LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18821, 11 July 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Inspector Fouhy has been advised that the inquest or the Main Trunk train victims will be continued at Taumarunui on the 24th insi. Colonel Herbert, at the R.S.A. dinner recently held at Palmerston: “The Americans got it iu tneir heads that they won the war.” A voice: “Like —.” (Laughter). One hundred and fifty pupils of the Dunedin Boys’ High School and four members of the staff were absent last week as a result of influenza. The Canterbury Frozen Meat Company has declared an interim dividend of three per cent, on its preference shares’, and four per cent. o.u ordinary shares for the half year.— Press Assn. A collision occurred early last evening between two cyclists in the Avenue. One of them, a youth named Charles Wells, 12 G ' Bell Stret, fell heavily, and was taken to the hospital, where it was found he was suffering from concussion. In view of the large number of school children attending picture theatres and entertainments, the head teachers of schools have been circularised by the Taranaki Education Board to provide fire drill. Instruction Is also to be given in respect of traffic dangers and electric wires.

Those who believe that the best of all Scots is one born in the Dominion will be interested in the enthusiasm displayed by one young farmer in the Reefton district, who (states a West Coast paper) once weekly, wet or fine, cycles nearly fifty miles, so that he can attend the pipe classes conducted by the Rev. Mr Charteris.

“Do you smoke?” asked counsel of a judgment debtor in the Ashburton Court. “Not much,” replied the young man. “Who gives you the money to buy cigarettes?” was the next question. The reply raised much laughter: “I get nearly all the cigarettes I smoke from someone else!”

No trace has been found of the man Vowles, who was drowned in the river near Mangamahu on Saturday evening. The deceased had been employed by the Wanganui County Council on the roads. Deceased, who had been a former patient ofa hospital in Wellington, had been acting strangely, and was seen to throw himself into the river. He is supposed to have relatives in Australia.

Sixty-four members of the engineroom staff of the giant YVhite Star liner Adriatic delayed the ship’s sailing from New York for an hour while they forced the ship’s master, Captain Beadnell, to" sign an agreement by which each man would receive £5 bonus upon arrival at Liverpool. They even compelled Captain Beadnell to go out on to the street and carry on negotiations, while on the vessel more than one thousand passengers waited. Twenty-ono firemen had deserted the previous day, and when Chief Engineer Ruddle had not supplemented his force with new men, the strikers sent a demand to the captain for a bonus, declaring that they were compelled to work an extra shift. The captain said he he had no authority to grant a bonus. The strikers took their belongings and camped near the pier. Hurried telephone calls to the White Star executives resulted in agreement to grant a bonus, but the men refused to return until the captain had descended into the street and had written the agreement.

Seventeen men sought work through the New Plymouth office of the Laboui- Department during last week. Ths total was made up of eight labourers, one driver, two grocers’ assistants, four storemen, and two carpenters. A movement is afoot in Westport to endeavour to induce Parliamentarians en route to the Otira official opening' to come to the Coast via Blenheim, Nelson and Westport, proceeding to Greymouth and Hokitika, and on to Otira, completing the tour at Christchurch.—Press Association.

The respective merits of bitumen and tar as roa.i creasings were discussed by the Hawera County Council on Saturday. The slippery nature of the bitumen surface was pointed out and the superior wearing qualities were set against this disadvantage. On the suggestion of the foreman a committee was set up to inquire into the success o-’ bitumen in other counties.

The atmosphere of the Auckland Magistrate's Court was somewhat disturbed when counsel in a case asked for judgment for the sum of 4d (states au Auckland exchange). The amount originally sued for was, of course, larger than the four pen nies, but the unfortunate defendant fell short in his payment to the extent named, a fact that will no doubt be brought to his knowledge when he realises that the small amount is accompanied by costs to the extent of 18s. Thiee candidates were presented by the Wanganui Public Hospital at the State examination for nurses held last month, and it is pleasing to know that all three passed with distinction. Nurse M. Horner, with two other candidates, headed the list for all New Zealand, the three being bracketed equal iirst. N tirses Hill and Chapman also passed with honours. Having completed their course of training, the three have resigned their appointments at the Wanganui Hospital in order to further eshance their qualifications by the study of child welfare. The south-bound Main Trunk express yesterday morning was delayed for over an hour at Waioura. An unusual stoppage at this flag station just before 6 a.m. was followed by a cry through the train for a doctor, and simultaneously surfaceman was hurriedly despatched southward on a jigger—incidents which somewhat ala-mi nervous passengers. Later it transpired that the services of the doctor were required for a lady passenger who had taken suddenly ill, and that the real cause of the delay was a sleeping porter at the next tablet station. Over an hour elapsed before the jigger covered the section and gave the express its “ all clear ! tablet. The express was over an hou>' late at Marton.

