LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1641, 14 May 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"Not 'long ago," said the Mayor of Masterton, "the Borough Council purchased two stop-watches for the police to catch motorists. We have made £l5O on the deal!" ' It is estimated that the-ladies' hockey tournament at Nelson last season cost players and supporters £3OOO, besides the personal expenditure of the girls on tour.

Jersey cattle owners in Te Awamutu district are interesting" themselves in the competition announced by the Te Awamutu Jersey Club, by which three classes of cattle will be judged and demonstrated upon by the Jersey Breeders' Association demonstrator.

At the formal opening of the Presbyterian Church sale of work yesterday afternoon Rev. W. T. Todd invited the assemblage to pay a tribute to the late Prime Minister by observing a minute's sympathetic silence. This was done before the Mayor was called upon to declare the bazaar open for business.

Several members of the Te Awamutu Orphans' Club visited the Hamilton Orphans' opening social for the 1925 session last Saturday, and in extending fraternal felicitations Bro. S. A. Empson mentioned that it was hoped several Hamilton members would attend Te Awamutu Club's opening night on Saturday. The inquest concerning the death of the little child that was burned to death at Korakonui on Monday morning, when its parents' residence was destroyed, was held on Monday, Mr W. F. Lees, J.P., conducting the inquest as deputy coroner. The jury comprised Messrs McFlinn (foreman), Stewart, Anderson and Price. After all available evidence had been heard the jury returned a verdict that the child was accidentally burned to death, and there was no blame attachable to anyone. The jury added a rider expressing sympathy with the bereaved parents and family.

Whilst looking round the pools below the Mauku Falls during last weekend, two lads espied the tail of a large eel poking from under some rocks. Not being able to see the head, so as to use a hook, they bound a big bowie knife to a pole and speared the tail. After a terrific struggle this broke away, and they saw a monster eel streaking along the channel between two rocks. Another dab with the improvised spear got him through the middle, and after a strenuous fight for over half an hour, the brute was landed, but mot before three large hooks had broken in his skin. The two lads proudly dragged their! capture home and weighed it, the scales turning at The eel measured 4ft. 61ins. long and 18ins. in girth. At a meeting of business people to discuss ways and means of making the first Saturday late night at Te Kuiti held on Monday night the Mayor stressed the importance of making the town attractive to those who would come in. He read a message from Mr Dooley, who suggested a procession, illuminations, decorated vehicles, and posters. Mr Cochrane said they did want the people in the country to come in. The country districts were the greatest asset the town had. He. had great faith in the Saturday late night, but it might be slow in coming into fruit. It was most important to make the first night a success, because those who came in first would advertise it through the whole district. Something extra should be done to attract people, and to elicit suggestions was the purpose of the jig. Mr Maso» moved that a special effort be made on Saturday, May 23rd, and that an executive committee be appointed. This was carried.

A southern contemporary, after referring to the national loss occasioned by the death of the Right Hon. W. F. Massey, comments that it is too early yet to discuss in detail his legislative and administrative achievements. They will not fall into their proper perspective till they have been tested by the passage of the years. It may be said at once, however, without any hesitation and without any reservation, that by his zeal and tenacity, by his knowledge and understanding, by his courage and daring, by his national outlook and his Imperial enthusiasm, and perhaps most of all by, his ready sympathies and intense humanity, he won a very high place among the whole-hearted patriots who have made the history and shaped the destiny of this young nation. New Zealand, while mourning its own loss, will extend its warm and earnest sympathy to those who are suffering the more personal and the more poignant sorrow. They have made sacrifices only a little less in degree than .those made by the man who literally gave his life in the service of his country, but they at least have the comfort of knowing that his sacrifices and theirs were not made in vain and that the nation will profit' through all the years from the fruit they bear. No man could be more greatly honoured than by such a monument of his own erection.

The Tain of the past few days has caused a growth of mushrooms in many of the paddocks round about Te Awamutu.

Further particulars received by the Government with regard to the American Fleet show that 788 officers and 11,070 men will accompany the section which will arrive in Wellington on llth August.

