LOCAL & GENERAL.

Western Star, 6 October 1936, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Owing to the discoloured slate of the Aparima river very few fish were caught during the week-end.

Germany's largest battleship. the Scharnborst, lias been launched. She is 26,000 tons, and is armed with nine 11inch guns.

As the result of a typhoon in Korea sixty passengers and a crew of four were drowned when a coastal steamer foundered.

John William Graves, aged 31. who escaped from the Waikune "prison camp on Sunday, surrendered at the Auckland police station on Sunday evening.

A smnsli-and-gnil> raid was carried out. at T. H. Martin's jewellery simp at Aurkland on Friday. The thieves only seemed two watches, valued at £5.

The T?iverfon Golf C'.d, will Tn-int; its season to a rinse nu Thtirsdav when a social will he held in Flock's Hall. The. o]»jioi-tunity will also Im< taken In present the prises won during Hit j'tar.

Before the Tariff Board in Sydney a witness stated that English teapots _ were sold at 63s a dozen, whereas similar Japanese articles cost only 4s 3d a dozen.

The Athenaeum will be closed foi a few days from the 10th October. Any person having books in their possession are requested to return same before thav date.

Miss Jean Batten left Hatfield aerodrome on Monday on her flight to New Zealand. Two extra petrol tanks have been installed in her plane. She hopes to break her record of 14 days, 2 hrs.

A marked- increase has been shown this year in the number of petitions in bankruptcy in Wellington, these totalling 20 for' the nine months, against 14 for the corresponding nine months of last year.

Motorists as well as others realise that cyclists have a right on the road, uut are entitled to complain when youchs and girls on bicycles ride two or three rt breast Such a practice is exceedingly dangr.ous, especially for the cyclists themselves, ana gives car drivers little room to manoeuvre on a busy road.

As part of the scheme for modernising the present Territorial force the Government has authorised (says a Press Association telegram from Wellington) the recruiting of a motor cycle scout platoon in each Territorial batallion. The men will be armed with Lewis guns and will wear berets with an appropriate regimental badge.

Fire broke out in the ceiling of Messrs Thomson and Beattie's drapery emporium, Invercargill, at 5 o'clock on Suaciuy evening, and gave the brigade considerable • trouble before it was extinguished.; The ceiling towards the front of the shop was blazing when the brigade arrived, and difficulty was experienced in reaching the seat of the fire. Before the outbreak was suppressed, about £2,000 worth of damage had been done to the stock, mainly by smoke and water.

An unexpected answer came from a Maori witness in the Auckland Supreme Court when asked by counsel why he had left the farm on which he was working at Clevedon. "There was a rumour about the end of the world among the Maoris,", he said. Counsel suggested that the witness left because lie had had a row. with "the boss," but witness maintained that he had been influenced solely by the belief that the end of the world was at hand.

death occurred at Invercargill on Saturday of a very old and respected resident of the district in the -person of Mrs Matheson, aged 74 years. The deceased was the eldest daughter of the late James More, and spent her early life in Riverton. She was married twice, and is survived by a family of 7—l son and two daughters by her first husband Jno F. Mcßain, and 2 sons and 2 daughters by her late husband, who predeceased !icy about two years ago.

A mission schoolmaster in 1850 relates that on the Wanganui River the natives kept special roosters as timekeepers. They preserved the ones with good voices that crowed at the regular watches. If they raised their voices at. the wrong times they were eaten like common fowls. Thus was gradually produced a breed of clear-voiced timekeepers. But, while the natives regarded them as a public benefaction, just as we do the/ town clock, the missionary was not alto-' gether gratified at being awakened at the first streak of dawn by a shrill chorus of crows.

"While the European situation has been most delicate and very involved, we in England do not feel that there is going to be war," said Mr R. J. Fetherston, an English business man, .who has been visiting Napier. "There has been much tajk of war, which is to be regretted, as I am convinced that it would be better for all if we talked more of peace and less of war," he said. "I am very glad to see that an agreement has been entered into by America, Britain, and France to stabilise the exchanges, as this can only mean that trading will become less difficult. I think that it is a real step in the direction of improving international relations generally."

The trend of the world's sheep population has been downward in recent years, according to a report by the Imperial Economic Cornmittee (London) on wool production and the wool trade. Before 1930 Russia owned the largest number of sheep, but the figure eventually fell from 100,500,000 to 45,400,000. There has been an increase under the second five-year plan, the latest total being 55,600,000 in 1935, compared with 113,000,000 in Australia. The figures for South Africa and Argentina have also declined.

The proposals of the State Advances Cor poration for the building of homes are referred to in a statement issued by the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash), The Minister stated that in granting loans for house building in excess of two-thirds of the approved valuations, the Board of Management would have regard, in addition to an applicant's monetary contribution, to two essential factors to merit favourable consideration. They were stability of employment and a sufficiency of income, to meet living expenses, instalments, upkeep, and other outgoings''on the property.

On the application of solicitors in the Southland district probates or letters of administration have been granted in the following deceased persons' estates by Mr Justice Kennedy: Margaret. Jane Froggatt, of Invercargill, widow (Watson' and Watson); John Cumming Todd, of Invercargill, pipe manufacturer (Macalister Bros.); Mary Louisa Williams, of Wyndham (C. E. Davcy, Wyndham) ; Margaret Drown Johns, wife of James Johns of Invercargill, retired (W. G. and J. Tait) ; Mary Valentine Ingram, of Invercargill, clerk (Watson and Watson) ; Mary Graham, of Gore, widow (Smith and Dolaniore, Gore) ; Ernest James McGowan, of Morton Mains, farmer (Rattray and HallJones) ; Elizabeth Ellen Gill, of Invercargill, widow (Macalister Bros.); James Mackay, of Glencoe, farmer (D. L. Poppelwell, Gore); Garnet John Service, of Invercargill, labourer (Macalister Bros.); Vera Elsie Robertson, of Wrights Bush, spinster (Longuet and .Robertson) ; John Prendeville, of Mossburn, farmer (Stout, Lillicrap and Hewat.