing for one and a-quarter hours in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth yesterday. The beast, which was being sent by lorry, was timed to arrive at 2.15, but did not arrive till later. With the agreement of jurymen and counsel His Honour decided to fill in the interval of waiting by swearing the jury and ■ taking the Crown’s address on the next case on the list. When the beast later arrived by lorry for inspection the second case was adjourned and the court again took up the thread of the proceedings in the .fireyipus case, \

Ghee in Fiji Islands. Good progress with the manufacture and sale of ghee in the Fiji Islands was reported by Mr. J. L. Hunt, chairman of the Rewa Co-operative Dairy Company, who has arrived in New Zealand. With the combined return for butter and that for ghee the dairy farmer in Fiji was geting Is per lb for his butterfat. Guides for Trentham. Thirty-four girl guides and guiders will leave New Plymouth to-day to join the camp held at Trentham to meet the Chief Guide Lady Baden-Powell. By the time the express train reaches Patea 130 Taranaki guides and guiders will be aboard it. At Wanganui they will be joined by another contingent, and a special train will be commissioned to carry them the remainder of the distance. The return journey will be made OR Monday. More Dress Reform. Dress reform l las been a rather more interesting subject than usual this year, but it is to be remarked that most, of the suggestions—ranging from Russian shirts to no shirts at all—have had to do with hot weather. No one mentioned dress reform for wet weather until a New Plymouth man bound homewards in the early hours the other morning while the long brought was in the process of being broken rolled his clothes in a bundle and donned his bathing costume. Size of Kisses. “What is the difference between a small kiss and a big one?’’ asked Mr. Justice Herdman of a witness who, in divorce proceedings at Auckland, declared that a kiss he had had on the top of Mount Eden was “just a small one.” “I leave that to Your Honour,” the witness responded, adding a little later, “I could show you what I mean.” The suggestion of counsel that witness should demonstrate on the examining counsel was not pursued further. Pilots’ Easter Camp. The New Plymouth Aero Club will organise a four-day pilots’ camp at the airport during the Easter holidays. A plan of organisation will be drawn up at a committee meeting on Monday, and all other slubs will be circularised with invitations for their pilots to attend.. It is expected that between 30 and 40 fliers from other centres will attend. The pilots win be under canvas for the four days of the camp, and a programme of aerial events will probably be organised. Probably a small portion of the newly-treated surface of the aerodrome will then be fit for use by the aeroplanes,

Movement of Stock. There has been considerable seasonable movement of stock to Taranaki frern Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay districts recently. Taranaki agents explain that it is usual for a fair number of sheep to come to Taranaki by road and rail at this time of the year. Last week about 1500 came to the Inglewood district, and there were several large flocks taken to Hawera. A report from the north that 3000 were on the road bound for Taranaki is apparently unsubstantiated, but it is known that many are being brought through without railway shipment on any portion of the journey. Lucky Escape.

A lucky escape, from serious injury was experienced yesterday by two youths on Mount Egmont. They were climbing via Humphries Castle along a narrow track above a 500 feet drop into a valley. The foot of one boy slipped on the wet clay and he fell down the precipice, catching hold of his companion as he fell. Both had fallen about 50 feet and were gathering momentum when they were pulled up by a large shrub fortunately growing on the cliff. They slowly returned to safety, shaken but rmhurt.

Butterflies From the Sea. Relief workers and others who frequent the south beach near the Wanganui airport were surprised recently to not e millions of white butterflies, coming in in swarms from the sea. There was a southerly wind blowing, and it is presumed that the butterflies were blown to sea off Waikanae and down the coast, and were coming back to land again further up the bight. An observer stated that there were literally “clouds” of the white pests making land all the way down the coast.

Post-dated Cheque. A novel definition of a post-dated cheque, given by an accountancy student, was quoted by Mr. W. H. Hemingway at the convention of accountants at Auckland. A post-dated cheque, stated the student, was one which bore the date on which it was lodged in the post office. If the post office were burned the cheque became null and void. Mr. Hemingway recalled this definition when suggesting that the council of the New Zealand Society of Accountants should appoint a committee to review and define the more common terms used In accountancy. Swimming—By Radio.

An enterprising innovation for New Plymouth will probably be instituted by a New Plymouth radio firm in connection with the Flannagan Cup open water race in March. Provided the postal authorities raise no objections, a portable wireless telephony transmitter will be installed in a launch which will follow the competitors. An announcer will give a running description and commentary on the progress of the race. His remarks will be broadcast, picked up by a receiver installed at East End and relayed through loud speakers to the crowd near the finishing line. The transmitter to be used is similar to that employed by broadcasting companies when an announcer gives a running description of big golf matches. Although its use is not uncommon for such purposes in New Zealand as far as is known it will be the first time a swimming race has been described by such means in New Zealand. “Miss Clock.”

Telephone subscribers in Stockholm have been provided with a new facility. They have merely to call a certain number to be informed clearly and accurately by a charming feminine voice what is the time to the nearest 20 seconds. The voice' has been chosen for its agreeable tone and clearness. The owner of the voice will, however, not be troubled every time the clock stops in the house of a Stockholm resident who has a telephone. The installation is a combination of an electrically-controlled clock and a gramophone with records actuated by light cells. When the automatic telephone has put the subscriber in connection with ‘Troken Ur” (Miss Clock), as the apparatus has come to be called, lights shine on three records at the places for the hour, the minute and the tenth second. The gramophone loud-speaker then reproduces the numbers for these in their right order. Thus, if the time is 14m. 235. past six in the evening the voice will say 18-14-20. There is no charge for this service, though the call to mechanical "Miss Clock” is counted as one of the number allowed for by the telephone subscription. Our Double Dry Cleaning process is now in operation. Suits and Costumes renovated for 4/6. J. K. Hawkins and Co., Dry Cleaners and Dyers, comer Devon and Liardet Streets, New Plymouth. Stratford depot: Rudkin’s Confectionery. The sale of corrugated iron advertised to be sold by L. A. Nolan and Co. today has been postponed on account of Jte .weather.*