"It is a peculiar thing that residences can always be provided for railway stationmasters, but not for the headmasters of schools," said a speaker at a householders' meeting at Masterton.

The heavy rain on Tuesday evening would be very welcome by district dairymen, as it not only broke the succession of sharp frosts but it wil) result in the freshening up of pastures.

Mr William Robertson, of Middlemarch, has accepted nomination as the Otago producers' representative on the Dairy Produce Control Board. The present South Island representatives are allocated in Canterbury and Southland, and it was felt Otago should have direct representation. Mr F. W. Moore, who has been postmaster at Te Awamutu for the past three years, left last evening to take up his new appointment as postmaster at Marton. His successor, Mr Chittenden (from Raetihi) has not arrived and Mr J. Caird, supervisor, is acting postmaster meantime. An accident occurred in a simple way to Mr Dudley Hicks, son of Mr J. T. Hicks, of Maungatautari, on Saturday last. The youth was turning some stock, and in quickly turning his foot struck a hollow, causing him to fracture his thigh. Fortunately the break was a simple one., and the patient is now doing as well as can be expected. A Wanganui Herald representative was shown an overcoat recently made years ago from melton cloth. The material was manufactured in the Old Country and the tailoring done in Wanganui. It has been worn every winter by the owner, and is as good to-day as when it left the shop. The making of this particular class of material is practically a lost art today.

April saw more financial failures in Hawke's Bay than there have been for many months (states an exchange). No fewer than seven persons sought the protection of the Bankruptcy Court during the month, being an increase of three over the preaious April. Thirteen petitions in bankruptcy were filed in Napier during the four months of the year, as against eight for the same period of last year. . In a recent issue of the Otago Daily Times, a paragraph appeared relating to a silver 'coin 228 years old, minted in the year 1697, in the reign of King William 111., which was in tho possession of Mr R. -Smith, of Blenheim. A few days ago Mrs W. E. Wright, of Harbodr Terrace. Dunedin, brought to the Times office a silver coin which was minted in 1622, in the reign of James I. The coin is in an excellent state of preservation, and is understood by its possessor to be a crown.

There is at present on exhibition in Balclutha a unique piece of shell work in the shape of a pyramid of flowers worked in shells. Some of the flowers (says the Otago Daily Times) contain hundreds of small shells, worked in as petals. The exhibit secured first prize in the Dunedin Exhibition of 1890, and was purchased by Mr W. Guest when on a recent visit to Christchurch. It is more than likely that it will be seen at the forthcoming Dunedin Exhibition. It is nearly nineteen years since, on Sunday, June 10, 1906. the great New Zealand statesman, the Right Hon. Richard John Seddon, passed away on board the Oswestry Grange while returning to New Zealand after a. visit to Australia. Mr Seddon's death was entirely unexpected, and came as a great shock to all. He had been in ill-health for some time, but had not been confined to bed. He had later improved greatly, and it was generally thought that he was making a recovery. After joining the steamer at Sydney, he caused his relatives anxiety, but an improvement set in, and Mr Seddon was in excellent spirits and was chatting with Mrs Seddon and his private secretary, Mr Andrews, when he leant over to Mrs Seddon and exclaimed: "Oh, Mother,"'dying almost at once from heart failure. The "mystery" picture which is puzzling Wanganui photography enthusiasts at present is attracting a great deal of curiosity from passers-by. An English gentleman, who vieVed the photograph, told a Herald reporter of an interesting case where an alleged "spirit" portrait was obtained in Yorkshire. A party was in progress, when suddenly a ytung lady guest called the attention of the others to a very short man who was' standing at her side. The occupants of the room scoffed at the delusion of the lady, who persisted that someone unknown to her was standing at her side. In a spirit of fun a member of the household produced his camera and photographed the mystified guest. After the plate had been developed, the clearly-defined, diminutive figure of a man was recorded on the negative, together with the portrait of the lady. The narrator of this incident was present at the party and vouched for the authenticity of the story. Much confusion of opinion appeared to exist yesterday morning as to just what steps were to be taken locally to fittingly pay a universal tribute of respect to the late Prime Minister. His Worship the Mayor eventually received a telegram from the Government asking him to invite business people to observe at least part of today as holiday, and to invite all townspeople to cease activities for ten minutes from 1 p.m. It was stated that all trains and telegraphs would cease operation during that period. Mr Armstrong immediately spread the news, and business folk willingly complied with the request. What was worrying most of them was how to notify the fact of closing to the people in the out-districts who regularly come to Te Awamutu on Thursdays to transact business. However, telephones were used to let as many as possible know. The regular weekly stock sales, held here on Thursdays, were postponed from to-day until tomorrow (Friday).

