LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thames Star, Volume LIX, Issue 16623, 20 October 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It i.s rumoured that another daily evening newspaper is to be started in Auckland.

A Gazette notice this week dissolves the Thames Valley Returned Soldiers’ Association (Inc.). Mr. L. Mandeno, Tauranga Borough Engineer for the past 10 years, and formerly of Te Amamutu, has resigned, giving three months’ notice. The Council accepted the resignation with regret. The indications are for easterly winds, moderate to strong, and backing by east to north, then freshening. There is a prospect of fair to cloudy weather, and weather will probably become warmer. Barometer little movement. Seas moderate swell, tides good. As indicating the general adoption of shingling or bobbing in America, a Hamilton girl who is visiting America writes that at a party in Los Angeles recently she was the only girl among over 20 who wore her hair long. Though not relishing the idea of losing her tresses, which are unusually long and luxuriant, she was seriously thinking of falling into line with the shingled ones. A man not long out from the Old Country, who is employed on a farm near Pio Pio, became “bushed” in the heavy forest at the back of the property on Thursday night. A search party was organised, and combed the bush all night, penetrating as far as the Mokau River without suecess. Meanwhile, the missing man worked his way out himself and arrived safely at the homestead, none the worse for his adventure. The Hokitika correspondent of the Lyttelton Times telegraphs:—“Particulars regarding the murder of Mrs. Macfie in Java indicate that, as a young girl, the victim resided in Hokitika for some years. Her father was a tailor in the employ of Mr. John Dyson, merchant tailor, while her mother was lady principal of the Anglican Day School, prior to the establishment of the State school system. Helena. Sofia, as she was then known, made many friends here, having a bright and cheery 7 disposition. The members of the family were very highly respected.” Regarding his recent trip to America Dr. Herbert, of Wellington, said that one of the most interesting afternoons he had spent there was a visit, in company 7 with Dr. Kenenth McKenzie (of Auckland), to the experimental farm some miles out of Rochester, near the Mayo clinic. There they saw a good deal of the work that has been done by Dr. Rosenow in connection with infantile paralysis and allied diseases, such a encephalitis lethargica. popularly but erroneously known as sleeping sickness. “Dr. Rosenow showed us animals suffering from every stage of these diseases, which had been inoculated into the animals by himself,” said Dr. Herbert. “Dr. Rosenow knew of our epidemic out here, and asked us many interesting questions about it.” The Rama Rama Road, Pukekohe, was the scene of a mishap on'Friday afternoon. A resident of Dominion Road was driving along in his Ford car when a tyre blew out, and without warning the machine turned turtle, pinning the unfortunate occupant to the ground. Assistance was soon forthcoming from several persons who witnessed the accident, with the result that the driver was soon extricated from his unenviable position. The car, which was badly damaged, was left on the side of the road while the driver, who had a severe shaking and a sprained ankle, was driven to his home by Mr. Bert Piggott. of Pukekohe. Shortly after the accident, and before the car had been shifted from the middle of the road, another car rounded the bend at a fast speed, and on seeing the overturned car the driver applied the brakes suddenlv and pulled up bis car with a jerk that resulted in the crown wheel and pinion of his car being badly 7 damaged.

At low water at Stanlev Bay, Auckland, hundreds of seagulls were seen busily engaged near the water’s edge (says an exchange), and those who stopped to watch them saw that nearly every bird had a fish in its bill, dragging it up on to dry land. Some of the fish were seven or eight inches long, and the birds were making desperate efforts to kill them by biting them just at the back of the bead. The fish were evidently much bigger than the food the gulls were accustomed to catch, but after a time they nearly subdued their prey, and then, starting head first, they proceeded to swallow the fish whole. After a severe effort they managed to do so, and then flew off to the water side again to look for other fish. The toll made of the slioal must have been very great, and the gulls should not need any more food for a week. It' was an eyeopener how the birds gorged themselves, and it is no wonder so many of them look plump and fat.

A correspondent writes:—“Visitors are very welcome at most churches, provided they are in the form of human beings, but at times others make their appearance, and although it may provide a certain amount of merriment to some persons in the congregation, it certainly does not cho.er the members who are intent on listening to a fine discourse, or to the person who is delivering the same. A splendid sermon on the evils of the drink traffic was being delivered by' the Rev. Lambert at the Baptist Church on Sunday night, when a large dog looked in, and, being satisfied with the class of folks'there, entered, and after walking very leisurely down the aisle, was enticed by a lady member of the choir to her seat, and the beast rested its weary head on that person’s lap and commenced a nasal recital. Then an attempt was made to entice poor weary doggy outside, but either the comfort of the building or the interesting discourse was stronger than the attraction of the outside world, as doggy would not budge. Then, and not till then, did that lady member of the church, and also of the local hockey team, show her strength, as she picked the animal up and carried it to the back door, from where it wandered away into the night with thoughts of that advertisement in the Thames Star which stated ‘Visitors cordially welcomed.’ ”

.In America it is becoming quite a usual thing for a wealthy man to devote at least a portion of hig riches to the development of public education.

