LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thames Star, Volume LXV, Issue 18239, 13 July 1931, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Fog on Plains. There was a very heavy fog on the Plains last night, and cars had to proceed at a walking pace. Men Being Sold. In Russia to-day, under Communism, mechanics, doctors, engineers, and accountants are sold to factories and municipalities. The factories even trade this human merchandise amongst each other. The Putiliff factory sold the services of one of its prisoner engineers for 10,000 roubles per annum, and provincial commissars are eager bidders for convicts who are experts in agriculture.

Girls' Club Dance. A reminder is given of St. George’s Girls’ Club dance this evening at the Parish Hall. The usual good music and lloor are features of this monthly function. Visitors to Winter Show. Several car loads of Thanfcs residents made the trip to Auckland on Saturday to visit the Auckland A. and P. Winter Show. They report that it was well up to previous years and that in the machinery section, especially, a great deal of itnerest was taken by the public. The Doble engine excited considerable interest. Frozen Meat for Genoa. The motor ship Coptic, now discharging and loading on the New Zealand coast, is to sail from Auckland about the middle of July for Genoa, with frozen meat. The shipment for Genoa will be chiefly veal, for which there is a keen demand in Italy. Much of the veal which finds its way on to the Italian market is shipped in America. Florid Descrition. An unfortunate choice of words was responsible for Mr R. Semple (Labour, Wellington East) being called to order on Thursday evening and asked to withdraw remarks made in criticism of the Government. In all the history of New Zealand we have never had a harder or crucllei gang than the present occupants of the Treasury benches,” said Mr Semple. The Chairman of Committees: Order! I must ask that that remark be withdrawn. Mr Semple: Well, I will withdraw it and call them a heterogeneous conglomeration of political misfits. IVlusk and its Scent. It Is a well-known fact that musk in Wanganui lost its scent some few years back. In view of the above a letter to the Christchurch Star by a Ngahere residents as follows is of interest: “Saw a letter in your paper the other day about musk losing its scent. Well, musk about here has got its punch back. At one place I know it has its scent back again, or had about a couple of months ago. I saw some time ago that the curator of Kew Gardens was bewailing the fact that musk was now scentless. I

was going to write to him about finding a plot with its old aroma. So if it is back in one wild place I suppose it will be general befox-e long.” Clever Advertising. Some vei’y clever advertising was ■employed in the campaign for selling tickets in the Irish hospitals’ sweeps recently. The amount available for pi-ize distribution in the fii’st sweep had been £400,000. A repi’esentation of a barometer showed how the prize fund of the second sweep was progressing, and as the figure approached . the £400.000 mark great interest was manifested. One day people opened their papers to find bits of barometer strewn all over the advertisement; it had burst! The total kept on rising, and “Will it he a million?” became the slogan. After a while the public were adjured to “Make it a million.” In order to popularise this slogan many amusing cartoons were published. One of the most popular showed a boxing ring, with one contestant sprawling on the floor and the referee waving his finger in the count. Catching sight of his opponent towering over him, the luckless pug murmurs, “Make it a Million!”