LOCAL GENERAL.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, 24 August 1923, Page 4

LOCAL GENERAL.

The body of a pure white shag, of unusual size, Avas found on the foreshore at Thames South this morning. This variety is seldom seen in the Hauraki Gulf.

The excursion to-morrow will be well patronised and tickets are selling well The weather looks settled and the crowd will no doubt have a very enjoyable time. The steamer leaves at 5 30' a.m. and tickets should be purchased to-night either from Mr Brownlee or Mr W. Carson.

“One thing that struck me particularly during my trip to Sydney and Melbourne.’ said Mr G. W. Smith, of the “Southland Times,” “Avas the comparative cheapness of fruit in those tOAvns. For instance you can buy from 20 to 30 large manderines for a shilling, and almost as many oranges for the same price, and yet over here we hatfe to pay such exorbitant prices for these fruits. In my opinion there is something Avrong someAvhere, and if they can be sold so cheap over there then it is apparant that undue profits are being made in some quarter.”

An interesting aerial contest Avas witnessed in the Rangitikef Adwitnessed in the Rangitike district the other day (relates the Rangitikei Advocate). The combatants Avere a haAvk and what appeared to be tAvo magpies. Whatever had been the issue at stake, the contest was certainly worthy of it, for it Avas a strenous one for the participants. Time after time the hawk Avould savoop on to one of the magpies, and almost immediately the other magpie would dive in. Feathers fluffed away at almost every reneAved attack. The contest Avas carried on until the trio Avent out of sight over some trees. Until then, honours or points seemed to be about even in the unrefereed contest. The diving and soaring of the birds brought back A'ivid recollections of aerial fighting seen in Flanders. The soap all big laundries use— Taniwha! —Advt. Geo. Cullen & Co. have just opened a splendid range of Men’s Felt and Velour Hats. —Advt. TAventy-one years’ experience with Sharland’s “Moa Brand” Lge Preservative has nroved it to oe absolutely safe and reliable.—Advt

“We have had petrol wagons; we are to have an electric wagon, and now it is proposed to have a steam wagon,” commented Councillor • Hodgens at the meeting of the a merston North Borough Council, when that body was discussing a proposed purchase. “If we go on, continued the councillor “well shall! have outsiders inquiring if we are an experimental concern. For goocne.s sake let us see how our electric wagon works before Ave go in for a steam vehicle.” An amendment of Councillor Hodgens to the effect that the new vehicle be electrically driven Avas lost.

Conspicious for a beautiful m coat Avas the" occupant who sat m solitary state in a dress circle sea at His Majesty’s Theatre at Wellington on Saturday night lending ear o Jean Gerady’s memorable playing ot an old Hebrew chnnt-a model of absorbed appreciation. The symp at-hy of the audience Avas not upon the side of the usher who, at the close of the item, literally bundled I the listner out of the auditorium ° the accompaniment of a protest no louder than the finest pianissimo of the artist’s ’cello. No whisper of scandal has been raised, but who shall say that a cat has no soul tor music 1

“He ran into a constable and knocked him over,” explained Senior-sergeant Mathew to the Hamilton Court, when Leslie Tisch was charged with riding his bicycle without a light in Hamilton East on a recent evening. “Why,” asked Mr Young, S.M., of defendant did you run into the constable . I * n know he was a constable, defendant amidst laughter, (His oi ship • “You mean that if you d known he Avas a constable you wouldn’t have run into him 1 Defendant: “Yes. ” (Laughter.) Defendant eventually explained that he would have got off his machine had he known that it was a policeman who was trying to obstruct him. s it was (says the Waikato Times), they both crashed in the road together. Defendant was fined 15s and costs.

With this week’s issue the Proprietors of the “N. Z. Sporting and Dramatic Review” have turned out one of the finest illustrated numbers yet published in the Southern Hemisphere. Pride of place is given . e Grand) National Meeting at Christchurch and the N. Z. Metropolitan Trotting Club’s Meeting at Addington, snapshots of principal events at exciting stages covering three full pages. The miscellaneous subjects are photographs of the Chinese Soccer Team on their arrival in Sydney, the Canterbury Rugby Football touring team, Poverty Bay Hunt Club s meeting, etc., etc. The stage film and social world are represented in an exceptional manner. In . fact it would be impossible to eclipse the pictorial beauty and variety of this issue. The paper is now on sale at all stationers and booksellers.