LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 159224, 13 September 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A sawmill hand named John Kennedy Thomas, aged 32 was engaged moving logs at Mamaku railway .timber yard when a log rolled over and fell on h'im smashing his right leg above the ankle. He was admitted to the Waikato Hospital.

“He went to a shooting match didn’t he ” asked counsel of a ■fitness tiurinpg the course of a maintenance case at the Wellington Magistrate’s Court £ He was a crack shot and won some money 1” “Yes,’ refilled witness promptly, “and that m-oney went in the expenses of the housekeeping.”

Shepherds have * very »’ffect' r e way of punishing a disobedient dog If one of their cannies has been causing trouble they simply whistle to their other dogs, which respond by turning to the maJcfnct’r IT.jder the circumstances he pelelom comes out of the scuffle without having received a severe mauling. In country towns troublesome dogs that make a habit of rushing out and snapping at passers-by are not Infrequently taught a lesson on similar lines. A farmer pays a visit to the vicinjity, and when the dog rushes out he is met by half a dozen sheep dogs, who give him the surprise of his life. One such lesson is generally enough.

"Didn’t you tell your husband that you wanted to be a nurse, and could’nt become one unless you were unmarried or separated," ask -ed council of a witness during the hearing of a maintenance case at the Magistrate’s 'Court! Hamilton. d d," we.- the witness’s reply. “And did not vou say that if your husband would sign , a separation order you would not ask for maintenance!’’ “I did say so—and I believe that is the reason why he signed the order.”

The Wanganui Museum is to be the home of the celebrated ivlaorwar canoe, .as the result of the recent litigation in the local Supreme Court (states an exchange). The plaintiffs were certain Maoris, who proceeded; agaiast the Wanganui Guarantee, Discount, and Loan Co., Hikmui Wakarahi, and the Registrar of the Supreme Court for the return of the canoe Matahoturoa, which was claimed to he the property of the plaintiffs and certain other members of the Ngatiruru hapu of the Ngatiatuaroa tribe. The canoe was apparently mortgaged by the Native defendant to the Loan Company. Although damages of £IOO were claim, ed, .it was pointed out that it was not a matter of money, but the plaintiffs wanted tire canoe for presentation to- the. musuem. The canoe saw cosiderab'e service during; the 'Maori "War. In the early ’sixties another canoe took its place, and Matahoturoa was given to the Ngatiruru hapu of the tribe. It was stated that two men were alive who remembered the incident —one man who fought for'and ore against. There were bullet marks in the old canoe, and it was of historical value. It .s the second largesfp war canoe in New Zealand.

A man who follows the occupaton of a butcher, giving evidence in respect to a debt owing to him/ in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court, stated that he was paying £3 per week for a nineroomed house. He had five clvldi en. Cross-examined by counsel for the judgment creditor, be stated that he could not get a cheaper house, and called his wife to prove this. When asked by counsel if he- had really tried to find a smaller house (reports the Auckland “Star”) she replied that she had interviewed several land agents, but they could not get her a suitable dwelling. After reciting the names and addresses of these agents to the questioning solicitor, witness concluded: “Yes, and I hare also linen to another agent in the Peroxide Chambers.” “The Peroxide Chambers!” exclaimed counsel, “why I’ve never hear of such place.” “Well, they’re in Queen Street all right.” Fow do you spell the name?” “P-h-o-e-n-i-x,” she said, “you know the place.” “Oh, yes, 3 know now,” he added with surprise and laughter, “you mean Phoenix Chambers; you evidently pronounce a word on its looks.” (Laughter) For Coughs and Colds, never falls Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. Washing day worries avoided by the use of Taniwha Soap ! —Advt. One small tin of Sharland’s “Moa Brand” Egg Preservative will pre-Ve-vc 1/1 fn/eri eggs; while a L will preserve 90 dozen eggs.—Advt.

“He often comes down to the police station asking to be locked up, and we have simply had to k;ck\ him out,” srj'.d Senior-Serge-ant Mathew, alluding to a, raggedly attired man, Edward John Matthews, who appeared in the Magistrate’s' Court, Hamilton charged with being a rogue and vagaffind in that he had no lawful means of support.

A case of government extravagance was presented to a “Manawatu dimes’’ by) (an employee in a local office. A Jetter had been received from the Stamps Duties Office, containing a twopenny stamp, returned as being needless duty on the part of the Palmerston North firm. That in itself was very satisfactory, but the letter had been registered, making the cost of carriage 4A By thoughtlessly drawing some galvan’sed iron from one roof to another across an alleyway between two New Plymouth buildings one afernoon last week, a plumber let his fellow-work-men in for a lively few minutes (relates a local paper). The sharp edge of the corrugated iron cut through the insulation of an electric connection between the buildings, and short-cir-cuited the current between the two iron roofs; and the man holding the iron found himself suddenly deposited on his hack on the roof, while his companions were dancing a variation of a Russian mazurka on the elec-trically-charged rqofs. On the pavement near the w’atcr pipe on to which the ground wire, which is the safety valve on occasions such as this, was earthed there was a brilliant display of electric sparks winch caused some consternation to pedestrians, who, of course, were mostly unaware of what was happening up above until the offending sheets of iron had been movsd by the aid of a friendly' piece of wood. Certainly the plumbers felt moro comfortable, hut the occupants of premises on the connection were very wrath, as all their fuses had been blown out; otherwise little damage was done,except where the charge had burnt through the spouting around one building and left its mark on the wood.