LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thames Star, Volume LIX, Issue 16736, 12 March 1926, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Thames Hospital Board met today.

A garden party will be held at the residence of Mrs. Otto, in Rolleston ,Street. to-morrow afternoon, from 3 to 5 p.m., in aid of St. James’ Church. Intending car owners will do well to read McDonnell and McMillan’s new advertisement in to-day’s “Star” concerning the popular Chevrolet ear. An Exhibition joke! Two men met at the Exhibition, old friends, who had not seen each other *for a long time. One had increased in proportions, and had a. distinct “bay window.” Said the other: “You seemed to have altered.” “In what way?” “The dome of your festival hall has got larger.” The Post-Office pillar-boxes round the town have received a coat of paint, but ’ some mischievous boys have so spoiled some of them that the contractor has had in some cases to do his work over again. A heavy penalty may be incurred by interference with the boxes, and parents are asked to tell their children not to touch the new paint.

Dog-owners by the dozen responded to a recent advertisement in a Greymouth paper for a watchdog, “pedigree not. essential.” Ail kinds of unwanted dogs were brought for the advertiser’s inspection, and the climax came when three were offered for nothing. But it was all a practical joke, and the joker had left for Australia before lie was found out. 1 At a Bradford inquest on an engineer who ,was found dead in a garage in which a car engine had been running, the Coroner emphasised the necessity for the utmost caution when running an engine in an enclosed or insuffi-ciently-ventilated building. Too much carp cannot be exercised in this respect, as the gas' (carbon monoxide) which is present in the exhaust gases is odourless, invisible, and particularly deadly in its effects For some time it has been apparent to all engaged in the industry that the wool sales held in Australia and N.ew Zealand are amongst the most important in the world. Whereas 35 years ago some 60,000 bales of wool were being sold in the Dominion and overseas buyers numbered four, to-day 500,000 bales are being sold in New Zealand each season, and overseas textile manufacturers are represented by some 60 buyers. Black hares are steadily increasing in the Highland districts of Scotland, where the inhabitants are becoming only too well acquainted with them. Less than 20 years ago it might have been possible to sweep a whole county in the North of Scotland without running across one of the creatures, but things are different now. A black hare shot at Braemar in 1.900 was held to be a rarity; but. instead of discouraging the others, this fatality seems to hav.e had just the opposite effect, and the animals are steadily increasing. The military camD at Ngaruawahia, showing the Ist Battalion Auckland Regiment in training, forms the subject of an interesting double page in this week’s Sporting and Dramatic, a tug-o’-war, the heliograph squad, sports Among the incidents are the tent lines, tug-o’-war. the helograpli squad, sports clay, and the orchestra. The Waikato Trotting Club’s summer meeting at Alexandra Park is featured in a comprehensive series, depicting finishes of principal events and scenes on the lawn. The Woodville District Jockey Club’s autumn fixture and the Te Arolia Jockey Club’s meeting are represented in an attractive style. . |

The indications are for westerly winds, strong to gale. The weather will probably prove squally and changeable. llain probable later. Barometer falling, blit rising after about 24 to 36 hours. Seas rough, tides good off shore. Barometer 29.97, thermometer 70.

Omahu Pa, Fernhall, Hawke’s Bay, was the other day the scene of a large gathering of natives from all parts of the district, the occasion being the visit of Katana and bis party, numbering about 80. Katana has come to combat the charges and criticisms which have be n levelled against him. The proceedings were of a protracted nature, there being a large number of speakers. \ll the speeches were in the Maori language.

It is rather a significant fact that since the “ioadometers” have been in use in Kjmgitikei, several motor-lorry owners have taken out additional •ic.enses for their vehicles (reports the Wanganui Herald). A number of “hauls” have been made by the traffic inspector, and it is possible that when making the declaration for their original licenses (hey. ui'ider-estimated the loads they would be carrying. However, since the detectors have been working overtime in this district, several owners have revised their estimates and decided to take out extra licenses.

