GENERAL NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 18 December 1925, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

At t-lio Magistrate's Court at Christchurch vestordav, be ten* Mr H. A. Young, 5.. M., William Robertson, a. widower, aged (>:i. was fined 25 tor kissing a girl without her permission. In the Appeal Court at AYelliugtou yesterday, linn! leave to appeal to tins Pr.vv Couneil was granted ill the ease King v. Distributors Ltd., generally known as the tlourmiiling case-. “Tt is a great pity that there is not a law to prevent boys under 2L or 22 being allowed out after 10 o clock at night,” said his Honour Mr .Justice Reed at the Cisborne Supreme Court. ‘‘lt seems to be the cause o! a number of t hem getting into trouble, ’ lie added.

An unusually prime fat lamb offered at Tuesday’s stock sale at Gore realised 44s 6d. The lamb, was said to have been the best ever ollored in the Gore yards before Christmas.

At a meeting of the Committee of the Y.M.C.A. Amateur Athletic Club held yesterday afternoon, it was decided on account of the rain to postpone the meeting to be held last evening until Monday evening next at 6.30. j

At last night’s meeting of the South Canterbury Automobile Association it was stated that the Opuha Bridge at Gapes Valley was open for traffic, and that, the Upper Selwyn River was fordable.

A correspondent states that a wellki'own Wanganui shearer, working m the Taihape district, shore a wether that had two heads, and there was no little surprise in the shed when, it was found that the next wether handled, by j this man had five legs

A Christchurch Press Association message says that an order against tlio publication of evidence was made in the Supremo Court yesterday morning, when Eva Bolton, single, claimed from William Milluer, contractor of Sockburn, £SOO for alleged indecent.-as-sault, and £IOOO on a second charge of aggravated assault.

What lias gone wrong with the weather? (asks the Elthum "Argus"). It is neither summer nor winter, though it is more like the latter than the former. If there is not a quick change for ihe better a deputation will have to be sent down to consult ‘‘The Man AVlio Gets Things Done,” to see if lie cannot <ret something done to improve the weather. Perhaps a Royal Commission could be set up to make lnqumes.

While motoring from Wanganui to Palmerston .North recently, Mr W. Cowling, of Palmerston North and a party of friends had a very unpleasant experience. Their car became troublesome near Turukina and, when one of the party tried to re-start it, flames shot out and soon consumed tpe vehicle, reducing it to a skeleton -in a very short time. The blaze caused a hold up of other motor cars on the road.

A moving mountain is a phenomenon that the Waitotara County Council is regarding with concern. On the right river bank near Nairikia a big hillside has started to crack and creep, and as there is well-defiged although slow rate of pro‘n>'ess, it seems fairly certain that a 'gigantic landslide into the uvei is only a matter of time. When that does happen a navigation problem may bo provided.

One of the victims of the land boom a couple of years ago was a returned 1 soldier, who sold a suburban property in Wanganui for £IOOO, which money he invested in a farm, for which lie paid £63 an acre. He was unable to meet his liabilities, the farm was sold over his head, and at the meeting o the Wanganui-Waitotara _ Patriotic Association an application ■"■'is received from him for temporary help.

Viscountess and Viscount Burnham recently organised through the bociety of Women Journal.sts a British. Empire essay competition in three sections, for adults, boys and {girls, dor easi prizes of £25 for tho first section, and £lO each for the second and thud sections. Official advice has been, received from the High Commissioner that the winner of the first prize m the boys section was Master James Munro Bertram, a scholar at \\ aitaiu Boys 3 High School. —(Press Assn)

Several schools of whales were sighted in the Tasman Sea by the officers ot the Union Company’s cargo steamcr Kairanga while tho ship was on a, voyage from Port Stephens to Dunedin. The first school was sighted when the Kairanga was three days out from tho New South Wales timber port. Tho whales, to the number of close oil 20, were distinctly seen “sporting m the calm sea within two miles of the ship. Another school was sighted the fol’owing day, and several whales were also seen off Puysegur Point.

At a recent meeting of the Waitotara County Council, Cr. \V. Ritchie aired, a lew of his impressions of the Dunedin Exhibition, while'a brief discussion was under way in connection with an engineers’ conference that is to be held there shortly. Cr Ritchie said there was no difficulty about getting accommodation in Dunedin. ‘lhe place where 1 stayed was only half full, and the tariff was 15s per day, and since then it has been reduced to 11s. Prices were ‘sky high’ during the first week, but there has been a bit ot a come down since then,” he concluded.

