LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19768, 16 February 1927, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

44 1 win the first prize,” murmured the grand juror who was first in the ballot when the Supreme Court opened yesterday. He considered his success in this lottery la promising angury for the future.

In Saturday’s issue of the 44 Chronicle” the name “W. Hodson” was inadvertently stlated to be that of the accused in a theft case heard at th© Magistrate’s Court. The accused was William Barrington Roberts, who, on a later appearance, was convicted and remanded till Wednesday for sentence.

A strange-looking craft is at present in Nelson Harbour. This is a fourcylinder motor-launch, hewn out of one solid log of timber, as were the Maori wa r canoes of olden times, before the advent of the pakeha. A deck-house has been added. The craft was constructed by the owner in the Marlborough Sounds district, and he L\s already made a trip or two across Cook Strait, having visited Wellington.

A young man who last week advertised that he had a motor-cycle for sale is now lamenting his rashness in placing too much trust in the honesty of strangers. A man called to seo the cycle, stating that he wished to buy a machine, and giving his name as “Williams.” He asked to be allowed to try the machine, and with the owner’s consent he jumped on it and rode away. Ho has not since been seen by the owner. With reference to the influenza epidemic now ravaging European countries, a communication has been received by the Waitotara County Council from the Health Department asking the council to take precautions in iU area in the event of the raa<ady reaching New Zealand. At the last meeting of the council it was stated that it would be more satisfactory if a health inspector could make a tour of inspection in the county’s district. At least one important official was delayed in the execution of his business by the Supreme Court’s opening yesterday. This was one of the umpires for the cricket match, Melbourne v. Wanganui. Selected las a grand juror, the umpire bore into the court room the white duck coat which constitutes the umpire’s official robe. A heavy calendar awaited the scrutiny of the Grand Jury, land a substitute was found until the appointed umpire could arrive.

‘‘There is a superabundance of trout food, at Lake Taupo at the present time,” said Mr C. A. Whitney, president Of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, at a meeting of the council of the society at Te Awamutu. He added that it was nonsense to ascribe the relatively poor condition of the fish there to the lack of suitable food. He had seen tadpoles, frogs, inangas and cockabullies in immense numbers while on a recent visit to the lake. All these the trout voraciously fed upon.

Nothing novel in the wtay of excuse for inability to serve was put before His Honour by common jurors applying for exemption when the Supreme Court opened yesterday morning. Two shopkeepers were excused, on the grounds that they had insufficient help to allow their businesses to be carried on in their absence, and fa. wharf labourer was exempted i n order that he could take advantage of a busy period. Two men were excused because of indifferent health, land a farmer from Westmere was given exemption because his cows and fowls demanded his attention.

The Zane Grey party, after ten days’ fishing, mostly at Whangaroa, have accounted.'for 24 fish, 10 of which are swordfish. One of those caught by Mr Zane Grey was a black marlin. His son, Mr Romer Grey, caught the world’s record thresher shark, which weighed 6401 b, after a strenuous fight. Four of the mako caught were over 4001 b in weight, and the marlin averaged larger than last season. Seven of the ten marlin caught were raised* by teasers and caught by trolling. As far as the Zane Grey party is concerned, there is no comparison between the drifting and trolling methods. Twelve marlin have been raised by the trolling method, seven of which were caught. Some of the mako were also caught trolling. Only three swordfish were caught by drifting.

Judgment by default was given in the following cases yesterday at the Wanganui Magistrate’s Court:—Currie and Jack v. H. Rangiwhetu, £4 Is 6d, costs £2 4s 6d; A. 3. Sharpe, v. P. C. Dowdall, £2 2s, cost £1 3s 6d; Silk, Haworth and Co. v. P. O’Neill, £l9 17s Bd, costs £2 14s; R. H. Adams and Sons, Ltd., v. H. Marino, £8 3s lid, costs £2 5s 6d; Frankish, Bellamy and Co., Ltd., v. H. E. Waiteford, £l2 2s sd, costs £4 7s; H. Beckwith v. T. W. Ratana, £25 18s Bd, costs £4 16s 6d. The following judgment summonses were entered:—A. Verran was ordered to pay to E. M. Clark the sum of £4 19s 6d, in default six days’ imprisonment, and H. J. Cunliffe was ordered to pay to Thomson, Lewis and Co, Ltd. the sum of £4 16s Bd, in default five days’ imprisonment.