LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17389, 29 March 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The S.S. Rangitoto leaves Thames to-morrow at 1.30 p.m* Local bodies report that licenses under the Motor Regulation and Heavy Traffic Acts nre coming in very slowly and, generally speaking, are behind in numbers to those issued up to the same date last year. It is some little time since the property market has been so quiet in Thames as at present, but' during the past week or so -there have been a few inquiries from outside sources both for house property in the town and for farm lands on the Plains and, on the northern coast. This may be regarded as a hopeful- sign. After the inspection of the Kauri Timber Company's leases on Tuesday a conference of the local bodies concerned was held yesterday in the 'County Council Chambers to formulate a. combined report on the results of ; the inspection.

A deputation from Purfri settlers is expected to wait upon the Minister for Public Works (Hon. K. S. Williams)- to-night, in connection .with further opening up and improvement of the Puriri-Neavesville road.

Heavy shipments of grass seed are being landed at Kawhia, and the seed is being sown on areas on which there has already been a good "burn." It is understood that in addition to areas burnt during the drought advantage has been taken of the present dry spell to burn other clearings, and excellent results are reported. It is announced that Mr. Gordon St. Clair, of Hamilton, has been included in the eight-oar crew which is to represent New-Zealand at the Olympic Games. Among the notable achievements to St. Clair's credit was his selection in crews which have in the past competed with success as New Zealand four-oared representatives at the Melbourne Henley. The malarial parasite is so small as easily to inhabit the interior of a human red blood corpuscle, of which 5,000,000 are normally contained in- a cubic millimetre of blood, or about onesixth of an average drop. The injuries to William Thompson, the driver who was concerned in the accident to the Aard service car from Ngatea which occurred on the Pokeno Valley Road yesterday, are much more serious than was at first suspected. They comprise, a fractured shoulderblade, three, if not ..four ribs broken, and the loss of the sight of one eye is feai-ed.

The inspector of Weights, avlio was the subject of an article in these columns yesterday, called and. explained that be was detained at Kerepeehi through sickness. He is at present in the town completing his work.

Mr. George Smerlo, of Ngatea, was one of the passengers in the', service car smash at Pokeno yesterday. He escaped without injury, except a few scratches.

When working in Mr. Fleming's garage at Paeroa yesterday, Mr. Bernard Roberts, of Waihi, caught his right band in a lathe and the forefinger was cut off at the second joint.

"In future our useless railways will have-to be scrapped," said Mr. D. G. Greenwood at the annual meeting of the Canterbury A. P. Association last week Ho said that the railways were slow and cumbersome. He advocated the building of concrete roads, which would represent a tremendous saving to the farming community. Mr. D. W. Westenra said it was ridiculous to suggest the scrapping of the railways, which had cost a lot of money, and had to be paid for. The railways were here and they should be helped and assisted as much as possible.

An interesting letter lias been received by Mr. W. H. Hoult, M.A., headmaster of the Thames High School, from an old boy of the School, Will Guy Harding, in which he says: "Many years have*passed since a map of mine was hung in the place of honour in your school. Mi*. Adams was head at. the time I-was there in 1.897. I now take the liberty of forwarding a map of New Zealand in the cartographer's latest style. Enclosed is the very latest Lands and Survey maps of New Zealand (lithographed in four colours) which now includes its dependencies and mandates, right to the Ross, Sea and the South Pole.'-' Mr. Harding was the son of a partner of Mr. E. F. Adams and is now in the Lands and Survey Department as the official cartographer of New Zealand. His newest work will bang in the place of honour occupied by bis former triumph. He was a boy at the Thames High School from 1898-1900.

A Wanganui lady had an unenviable - experience a few days ago, "Having washed her hair and desiring \to dry it quickly, she turned on an electric heater. On picking it up to hold near her head her damp hand must have made contact with a "live" part of the apparatus,, for she received a severe shock, and was thrown to the floor, releasing her hold of the heater. So' severe was the shock that when she raised herself she fell a second time. Her experience should make people careful that before they touch any electric device they should have perfectly dry hands, for water is ani excellent coiidudtor and tends to increase the shock considerably. / A long motor ride occasions drowsiness in a good many people, and if the motorist so affected happens to be the driver, the consequences are sometimes serious. A motorist who passed through Timaru the other night had a very narrow escape from serious accident through falling asleep at the wheel. He had driven from Wyndham (near I'nvercargill), and on reaching the .approach to the bridge over the Opihi River at Arowhenua he fell asleep, with the result that his car, instead of going on to the bridge, ran over the bank of the approach on the left-hand side, and i»to the fence. The engine stopped, and neither car nor driver was any the worse. Having had his car pulled back up the bank and' on to the road, the motorist was able to continue his journey.