LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19365, 23 July 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Swankers’ appeal, which was to have been held to-morrow, has been postponed until the following Friday, July 31. The University capping revelries commenced in Dunedin yesterday with the customary profession. The weather was tine and the proceedings were lively, though orderly. A silver trophy, the gift of the English Football Association to the New Zealand Soccer Association arrived by the Remuera. It is indeed a handsome present, the modelling on it being exceptionally fine. It is said to be valued at £4OO. I A Westport message says that a fire which originated in Russel’s bakery. Ngakawau. yesterday morning, spread Ito McNarn’s Hotel and the Ngakawau I Hall. There is no local fire brigade, and everything w*as completely destroyted. The insurances are unavailable.

Eight hundred entries have been received for the Wanganui Competitions, which will be held during next month, i These entries do not come up to last year’s standard, this probably being due to the fact that the Wellington Festival will be conducted simultaneously with the local Competitions.

At Christchurch yesterday morning, the Magistrate reserved his decision in charges against James Blackburn and Reginald Stillwell of using the Caledonian Hall as a common gaming-house. The case was brought to decide the legality of euchre tournaments. It was not. submitted by the police that euchre is illegal, but that it is illegal as played at these tournaments.

**Sir. I’ve been drinking methylated spirits, so I never broke my prohibition order,’’ said a woman in answer to charges of drunkenness and breach of her prohibition order, preferred against her in the Auckland Police Court. She added (relates the Star), that she thought she -was going into the “horrors.” so she gave herself up to the police. A youth, named Campbell, employed by a farmer at Ngaruawahia, inet with a painful accident when he fell in front of a set of discs, and was dragged along. He received some very deep cuts in both legs, between the knees and the ankles. He lay for some time until he attracted the attention of a passing motorist, and was conveyed to his residence, where he received medical attention.

Although he had duly qualified as a doctor of medicine, a graduate of the Otago University found that cash before delivery is the axiom of the authorities there. He telegraphed his old college asking for some tangible recognition of his success, so that he could obtain the necessary registration papers. A reply was received stating that no recognition of his having qualified could bo sent until he had remitted the sum of £l4 14s, that amount to pay for his diploma.

An indication as to the prospects in store for producers of cheese during the coming season was given to a “Chronicle” reporter yesterday by the secretary of a well-known local dairy factory. The informant explained that agents were active buying the new season’s make as far forward as December, and the prices offered ranged from 9d to 94d. It could be quite understood, he said, that a number of factories in the Wanganui and Taranaki districts had accepted these good offers.

“Right through the present season the prices for dairy produce on the Homo market have not been as good as last year’s figures, and butter factories, to give tlie general application, will not pay out as well as cheese factories,” was the observation made to a “Chronicle” reporter yesterday. The informant added that private advice just received, however, indicated that the prospects for the close of the export season were excellent, and one local dairy company, which still held a fair quantity of butter on the London market, would no doubt wind up the season very satisfactorily.

! A miraculous escape from death is . reported to have occurred at Paekaka- | riki on Sunday afternoon. A motor I car, believed to be driven by Mr i Richards, and containing his wife and two children, when some distance up the Paekakariki Hill, met with car trouble, and crashed over the bank, the car turning a complete somersault and 1 dropping a distance of over 30 feet into the creek below. The occupants I I had a miraculous escape from death or i I serious injury. It is reported that they i were thrown clear of the car, and that [ beyond receiving a severe shaking and | minor injuries they escaped unhurt, j After 19 years of married life, a middle-aged woman, mother of several ’children, asked Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., at the Christchurch Magistrate’s | Court, says the Press, to separate her from her husband, who she alleged was a habitual drunkard. “You threw a , stone at your husband once, didn’t 'you?” asked the solicitor appearing ifor the husband. “Oh, yes I did, but !that’s going right back to the stone age!” she exclaimed in surprise. “It ■ must have been the stone age,” remarked counsel. “He had five or six I stiches put in his head as a result of [the stone coming in contact with his head!’4 “No he didn’t. He had only two.” “Did ho improve after that?” [asked his Worship. “For a little ' while,” the woman replied. 1 i . ' The liquor confiscated by the Napier r ' police in their raids on the bowling ■ ‘ clubs last Easter has been taken to the ' - Napier Hospital, and delivery acknow--1 lodged. The consignment consisted of i 135 pint, bottles of ale. three jars of - draught ale. one part keg of draught ) ale, 51 bottles of whisky, and one part - i bottle of gin (says the Tribune), s I “With the exception of the draughti | ale, which was spilled, those liquors - have been taken into stock,” stated 1 ! the house manager in his report to the n 'Hospital Board. In reply to a member, n I the chairman said that as the beer was ■-.I quite flat he ordered it to be poured c-down the sink. “Oh, yes, but soon s j men will drink beer anyway,” said Mr s I Donovan, amidst laughter. “I hope cl the Press will acknowledge the gift.” I “I don’t think that the Press should be allowed to publish it,” said Mr L. IW. Fowler. “We will have an influx of bowlers to the hospital. ”