A Press Association message from Otaki states that Mr W. H. Bowden announces that he will probably stand as an independent Liberal-Labour candidate for the Otaki seat. The present member is Mr W. H. Field. In a patch of tar spilt in the Foxton Borough yard, two hedgehogs, two sparrows, a blackbird, and a rat were found on Saturday morning. All were dead and all had been caught overnight. One of the inmates of the Wanganui gaol has spent 42 years of his life in New Zealand gaols (states the Herald). There are other prisoners here who have been over thirty years in prison. Having a grievance against his employer an Auckland youth put water in the benzine of a motor cycle and damaged the electrical equipment of a delivery van before leaving the job. He was ordered to pay £6 damages when brought before the Court. A dissolution of the partnership hitherto existing between S .W. McMillan and S. Clark, furnishers and cabinetmakers, is announced. The business is to be carried on in future by Mr Clark, under the original name of Clark and McMillan.

The ordinary monthly sitting of the Magistrate, Mr F. W. Platts, S.M.. at Te Awamutu, was to have been held to-day, but owing to the death of the Prime Minister a postponement until to-morrow (Friday) was arranged.

A new member of the local Cribbage Club, Mr W. Savill, proved to be the winner of the tournament held on Tuesday evening, with ten games, and he takes Mr Frank Hinton's trophy. Two players tied, with nine games each, for second honours. They were Messrs Trevor Hinton, A. Webber, Griffith, Bradley and Pooley. At a meeting of the Marton Branch of the N.Z. Farmers' Union on Saturday," the Hon. E. Newman in discussing the report, criticised the attitude of the Auckland section in endeavouring to create a political coterie by the formation of a Country Party. He expressed the opinion that such action would only tend to weaken the claims of the country districts in Parliamentary circles. The King Country Chronicle reports that there is a probability of the Te Awamutu Municipal Band being specially engaged to assist in the monster celebrations being arranged at Te Kuiti to fittingly mark the business people's appreciation of the burgesses' vote in favour of Saturday as a late night. The celebration is due to be held on the 23rd inst.

At a meeting on Saturday of the Marton Branch of the N.Z. Farmers' Union the meeting recommended to the Main Highways Board that when considering its construction or permanent highways, it should provide, wherever possible, for either underneath or overhead bridges wherei a Government railway line passes over the main highway, with a view to minimising the almost daily occurrence of level crossing accidents. Reports from Te Kawa indicate that the sports carnival there on Saturday will be a big success, and there will be plenty of events to provide interest and entertainment for spectators. To get the lengthy programme completed in reasonable time it has been decided to commence at 10 a.m., with a series of children's events, and the adult competitions are scheduled for 11 a.m. Quite a number of horse events are included in the programme. The thing that is troubling the executive at the moment is the vagaries of the weather, but a fine day is devoutly hoped for.

A result of the carelessness displayed by some firms in sending office boys or girls to collect mail from the Post Office boxes without providing them with bags in which to place it was exemplified in a case brought, under the notice of the Chief Postmaster recently (says the Southland News). A postal official picked up a letter in the Square at Invercargill. It had been dropped by a> boy after he had cleared a box. The missing letter reached the right quarter and was shown to contain an order, with money enclosed. The incident only shows how careful firms should be to see that their mail, particularly when it is otjarge quantity, should be collected and placed in a safe repository.