LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19478, 23 December 1925, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

* * * There will be no publication of the * Chronicle’* on Christmas Day.

A cyclone in the Duchess district in North Queensland caused extensive damage, but no casualties.

Christmas postal traffic at Wellington is heavier than ever. Double shifts are being worked, and where one-ton vans were formerly sufficient three-ton vans now have to bo used.

The h S.W. Lands Department report states that the total expenditure in iSew South Wales on soldier settlement since the inauguration of the scheme amounts to £1.7,384.539 and 9098 soldiers have been allotted’farms covering an area of 8.081,070 acres.

The annual report of the Department ot Lands shows that there is little more than 20.000.000 acres of Crown Lands now unoccupied in New South Wales, and of this the greater part is reserved for necessary public purposes, or is unsuitable for settlement.

The historic homestead at Groot Constantia, near Capetown, which was regarded as an outstanding example of distinctive Dutch architecture two centuries ago, has been totally destroyed by fire, together with priceless relics of the early Cape. The property was used as a Government wine farm.

With the many miles of tidal rivers and streams in the Auckland Province the question “How’s Ihe tide” is a

daily one (says the Attckla .<1 ‘‘Star”). Tn transport operations it is often necessary to know days or weeks ahead the time at which high tido will occur on a particular date.

Aj rather curious trout was caught in the Aiakarewa River recently by an Invercargill fisherman. The fish, though only 21. inches in length, was particularly broad in girth, and weigh.d six pounds. It put up a remarkably fine resistance before the fortunate angler brought it to land.

A private message has been received in Wellington from Melbourne stating that brokers have issued a circular announcing that the New Zealand Government was arranging the issue of a loan in Australia at 5| per cent, for ten years. It is officially stated that nothing is known in Wellington about it.

While playing on the Technical College tennis courts yesterday morning, a young lady named Miss" McNiven fell and sustained a broken arm. She was taken to Bclverdalo private hospital. where she is progressing as satisfactorily as possible under the circumstances.

At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, when a debt case was called, both counsel for plaintiff and defendant commenced to address His Worship simultaneously. Mr Barton acted as third man in the little dispute, and said that, it was a dead heat. However, the matter was soon amicably settled, and the business of the Court proceeded smoothly once more.

Hawke’s Bay farmers, both sheep and dairy, are not at present too cheerful, and have good cause, for the days become hotter as the summer advances, with hot drying winds blowing day and night (says the Waipukurau correspondent of the “Hawke's Bay Herald”). Probably this is the driest December experienced for many years. When rain has fallen it has been followed by a dry wind.

In asking the Minister for Education to purchase a school site at Petano a member of a deputation mentioned that an objection held against one site was that motor cars v ;rc always passing it (says the Napier “Daily Telegraph”). Discounting this objection the gentleman said: “The passing of the motor cars does not really matter, because the police station is next door, so they never go fast.’’ —(Laughter).

Tn the following undefended civil cases heard in the .Magistrate’s Court, Wanganui, yesterday, judgment by default was given:—Cunningham and Christie v. James Lambess, £4. ss; City Council v. Harry Davis, £2 4s; E. J. McLeod v. Allan R. Noll, £26; Commissioner of Taxes v. Arthur J. Peachey, 6s Id; E. .1. Cheswass v. W. Jones, £l2; Michael O'Sullivan v. L. I). Barnes. £1 3s; T. H. Dudley v. J. Summers, £6 13s. Judgment summonses were issued ns follows:—L. F. Carvcll v. Tukia, ordered. Io pay £l3 7s 6d, in default 15 days’ imprisonment; Raymond A. C. Wright v Alfred Foster, ordered to pay £2O Ils fid, in default 23 days’ imprisonment; R. Lazarus v. A. Wadsworth, ordered to pay £1 12s in default two days’ imprisonment.

Saturday was the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the engineering firm of Anderson's. Ltd., by the late John Anderson, who arrived in Lyttelton by the Sir George Seymour on December 17, 1850. Immediately he arrived Mr Anderson walked over the Port Hills and across the Plains to interview Messrs Deans at Riccarton, who advised him to put up his workshop in Christchurch. Taking their advice, he lost no time in starting work, and by his integrity and tenacity of purpose he steadily built up a reputation for fair dealing ami honest work which was the foundation upon which the present business was constructed. On Saturday all the employees of Anderson’s, Ltd., met Mr John Anderson, the eldest son of the founder, and presented him with a parchment document containing the signatures of all the. present employees, and a silver tea set, 1o express the goodwill that they felt towards the firm.

At the conclusion of the civil Court yesterday morning the Magistrate, Mr •I. JS. Barton, S.M., approached the reporters’ table and asked if the gentlemen of the Press believed in advertising. The knights of the pen replied in the affirmative ami the Magistrate produced from a small parcel two Ford motor models. A paragraph had been published slating that counsel had mentioned that the model motor cars at the Court had been worn out with frequent use, and Mr Barton had remarked that they had had considerable wear. Enclosed in the parcel was a letter minus a signature, and as the Magistrate was at a loss as to the identity of the donor he asked the scribes to duly acknowledge. the gift on behalf of the Court officials. Mr Barton said it now only remained for someone to patent models of streets and intersections which could bo constructed to scale, and the work of the Court, in motor car accident cases would be, reduced considerably.