A London message states that a verdict wias returned for defendants in the brown-heart case, in which importers claimed damages against a shipping company for loss of apples through brown-heart.

A defended divorce suit of considerable local interest will feature the sitting of the next session of the Supreme Court. The parties are well-known Wanganui people. It is understood that a claim for £2OOO also features in the action.

The pigeon racing season will commence in September. With the object of introducing new blood into local flocks a consignment of English breeds is now on Ihe water from the Old Country to the order of a number of local fanciers.

An unknown man, somewhat over 30 years of age, was knocked down by a motor car at the corner of Liverpool and Bell Streets last evening. The driver of the car took the injured man to the Hospital, where ho was put under an anaesthetic, and it was found he had sustained a slight fracture at the base of the skull.

Charles J. Higgins will appear before Justices at the Magistrate’s Court to-morrow to answer a charge, laid under section 27 of the Motor \ chicles Act, of negligently driving a motor car whereby the death of A. J. Bird was brought about. Mr J. M. Hussey will appear on behalf of the defendant.

An event not on the usual school curriculum is to take place at the Wanganui Girls’ College on Saturday. August 1, when a popular member of the teaching sttiff is to be married. The Ibridc is to be given nway by the chair Iman of the Board of Governors, Mr D. McFarlane, and the wedding break [fast is to be held in the assembly hall.

Speaking to a reporter yesterday, a local shipping agent stated that as far as the port of Wanganui was concerned the strike developments at Greymouth would not have any effect as the shipping company involved in the dispute did not ply its fleet to Wanganui. “But,’’ he added, “if free labour is introduced there is no telling where the trouble will end.”

Fish are very scarce in Timaru, and •fishermen arc at their wits’ end to find a suitable fishing ground. Recently the Timaru boats journeyed as far as the Ashburton coast, but the catches were not sufficient to pay for the benzine used. Flat, fish are almost unprocurable. anywhere, and last Friday they were sold at the remarkable price of flounders 2s Id, and soles 2s, wholesale. Gournard, groper and rod cod are also very scarce.

The arrangements in connection with the focussing of the lights on cars owned by members of the Wanganui Automobile Association have been completed, and on Tuesday evening the first quota of cars was attended to. The examination proved in several cases that the owners wore not getting proper benefit from their lights. In one instance the owner of a car made the discovery that his offside headlight was not shining on the road at all. in this particular case the owner was hugely delighted with the results that ihad attended the examination.

The. chairman of the Wanganui Education Board (Mr W. A. Collins) visit ed St. John’s Hill yesterday morning and discussed with- residents there the proposed new school for St. John’s Hill. A suitable site of five acres has ibeen secured at the end of Parkes [Avenue, Board’s architect is preI paring plans, and the next step will be [to make application to the Education [Department for the necessary grant. (The residents intimated yesterday morning that the school would have a roll of 60 to 70 children from the outset, and I stated thht they wore willing to assist |to get the site ready.

Cr. C. n. Burnett has given notice to move at the next, meeting of the City Council, the following motion: That the city enter into negotiations with the Wanganui Hospital Board to build a city morgue to be an annexe to the board’s morgue. A plan and estimate of the cost of the building to be prepared by the board’s architect and to be approved by the Health Department and the city engineer, the board to grant a lease for 21 years of the necessary land and approaches at a nominal rental: t-he city to pay the cost, of the building and all expenses connected with the proposal; the board to take over the building and improvements at the end of the lease at cost price, less depreciation; the board to control the morgue and charge the city with all actual expenses incurred in connection with costs and general management; the proposal to bo subject to the approval of the respective solicitors to the City Council and the Hospital Board.