Speaking in a reminiscent vein last evening, Mr. D. Russell referred to the late Dr. 9’ Callaghan as a sturdy churchman wild feared nobody. He related a little incident that occurred on tne bowling green. It was just before Easter, and tne then President made an announcement that certain games had been arranged for Good Friday. The doctor at once stepped out on to the green, and, addressing the President, said they should not play on Good Friday—it was a shameful thing to do on such a day. The speaker remarked that only a man of great courage would have dared tp do that.

Mr. H. J. Farrant, of Invercargill, who has returned from a short visit to the Exhibition, relates an amusing story of his misjudgmeut of native music (reports the Southland Daily News). While in the Fijian Court, a short musical entertainment was arranged by the Commissioner (the Hon. R. Boyd). Six. of the Fijian “boys” rendered quite a number of vocal tinaccompanied items in the native tongue, and although the songs were somewhat difficult to understand, the voices were extremely good. Mr. Farrant put the first song down as a love romance, a -second a song of defiance, and yet another a comic selection. On inquiry at the conclusion of the performance. he was surprised to find that all the items were Wesleyan hymns! A story has been going the rounds concerning a passenger on an Atlantic lin.er who complained to the chief steward that a man was disturbing his reading by playing on the piano. The piano player, it transpired, was Paderewski. Moreover, it was the famous pianist himself who started the story on its rounds by relating it to all and sundry. But then Paderewski is by no means av.er.se to telling stories against himself. One that he relates concerns an incident at a house where he was a guest. After dinner one day he played a difficult classic piece for the entertainment of the assembled company. As he finished, the little daughter of his hostess came up and squeezed bis arm. “I can’t iflay that, either!” she announced sympathetically.

Messrs. G. Muir and W. McConachie, of Muir’s Gold Reefs, were in Waihi a few days ago on matters pertaining to the resumption of work in the mine, which has been closed down for some time pending the installation of powerful pumps to un-water the bottom level (says the Waihi Telegraph). The pumps had to be ordered from an Eng lish »firm, and will not arrive for a few weeks, but once they are in conir mission it will only bo a matter of days to lift the water. When this has been done, driving for the Massey reef will be resumed, and the sinking of the winze, which is. following Muir’s reef down from the lowest workings at which payable ore was won on this lode, will again be put in hand, the intention being to connect with the bottom level. The winze had been sunk 2001 ! t. when, the water prevented further operations, and another 800 ft. of sinking will carry it down to the bottom level

The old problem about a lien and a half laying all egg and a half in a <|ay and a half bade fair to be eclipsed in the Compensation Court (says the Marlborough Express), when a sheep farmer said he estimated that certain country would carry half a ewe to the acre. Learned counsel commented that half a ewe to the acre was equivalent to an acre to half a ewe, and the Bench gravely nodded its agreement to this profundity of mathematics. Counsel then went on to claim that half a ewe to the acre for 12 months was equivalent to a ewe to the acre for six mouths, and His Honour' observed that that would be a good idea, as, according to counsel, the country would carry a ywe to the acre for six months and could be spelled for the remaining six months of the year. Counsel revolved the problem for some time, but finally abandoned the subject with the weighty observance that in any case half a ewe to the acre was —well, half a ewe to the acre!

Wellington was sending thousands of pounds out of the country for the purchase of bitumen, yet Auckland came, to Wellington to purchase a prepared tar, remarked Mr. S. G. Nathan at a meeting of the Wellington Highways Board (says the Evening Post). Was that right or reasonable? The tar, ho considered, should be quite good enough for the undermix; it was very different material from that available three or so years ago, and he would like to know whether any experiments had been carried out with it recently. Auckland was able to build reads with this material which were every bit as good as Wellington roads. The Mayor (Mr. C. B. Norwood) said that he had motored over Auckland roads a good deal, and had not noticed them. Mr.. Nathan pressed his point; the tar, he said, could be purchased at probably merely one-third the price of bitumen, and should be inquired into seriously. The City Engineer replied that, far from tar being cheaper, it \Vas actually considerably dearer, costing 1/3 per gallon, as against 7-Ad to 9d, and it was not such good material/ Already there had been enough experimenting with tar macadam in Wellington to show that bitumen was altogether superior.