LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waipa Post, Volume 39, Issue 3088, 12 December 1929, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will be no matches next Saturday in connection with the Waipa Cricket Association’s championships.

The second annual dance of the Lake View Hall Committee was held in the Public Hall last Thursday evening. There was a vei'y large. attendance, about 80 couples dancing. Delightful music was supplied by the Te Awamutu Orchestra, while the duties of M.C. were in the capable hands of Messrs C. North and G. Field. The jazzing competition resulted: Miss E. Jary and Mr Lewis 1, Miss Cocker and Mr Fladgate 2, Miss F. Elliot and Mr B. Elliot 3. Delicious supper was served by* the ladies.

A sporting writer points out that the conditions of the Waipa Plate on Saturday debar horses who have won a race to the value of £SO or over to the winner at time of starting. Sir Kay and Parfait Amour are a pair who are not eligible. The former, who has not raced for a couple of seasons, ran a dead heat for first with Hathor in the Poukawa Handicap, of £l4O, at the Hawke’s Bay meeting in the autumn of 1927. Parfait Amour won since being nominated for the coming event, his success being at Taumarunui on Friday in the Trial Plate, with £7O to the winner. There is still an acceptance of 21 for the coming weight-for-age event of six furlongs.

A programme of Scottish items, mainly from the works of Sir James Barrie, was given at Waikeria Borstal last Tuesday evening by a Hamilton party under the auspices of the Howard League. Mrs G. Bo.yes sang a number of Scottish songs, Mrs .R. Lutman accompanying. Barrie’s one-act play, “ The Twelve-pound Look,” was read by Mr and Mrs A, E. Bouillon and Miss White. The laughter showed that the audience fully appreciated the humour of the piece. Mr A. Gordon gave readings from “ A Window in Thrums ” and “ Auld Licht Idylls,” in the dialect, and- also Burns’ “ A Man’s a Man.” Mr J. A. Brailsfoi’d spoke on “ Barrie’s Wisdom and Humour.”

Eagerly anticipated on account of the originality and charm of previous numbers, the Christmas double issue of the N.Z. Sporting and Dramatic Review, incorporated with the weekly issue, fis * tsuperb production.-; .§syjp!ujSive feacufhfi thejtpages for ‘

Country and town dwellers should note that the Te Awamutu retailers have agreed to close their premises on Saturday next from 12 noon until 5 p.m., in connection with the annual race meeting, but the shops will reopen for an hour from 5 o’clock to enable customers to pick up pai’cels and make any late purchases they desire.

In the course of a general knowledge paper set at a Napier school recently, one of the questions asked was as to' what the letters G.R. on a letter box stood for. The question was one which had quite a number of * the younger pupils guessing, but one bright soul had a brain wave and made answer to the effect that the letters stood for “ gathered regularly.”

A farmer writes: When I unreel barb wire, Ido it this way. I run an iron bar through the roll of wire and over each end of the rod slip a small jam tin with a hole in the centre of the bottom. A trace chain is then looped over the end of the rod at each side and a swingle bar attached to the" middle of the chain. The free end of the wire is fastened to a post and a horse hooked to the swingle-bar on the wire and the roll pulled along. The wii’e not only comes off straight, but most of the slack is taken up and' there is very little straining to do.

It is not generally known that the third party risk-as it applies to motor owners, does not cover pedestrians who are given a “lift.” This anomaly of the present motor law was commented upon at a meeting of Hamilton motorists, on Monday. It was stated that a motorist was liable if that person given a “ lift ” was killed or injured as a l'esult of the carelessness of the motorist. Even if there was no carelessness on the motorist’s part he was put to considerable trouble and expense tc prove he was not careless.

A sign of the times was made eviment to a Wanganui resident the other day when he received a letter from a friend in Rotterdam, Holland, He noticed that the postage was 57ib cents, instead of the customary 71 cents and on opening it, learnt that his coiuespondent had feared that he would not be able to sent the letter in time to convey the Yuletide greetings. He then made the fortunate discovery that, by sending the letter by air post he would be able to connect with the steamer in time. This was done, with the result that the letter has reached its destination well before Christmas instead of arriving after it. The envelope, with its extra 50 cents worth of stamps is being retained by the recipient of the letter as an interesting memento.

-.'. When a witness gave evidence before the Soldiers’ Rehabilitation Commission in Christchurch, he said listed for the war with the Second Cantei’bury Regiment in 1916, and that he was 70 years of age. He enleft with the Seventeenth Reinforcements in September of that year. Mr J. S. Barton, S.M., chairman of the commission: “You were 57 when you enlisted?” The witness: “Yes, sir.” Mr Barton: “Well, I take off my hat to the young fellow of 57 who went away with the boys.” . The foregoing reminded us of a Waikato man who enlisted in an early reinforcement for the Great War, giving his age as 33. Questioned after his return from Egypt he said he had enlisted for the South African War in 1900 at the age of 35!

Mr O. Griffiths, one of the Australian swimming representatives competing at the local carnival last Tuesday evening, gave a remarkably clever exhibition of fancy swimming and diving that proved very entertaining. He first demonstrated what he hxxrnourously styled the “ duck dive,” following with a reverse dive neatly executed. Then Mr Griffiths described the evolution of coixxpetitive swimming, from the old breast-stroke style to the modern trudgeon-crawl. Then successively he showed the ba&ksti’oke: the jazz stroke, quick turns, life saving, somersaults, the rolling log, the sinking ship, the submarine, the torpedo, rawing boat, and the whirlpool, and concluding with what he called the “ Te Awamutu flapper” style. The whole display was keenly watched, and at the close of the demonstration was heai'tily applauded. His “stunts” will doubtless be emulated by local swimmers in the hope of becoming as px-oficient as the Australian.

The Australian swimming representatives who assisted at the local carnival at the swimming baths on Tuesday evening, were motored to Cambridge yesterday hy Mr A. E. Patterson, travelling via Orakau and Arapuni, to show them the historic battlefield at the former place and other points of interest along the route, and also the huge hydro-elect-ric (development works at Arapuni. The visitors;- fexpressed v therhselves astonished at the wonderful panorama of smiling farms and homesteads along the roads, and were especially interested in Arapuhi and .Horahora. In the/ were taken charge of by-the Oxbridge Swim-jnhM^iub-offi^ftO’r*M[d they competed at .that town last evening. -jifiday they proceeded to Rotoon-, to Gisborne aftercontinuation of their tour. man who owns and t ly - / 'V« told a reporter reon tl>e plaiV.L't’ giving ! .'i v'.'-';Kar ns is the t -- .•• ■fcarator *. /’vV'h ■'''■•■• WTs ago

We learn that Tanagra has been withdrawn from engagements at the Waipa Racing Club’s meeting on Saturday.

The ordinary monthly sitting of the Magistrate’s Court at Te Awamutu takes place on Monday. It is also expected there will be a sitting of the Waitomo Licensing Bench at 12 noon on the same day.

Mr F. O. Knight, formerly in charge of the Matamata district of the New Zealand Co-operative Herd Testing Association, has been appointed outside organiser of the association. The position, which is a new one, was made at the last meeting of directors.