One good turn deserves another, but the motive of thoughtfulness is sometimes very “fishy”' (remarks | the Hawke's Bay Herald). The desire of the ‘‘soul’ 1 often leads men to “flounder" in darkness, but the local fishermen have at last netted a haul of light to lead them on their way. Their recent request to the Borough Council to turn on the lights at the port at 4.45 a.m. was acceded to (in common with other parts of the town), and to show their appreciation the fishermen, through Ur. F. G. Smith, at the last meeting of tile council, made the Mayor and the town clerk the recipients of a bundle of the best flat fish of the catch. in the course of his address al His Majesty's Theatre on Bunday evening, tne Rev. F. E. Harry Hau some pmiu wonts to say on the subject or dancing. iu some oil the uuliciug nans of to-day, he saiu, there were to be found men who were not nt to touch a decent girl. Anu yet there were Christian parents who permitted their daughters to attenu tuese places and to oe etnoraeed by these men. Was it any wonder that illegitimacy was ram pant'.' Me could tell them that in one institution in Wellington that ue could name, there were 40 illegitimate births in one year, and there were three such institutions in tile city. He would, he said, be within the mark in saying that one-half of those cases were tne result of dancing and wine drinking. The practical nature of the training given to cadets on tile diep sea steamers was illustrated during the berthing of the Devon at New Plymouth on Saturday. The vessel carries 24 cadets, and, working under the supervision of the second officer and the harbourmaster's assistant, the whole of the mooring of tin) boat was carried out by the cadets as ordinary seamen. The way in which the embryo officers handled the large springs aft drew forth favourable comment from the harbourmaster (Captain W. Waller), tlm time occupied in making the springs secure being much less than is usual ly the case. The discipline aboard and the seamanlike way in which the cadets carried out their other duties were also highly commented upon by Captain Waller. An Ashburton Guardian reporter has at last discovered a smiling, happy farmer —a wheat-grower at that. He lives at the back of Rakaia, in the centre of a district populated by other wheat-growers, and, unlike his neighbours, he thinks the farmers have had a very good year indeed. He is perfectly satisfied with the return for his wheat, but admits, nevertheless, that his ryegrass paid him much more handsomely. A few miles away lives a man who holds opinions entirely different. It was with difficulty that he quitted his wheat, ho says, and the trouble one way and another made the growing of this cereal an unenviable business. He was sure there would be easily one-third less wheat sown this season, and asked: “Can you blame us?” He answered the question himself by saying the millers were the men who were to be blamed so far as prices were concerned. He made one point, which set up some thinking, by asking why, if millers discriminated between wheat qualities, paying so much for first grade and so much for seconds, should there not be I second-grade flour? It was a strange fact that while seconds were bought by millers no “second-grade flour" was to be bought.

Messrs Kitto Bros’, woolshed at Brunswick was destroyed by fire on Monday night. It is reported that 200 ewes in the shed were also destroyed. We are informed that His Excellency the Governor General has been pleased to appoint Mr James Higgle to be a trustee of the Wanganui racecourse to fill the vacancy on the board caused by the death of Mr E. N. Liffiton. Apropos to the recently reported troubles of the American schooner Lottie Bennett, a local shipping authority stated yesterday that a vessel can only be termed abandoned when all hands leave for their own safety, and with the intention of not returning. “Were it otherwise,” he said, “it might be held that a vessel moored iu port was abandoned if all hands went ashore merely to spent the evening.” “Tills comes as the result of mixing business and friendship, and originated over teacups," said Mr Barton, S.M., yesterday, in giving judgment at the conclusion of a civil case in which the parties concerned were of a gentler sex. It was a discussion that led to the importation of a couple of furs from England, and a sequel was that the buyer was not satisfied that she had got good value for her money when the furs came to hand. Described by Chief Detective Kemp as human parasites, two young men named Michael Boyle and Bernard Hayward. both with several aliases and police, records, were at the Court at Wellington yesterday sentenced to one month's hard labour each. The charge was playing a game of chance with a coin. They met a young man from Canterbury, and initiated him into the mysteries of selling a horse, relieving him of 19s, when two detectives interrupted the game.