From Bathurst, New South Wales, conics "tho news tiuit millions of giusshoppers have descended upon -.he countryside. In some cases they have totally destroyed oat crops, and in othei paddocks they have left trails of halleaten wheat stalks. Untruthful as it sounds, they even held up a heavilyladen goods train. The train was on its way to Bathurst when a stoppage occurred. A puzzled tram crew, on looking ahead, was amazed to find that an army of grasshoppers had effectually field up the tram’s progress. .Ihe ncgino could not take a slight grade on account of the greasy state of the rails, which were covered with grasshoppers for several hundreds of jaids. Ihe Batlmrst farmers are not a little concernod us to liow to dtiul with, the invasion.

A representative meeting of Timaru retailers was held m the omee of Mr G. Johnson yesterday morning. Mr K D. Aieli-.e was voted to the chair, and expressed pleasure at such a big attendance of shopkeepers an such, a busy morning. Me .stated that the meeting had been called to consider the action of the Borough Couneil in illuminating the streets during the Christmas and New Year seasons. He expressed his personal appreciation of the attitude ot the Mayor and Borough Council, Timaru was not yet a manufacturing town, though it was last mecoming one, and anything which helped the shop-keeper, helped the residents as well. There was no doubt that anything that made ioi tho beautification of the town during the season would also make it iurther uttr active for tourists anil visitors as well as for the townspeople, mid the progressive attitude of the Mayor and council in illuminating the ton n v as, lio felt, another forward step m the history of Timaru. These views were endorsed bv Mr O. (.«. .'-now am. Ml «• Alston, tho latter mentioning chat in Mr Wallace and the Borough Jvectncal .engineer, they had two good men. iho following resolution moved hy all' Mcltae, and seconded by Air C. G. hnow was carried unanimously ‘‘That, this meeting desires to express to the Mayor nnd Councillors, utul Borough iMoctiioal Engineer and Ins stafi, the thunks and appreciation of the citizens of Timaru, on their enterprise and initiative in the. matter of electrically illuminating Stafford Street for tho Christmas and New Year season, and that a letter embodying this be sent to the Town Clerk.”

The long delayed and eagerly awaited Omar Khayyam Ware lias arrived at last at the Progressive Hardware Store. Jt is a beautiful range of Art Ware and certain to be tho rage this Christmas shopping season. Tho collection compr.sos vases. bowls, cups amt saucers, I'-slr trays, fruit di-dies and plates. England,’ Me.R; o Ltd.. are proud of their display of Omar Khayyam Ware and cordially invite you to t all and se'ect your re.|.'iremems Cab carlv and secure a better choice.

Oregon pine is increasing in favour in New Zealand, and, along with other woods, such as mati 'qnd totara, is superseding the famous New Zealaud kauri, particularly for dwelling houses (says a forestry journal). Exotic soft woods have come into their own, and their rapid growth in the North Island of New Zealand is an effective means of checking the threatened timber famine.

Some Baldutba residents are concerned about tho probablo cost of fruit in the conraig jam season (reports the “Free Press”). It is not generally known however that the new railway tariff, while increasing freight charges on Central Otago fruit in quantity, does not affect the householder who wants a small lot for private consumption. Tho old cheap rate can still be got if the senders will endorse on the consignment note: Certified fox* domestic use of consignee only.

Ngauruhoe was emitting a large volume of steam . recently, creating magnificent scene from \Vaimarmq (states the Waimarino cori’espondent of the New Zealand Herald). Tins side ot the mountain appeal's to be blackened, no snow being visible near the summit. Clouds gathered during the afternoon, obscuring the view from Taupo. Early in the morning a heavy cloud was seen rising, and as the day advanced tha group of mountains was entirely hidden from view by the wind carrying the vapour across the skyline. A fairly sharp shock of earthquake was felt at Optiki lasting two or three seconds. There was another a few minutes later.

“In judging the efficiency of a farmer,” remarked the Hon. R. F. Bollard at Stratford rile other day, ‘‘l always look how ho keeps his fences and gates. If a farmer sees that his fences and gates are kept in order you can bet. your life that lus farm operations are generally well superintended. Now that is where the Taranaki farmer comes in. Everywhere I have been here I have not seen one farm where the fences and gates have been neglected. I noticed also that tho Taranaki farmer does what the successful Waikato farmer does not fail to do—he keeps the patch near the gates well earthed. Cattle like gathering at gates, and the mail who spreads a lot of earth near .his gates in summer time will keep tho entrance to those gates clean during the whole of the winter.” C