LOCAL AND GENERAL

Western Star, 20 August 1929, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The first of the season’s whitebait was on sale in Riverton on Saturday.

A breach of the Licensing Act will occupy the next sitting of the court in Riverton.

At Friday’s meeting of the Wallace County Council it was decided on the motion of Cr. Linscott to purchase a motor grader for Waimatuku riding.

The Wallace County has decided to fall in with other counties by paying a bonus of 2/- each for the destruction of keas. The Maroroa is the only riding in the County wher e these birds are found.

Prior to the adoption of the County balance-sheet on Friday, Councillor Cody said it was hardly fair to pass same until members had been afforded an opportunity of inspecting its contents, notwithstanding the fact that it had been certified to by the audit department. He consdiered that Councillors should receive a copy' of same for perusual before being adopted. A motion was eventually carried for its adoption, Or Cody recording his vote against the motion.

The annual meeting of the Early Settlors Association will be held in the Town Hall, Riverton to-morrow (Wednesday) afternoon at 2 o’clock.

A Maori witness at the Wanganui Court the other day described himself as a working man who did nothing.

An amusing incident occurred during a fire in Victoria avenue, Wanganui the other day (says the Chronicle). A customer was being shaved in the saloon on the ground floor. H e remained calm while the brigadesmen trampled overhead and the barber went on shaving, but when the first spot of water trickled through from above, the customer hurriedly left the chair, wiping the remaining soap from his face and assisted to move the furniture from the danger zone.

The price obtained by the Maoris in the Rotorua district for this year’s crop of tobacco ranged from 6d to Is 9d per pound. This is not so good as was expected, but must he considered satisfactory in view of its being the first year, and of the experience gained Even at these prices, when averaged, the return runs int 0 something like £8(1 an acre, which is sufficiently , encouraging to continue operations .and increase them. A part of the initial expense will be set aside from this year’s returns.

If the German mark has the good fortune to recover to its former place among the currencies of the world, and its various not 0 denominations are acknowledged at their face value, then there will h° at least one multi-mil-lionaire in Timaru, for Mr A. F. M. Paterson exhibited at a meeting of the Philatelic Society th e other evening 300 German notes of a total value of one hundred and fifteen thousand million pounds sterling. And this is hut a fraction of Mr Paterson’s collection of German marks.

‘Something has happened to the walking stick. Once it was the pride and joy of a smart young man; now it has almost disappeared,” says an English paper. This is not so in Wellington, however, for a tobacconist who does a big business in them said recently that the sales of walking sticks are as good as ever, and they are becoming popular with women. To indicate how good the business was, he showed a stock of walking sticks made of New Zealand timber mid manufactured in th c Dominion. There were very fine examples, aml_ included New Zealand red birch, ptinfi, and other timbers showing a beautiful grain and very artistically finished. English manufacturers attribute th 0 loss in popularity to the had weather, so that young men have adopted the habit of carrying umbrellas instead of walking sticks.

Editor; T‘m afraid these jokes leave me cold. Would-Be Contributor; Then why aren’t they the very thing for your summer number p

An explanation of the national practice of yodelling was given by the consul for Switzerland, Mr J. A. C. Album, in the course of an address to the Auckland Optimists’ Club. On his last visit to that counry he was interested in the superb yodelling of a hardy mountaineer, who, from a specially healthy pair of lungs, sent his voice echoing round the mountains. He asked the meaning of the practice. ‘We first sing the words of our songs, and then we sing them from our hearts,’ was the reply of the lusty northerner.

In a recent law case a judge remarked that the prisoner had spent a dissolute and wasted life. His Honor was probably correct, but under the circumstances it is interesting to discover just what an average man who attains the age of 72 does with' his life. In the first place he sleeps for 23 years 4 months. He spends six years travelling and four years in being ill. It takes him no less than two years to dress, and six years two months to eat. This does not leave many years for anything else, but in the remaining period of life he generally works for 18 years 8 months, and spends a solid nine years eight months in recreation and amusements.

On Wednesday evening, Percy Flegg a married man, aged 57 years, Herbert Street, was admitted to the Southland Hospital suffering from concussion and abrasions. He was riding a bicycle in Jed street, going towards Gala street, when on the corner he collided with a motor car being driven west by Miss Calder, of Riverton, along Gala street. She swerved, and struck a tree in an an effort to avoid the cyclist, but the vehicles were too close, and Mr Flegg was knocked down. Mr Flegg, who is a porter in the service of Messrs Thomson and Beattie, is in a serious condition.

At the annual meeting of shareholders of the Aparima Dairy Factory Company held on Saturday, a recommendation was carried that the directors take steps to ascertain the cost of building a new factory, and submit same to a future meeting of shareholders. The present building was erected in 1881, and is one of the oldest factories in Southland.

There was a good attendance at the Young People’s Bible Class held in the Methodist Church on Friday last at 7.30 p.m. The meeting was conducted bv Miss Gladys Green aided by Rev F. 0. Prosser. ‘Jesus Christ and his Kingdom on Earth,” the subject for thp evening, was ably discussed by Mrs Prosser. Several other auestions concerning the coloured and th e white man, etc., were answered by Miss Beatrice McKinnon, Miss Borland, and Miss May McKinnon. The Rev F. O. Prosser brought the meeting to a close by pronouncing the benediction.

The following were the winners of the competitions held at the Otautau Methodist bazaar last week: Cushions, Messrs F. Eason, N. Jaquiery and Ray Chilton; iced cake, Mrs W. Bradshaw.; and elephant, Miss Nalmai Pulley. Mr W. Stormonth won the sheep-guessing competition, guessing the exact dead weight, 68r}lbs. It is gratifying to record that the funds of the church will benefit to the extent of about £65 as a result of the function.

The Wellington Acclimatization Society, for l itself and other societies is offering a reward of £SO for a serviceable trap which will catch the opossum, or any bird, without injury, such trap to be approved by the council of the Wellington Society and the Government. The decision of the Wellington Society as to whether or not any trap is suitable, or which trao if more than one, is to receive the reward shall be final.

The Otautau school football and basketball team paid a visit to Winton on Thursday. After a good game the boys were defeated by 6 points to 3. The basketball team was also beaten by the Winton school girls.

A demonstration of the Johnson Outboard motors and stepped hydroplane will be held on the estuary tomorrow afternoon at 2 o’clock.

The opinion is sometimes expressed that all hoardings are eyesores, but a worse oifence against public taste is the sticking of bills on concrete embankments —a form of free publicity of which proprietors of side-shows seem to be particularly fond (states a corres pondent of the Dominion). Bills posted in such a way usually show themselves for many months and even for years after the show they advertise has passed on. Although the orthodox hoarding often takes the place of something less beautiful, bills on embankments are invariably worse than what they hide. Although it would be difficult to ftrace itinerant showmen once they had moved on, a penalty inflicted promptly on such men for their free use of public property would do a great deal t 0 maintain the trim appearance of city and suburban streets.

Summer Visitor: But why are those trees bending over so far ?’ Farmer: You' would bend over, too, miss, if you wuz as full o’ green apples as those trees are!’