In shipping circles controversy still rages over the respective steaming merits of the Calm and the Holmdale, on the coastal run, but nothing in the way of a true test of! their respective speeds can be gained until they get together with approximately the same draught, similarly loaded, and both with good coal on the stokehold plates. The supporters of one of the vessels are prepared to put up a considerable amount as a side wager if a race under conditions fair to both can be arranged. The Wanganui Pigeon Flying Club held a race from Taumarunui on Saturday in connection with Class 440 of the Wanganui Poultry, Pigeon and Cage Birds’ Society’s annual show to be held in the Drill Hall on the 13th and 14th Juiy. The birds were liberated by Mr W. Osborne, of Taumarunui, at five minutes interval, and resulted in S. Gainey's Wallaby being first, E. Rosemergy’s Sky Blue second. T. Gainey’s Walrus third, and J. Cronin's Pretty Tom fourth. The following owners also competed: H. Heibner, P. Mcßrearty, P. Mailman, B. Kench, 11. Toop and B. Stewart. The members of the New Zealand native football team and tceir manager (Mr W. T. Parata) were Very pleased with the welcome they received in Wanganui. A visit was paid to Putiki Pah on Sunday morning, when some of the native elders expressed the opinion that next year a native football team should tour England. Mr Parata sympathised with the proposal, and said that a very good team could be selected from the players now available. It was, however a matter for the New Zealand Rugby Union to deal with, and ho would refer tha matter to that body.

In view of the present position of Hawke’s Bay as a sheep-raising province, it is interesting to recall that it is 74 years go this year since the late Mr F. J. Tiffen, of Elmshill, Patangata, and afterwards of Napier, drove the first mob of sheep from Wellington to Hawke's Bay (states the Hawke’s Bay Herald). The journey was made across the Rlmutaka Range and took something like two weeks to accomplish. Early settlers will probably have a better appreciation of the magnitude and difficulties of the undertaking than can the people of the present day, accustomed as they are to good roads and rail transport. There was a man in Wanganui last Sunday evening who got tha shock oi iiis life. Unfortunately for himself he had been -looking at the wine when it was red, and duly passing into the hands of the police, lie was accommodated iu the lockup tor the night. Ho awoke from an uneasy sleep to see the door open and a Chinaman come iu, but surprise turned to a clammy feeling when the door opened for the sixth time and still another Chinaman entered. It was at this stage that the friendly voice of a policeman from the outside soothed his nerves with the announcement that there were still nine Chinamen to come. Tlieso were the fifteen Celestials gathered up in the fan tan raid earlier that evening, and who, by reason of the fact that they could not find the necessary amount of money for bail, were detained in durance vile. Next morning the Justice Department had to place an order for two yards of sausages to feed the hungry multitude.

At His Majesty’s Theatre on Sunday evening the Rev. Mr Harry, who is conducting an evangelistic campaign in connection with the united | churches, made reference to the subject of spiritism. He was amazed, he said, at such men as Sir Oliver Lodge aud Sir Conan Dolye, men eminent, the one in science and the other in literature, having anything to do with this business, which was riddled through and through with fraud. Sir Oliver Lodge’s book, written to recount his “communication” with the supposed spirit of his son Raymond, who fell in the war, was a tissue of absurdity, and exceedingly commonplace stuff at that. Fancy, said the reverend gentleman, a message coming from the unseen world to tell us that some of the persons in that realm were in the habit of having whisky and soda before retiring to rest! Not one thing had spiritism added to the world’s happiness or usefulness, and he was convinced that whatever in that cult was not pure deceit and fraud, had its origin with the demon of the pit.

The Trotting Conference yesterday sanctioned February .19 and 22nd as the 'dates for the. Wanganui Trotting Club * 1924 meeting. The future movements of the American schooner Forest Home, now lying at Castlecliff, are not fixed, al though the vessel is to return to Wellington. Possibly the sailer will go to ono of the South Sea Islands, and pick up a cargo of copra for her home port. Last evening Mr. C. G. Young received the following cable from Mr C. G. Rhimes in connection with th* race between Hadfield and Paddon for the world's sculling championship: “Everything in order. Final payment Saturday. Party well." Seoral figures contained in the cable indicated that rowing enthusiasts oi the other side favoured Paddon’* chance of retaining the championship. The Wanganui Acclimatisation Society has been very successful this year in securing pheasants for liberation in the district. A fair number have been reared locally and a consignment of fifty birds is being pro cured front Rotorua at the end of this month. The Society is anxious to have the birds liberated under suitable conditions and to have them well distributed throughout the district. They would, therefore, be glad to receive applications for birds from farmers on whose properties the birds would have a reasonable chance of thriving.