The Town Clerk of Auckland and the manager of the Municipal Tramways are to be sent abroad next year, each for a period of six months, to observe and gain the latest information on methods affecting their departments.

An Oamaru resident supplied a Mail reporter with a striking instance of the profit accruing from the planting of trees. Between 35 arid 40 years ago a runholder near Hanrner planted 60 acres in pinus insignis. The mill has just pulled out from working in the forest, and the runhokler’s son has the satisfaction of knowing that the gross profit from these trees is £35,000.

A further step towards, the recovery of the radium which found its way by mistake to the ash tins at the Dunedin Hospital, and thence to the tip, has been made bv the Otago Hospital Board. The Hospital Committee recoTnmends that the six bags of ashes which showed radio activity should be sent to a Belgian firm, Radium. Beige, for the extraction of the radium and the reconditioning of the tube at a cost of £l3 a milligram. The tube originally held about nine milligrams.

Much merriment was caused at the meeting addressed by the Hon. R. F. Bollard at Waingaro on Thursday night, when the question of bad roads was being referred to. A lady (laughing) rose in the audience, and, dramatically holding aloft a pair of shoes covered in mud, said: “Look, Mr. Bollard. this is the position!” The speaker, joining heartily in the laughter, said that of course the Government was not to blame for the condition of all the roads, but some of them,, he would agree, were in a shocking state and needed attention.

The chairman of directors of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. Dynes Fulton), struck a verv optimistic note regarding the oxitlook for the present dairying season, at a meeting of suppliers held at Wniau Pa on Wednesday evening. Mr. Fulton said the outlook was particularly cheerful when the fact was taken into consideration that the company proposed to make an advance payment on October 20th of about 1/6 per lb. for butter-fat. Needless to say, the remark was greeted with applause.

Two mishaps occurred near the Wanganui Harbour entrance last week-end. On Friday the Canterbury Company’s steamer Calm, outward bound, got out of river channel and grounded When nearing Castleeliff. The vessel, however, hod no trouble in getting off some time later, and continued her southward journey. On Saturday afternoon, at about 3 o’clock, the same company’s steamer Storm stuck in the channel between the moles. Efforts to remove the vessel with the tug proved abortive, hut she came off with the tide at about 4.45 p.m. Little, if any, damage was done, although the cargo shifted as, a result, of the mishap.

A “crime wavelet” has swept over Palmerston North (says 1 a Press Association message), four petty burglaries having been eomrnitted arid three valueless cheques issued within a week. A marauder gained admittance to the Girls’ High School and to a small dairy in another part of the town about a week ago. A residence near the school was entered on Saturday, the intruder eluding the occupier, who chased him. On Wednesday the pavilion of the Manawatu Bowling Club was entered and ransacked. During the same period a young man aged about 23 presented three valueless cheques, hut in only two instances were they accepted and change given. The police are investigating.

A young man named Dave Woods, employed on the Manawatu Gorge road, had an unenviable experience recently. He took a horse and dray to the river and crossed over to an island, which at low water bad fairly considerable dimensions. After a while he commenced to explore; but the horse considered it time to leave for home, and accordingly did so, and when Woods discovered his predicament the river had risen too high to allow him to attempt the crossing. A considerable fresh was running, and his position became acute, and no attempts at rescue could be made from the shore. When daylight came a boat was obtained, and after several narrow escapes a party managed to bring him back. He was little the worse for his experience of being wet through all night.

With the approach of summer has come the inauguration of an anti-fly campaign in New Plymouth. One gentleman has donated a guinea as a start towards a fund for the purpose, and the headmasters of the New Plymouth schools, on the recommendation of the Boroneh In snoot or (Mr. R. Day), have arranged to forward the object in the schools by means of a drawing competition. Each drawing is to illustrate in some forcible manner some phase of the danger of flies, and all the drawings will he exhibited at a later date in some prominent public place. Awards will be made to the pupils submitting the best drawings, the prizes to be given to the librarv of the school securing most points. A svstem of points has been devised, which it is hoped will enable the smaller schools to compete successfully with the large ones.

An elderly retired farmer of Cambridge was found lying in the water channel in a Hamilton street on Friday, with water flowing freely over him. He was wet through when discovered, and the night staff at the police station had to work hard to get the last vestige of moisture out of him. He only had 3/7 on him, and when the watch-house keeper kindly asked him where he was going to get the 10/- which the Magistrate was sure to fine him he said it was easy. All he had to do was to go round the corner, mentioning some street in Cambridge. When he was informed that he was in Hamilton, not Cambridge, he expressed surprise, and admitted that he must have been drunk! He was evidently an old fellow of standing, as the police were satisfied to leave it to the Cambridge constable to collect the 10/- upon his return to the garden town.