LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18973, 26 March 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Pope, at a private Consistory, announced that Monseignors Hayes and Mandelein, Archbishops at New York and Chicago respectively, had been appointed Cardinals.

A meeting of local retailers (other than grocers and butchers) will be l.‘ld at the Wanganui Employers’ Association rooms this morning at 10 o’clock to consider whether or not Easter Saturday shall be observed as a whole holiday A full attendance is requested.

Wanganui in common with other towns in New Zealand, will have bank holidays on April 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, and 25 this year. From Good Friday the banks will be closed for six days, the Wednesday of which will be St. George’s Day. Then they will open on Thursday, and close again on the Friday for Anzac Day.

The sending of a inassmr away cn tour with a touring representative team was strongly opposed by Mr. H. J. McKenzie at the annual meeting of the Wairarapa Rugby Union on Saturday evening. In place of paying a masseur’s expenses and daily wages, he favoured sending away an extra man, preferably fi young player, to gain experience.

Mitchell Hedger, an explorer, penetrated the interior of British Honduras, and discovered the ruins of a gigantic city several square miles in extent, built by the Mayas, an extinct race, who once dominated Central America. The ruins demonstrate particularly the Maya practice of piling up huge masseg of masonry, only one-fortieth part of which was habitable. One pyramid found is 300 ft. high.

"The finest Leeds! we have ever seen,” is the claim put forward by Mr. E. Oswald Reilly, of Dunedin, in respect to an imported narcissus that he has just flowered, and, in the opinion of experts who were shown the bloom, the claim is amply justified. Mr. Reilly obtained the bulb from Mr. R. D. Williams, of Cornwall, the narcissi breeder who produced Conqueror, Hispodar, Robespierre, and many other good things. Its name is Gray Falcon. Observers note its purity, its cool appearance, its true proportion, and declare it to be a flower of perfect balance and of the highest quality without a weak point.

The first boat to arrive back from the muttonbird islands brought good news to those who have yet to sail for the annual catch. The report stated that the birds were plentiful and in excellent condition the c’ry season being to their- liking. The Maoris expect to reap i goo'i harvt st this year and those who have not rlready sailed are m.-k’aj exten.'.ve preparations. The Despalcli sailed for the islarls on Thursday and tie last party wore to leave '.be Biel* ca Friday night or Saturday inorting. The first birds should reach the rc.'rket within a month.

A fire destroyed four shops at Richmond, near Brisbane. The damage is estimated at £13,000. The Commonwealth conversion loan has closed.' Subscriptions to date amount to £10,300,000. The closing of the Huntly Extended Coal Mine has been deferred on account of orders from the Government, which will enable tapering off. About 120 out of 170 miners will be provided with employment. A live-ton lorry loaded with timber and merchandise, driven by Owen P. Grant, carrier, bolted through the failure of the steering gear, and fell over the Tamakl Bridge to the river, bed twenty feet below- Grant jumped clear, and was uninjured. The lorry was considerably damaged.

One local businessman has left his business to take care of itself for the past three days while he has spent his time gathering driftwood from the river. He estimates that he has gathered twenty cords, mostly matai, tawa and rata, and is now in a position to retail fuel to his neighbours.

At a meeting of the executive of the Nelson Cathedral Building Committee preliminary sketch plans of the proposed Nelson Cathedral were approved. The cathedral when finished will cost £BO,OOO. The eastern portion will be proceeded with when sufficient funds are in hand. The sum of £20,000, left by the late Miss Marsden, will be available for this.

The Paris correspondent of the Daily Express reports that a tramp boldly entered the Foreign Office on two successive nights and slept in the sumptuous apartments which are being prepared for the visit of the King and Queen of Roumania. When the police discovered the man he declared “I am at home,” and refused to budge, but pulled the blankets up to his neck. When taken to the police station he said that nobody had stopped him as he entered the apartments without in any Way concealing his movements, but merely to seek shelter from the rain.

Even our babies are growing independent (say s the Auckland Star). On Friday last, at the busy time of the day, a little boy of eighteen months was lost in Queen Street, during a half-minute's inattention on the part of his mother, who was quickly searching in the crowd upon the footpath. After about fifteen minutes’ of hurried seeking, the mother chanced to enter one of the large draper’s shops, a block away from where her little son was Inst seen. To her surprise, she discovered her errant boy comfortably seated in one of the lifts, happy and undisturbed, enjoying vertical rides in the company of numerous interested shoppers.

The sudden descent of heavy rain on a recent afternoon produced an odd scene in Queen Street, Auckland ! (says the Herald). Many ladies on shopping intent had ventured out without preparation for moist weather. Now, ladies, taken by surprise with their best summer millinery on their heads, are fertile in expedients for the protection of their finery. It so happens that in a large drapery establishment there, is displayed a pile of fashion magazines, above which hangs an invitation to ‘‘take ono”—just the article for such an emergency. Consequently, while the storm'was at its height, quite a procession of shoppers was to be seen emerging from the establishment, with the papers, something after the stylo of college mortar-boards, surmounting their more dainty headgear.

A new weapon has come to the hands of those who are in the fight to stop Victorian potatoes from being imported into Auckland to the disadvantage of Canterbury growers (says an exchange). Disease has made its appearance in the Victorian crop. Melbourne papers are quite candid about the matter. For example, the Australasian, in its latest issue, reports that because of Irish blight the Agricultural Department’s inspectors have condemned arrivals on the Melbourne market from the country districts. It is because of the presence of Irish blight that Victorian growers are rushing their supplies to the Melbourne market. This has caused the recent drop in prices, which aroused whoops of jubilation from Auckland importers. One consignment of Victorian potatoes has been landed in Auckland, and it must be admitted that the quality generally was good, although it was noted on some of the inspectors’ certificates that parcels showed traces of brown spot and blight. All this is bound to have an effect on Auckland importers. It wil make them nervous about lodging heavy orders for further supplies.

‘‘The question is being continually asked: ‘ls New Zealand going to become an importer of wheat and flour?’” remarked Mr. R. E. Alexander, president of the Canterbury A. and P. Association, at the annual meeting of that body. “It is almost impossible to answer the question. The Minister of Agriculture has refused the request of growers to fix a price for next year, perhaps rightly. I question if guaranteed prices will stabilise the industry, especially as the fixed prices seem to be against, rather than in favour of, the farmer. From information gathered from wheat growers in Canterbury, I conclude that the farmer is not disinclined to grow wheat, but he objects to taking the risk of growing a crop on which more than a fair profit is made by those who handle it after he has harvested It. The effect of price-fixing during the . last six or seven year s has been to leave the farmer with no margin of profit. During the same period the threshingmill owner, commission agent, miller, and baker have had their profits doubled—this the farmer feels to bo unfair, and he is turning to other products, where he has less risks to take, can make better returns, and has not to support profiteers. In making this statement I am only voicing opinions I have obtained from farmers. I can vouch for the fact that the fixed prices have not left a sufficient return for the risk the farmer has taken and the outlay involved in growing wheat. Yet others engaged in handling wheat and its products have accumulated wealth.”

A London cable states that the Hamburg dock strike has been settled-

The by-election to fill the vacancy on the Bdrough Council caused by the resignation of Cr. Burgess will be held on April 10. Nominations close on April 4.

Councillor C. P. Brown has been appointed to represent Wanganui Borough Council on the WanganuiRangitikci Power Board in place of Mr. T. B. Williams.

A requisition is being circulated for signature, with a view to requesting Mr. Thos Carlyle to accept nomination for the vacant seat on the Borough'Council.

A legal opinion was received by the Borflugh Council last evening from the borough solicitor (Mr. W. J. Treadwell) stating that the council had at present no power to continue Ridgway Street through the Old Cemetery.

Viscount Jellicoc yesterday morning visited the Boys’ High School at Dunedin. He proceeds to Queenstown to-day to unveil the war memorial at Glenorchy, and after a deerstalking expedition will leave Dunedin for the North on April 9.

The Metropolitan Rugby SubUnion of Wanganui, the new body governing local football, will open the season On April 26. On April 12 a seven-aside tournament will be hold, the proceeds of which are to be donated to the Radium Fund.

Complaint was inade at a meeting of the Borough Council last evening by Cr. Reardon that Canadian redwood was being used for sashes and sills in the municipal houses, instead of totara, as specified. The matter was referred to the Housing Committee to investibate.

The Swankers’ Club desire to acknowledge with grateful thanks the sum of £lO, being the second contribution by the employees of the various tailoring establishments in Wanganui on behalf of the distressed family at “astlecliff. Al.-ether, the tailors and tailoresses have contributed over £25 towards this appeal—a very creditable sum.

Mrs. Waitford, of Pipiriki, formerly Miss Tauri, of Putiki, had the misfortune to lose £4O yesterday. She cashed a cheque at a bank, and, as she thought, put the notes (four) in A pocket- After walking up the Avenue sh e discovered, to her dismay, that the notes had gone. A substantial reward is offered for the return of the money, the loss of which is a serious matter.

On March 23 a party consisting of Messrs T. A. Blyth, of Ohakune, A. W. Gordon and M. Galvin, of Taumarunul, made nn ascent of Girdlestono Peak, 8750 feet, in Tongariro Park, for the purpose of ascertaining the condition of the marble slab erected thereon two years ago in memory of the late llugh Girdicstome, F.R.G.S. Despite the' powerful disintegrating forces which are continually acting against the precipitous pinnacle, the monument displays no sign of deterioration, and the party are nt the opinion that its permanency is now assured.

A piece of banana that could not be broken by heavy hammer blows, a full kettle that boiled merrily when* put upon a block of ice, and an egg brought to rocklike hardness were among the curious things shown by Mr. A. J. Philpot, B,Sc., in illustration of a lecture upon “Liquid Air,” delivered in connection with the Scientific Novelties Exhibition in London. A square inch of Wiltshire bacon which he immersed in liquid air came out a minute later in a quite unrecognisable form, while a thin, soft rubber tube quickly assumed the hardeness of iron. A leaden boil was made to tinkle as clearly as bell metal, and from their ordinary form biscuits were changed into flaming fireworks.

The last week has shown a rapid falling off in the number of fat stock carried the railways. It was predicted that the season for fat stock would be heavy but short, and such seems to be th e case. The number now travelling to the various freezing works i s only steady, and is evenly distributed among the works. Only small lines of sheep are now on the move, with a tendency to becoming even smaller. The traffic in cattle, which generally falls away in th e summer, is now picking up, and the Westfield market is drawing increasing supplies from this coast. Fifteen trucks, holding a total of 120 beasts, were railed to Auckland last week, and this points to the fact that the autumn business is beginning.