LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15865, 11 December 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Sydney cable message states that Sydney University, with 35 points, retained possession of the Dunn Shield. South Sydney (26£) was second, and the Police (20) third. The Woodville racecourse was the scene of a demonstration last week of a kind rare on New Zealand courses. In two instances the crowd was' keenly dissatisfied with the judging. The first instance it accepted quietly hut sullenly, but the second it refused to take in silence and pandemonium reigned. An amusing instance of a Maori’s idea of values was provided at Gisborne when a horse driven by -a Maori made straight for a large plateglass window', and would undoubtedly have gone through but for a bystander who stopped it. “By gorry,” said the Maori, “very nearly half a crown gone.” The recent introduction of mixed bathing at the Pahiatua municipal baths has aroused considerable controversy. At a largely-attended meeting, convened by the svrimming club, it was resolved by a large majority that the innovation should continue.

Some time ago we referred to some exceptionally long grass grown in the vicinity of Hamilton. Mr Taylor, of Grey Street, Hamilton, informs us that former records have been eclipsed, as from a small paddock of cocksfoot he secured a plant which had attained a height of 7ft BJin., and the plant in question was not a giant amidst pigmies.

As indicating how the people of England are looking to New Zealand as a desirable place of residence, we this morning received a letter from a gentleman, who is now in business in Liverpool, making inquiries as to the conditions obtaining in Hamilton. He lias a family of three daughters and a son, and if a suitable opening presented itself he would be prepared to put considerable capital into a business. as well as the practical work of Ids family. The letter is interesting, as showing that New Zealand, end incidentally the Waikato, arc not altogether off the map to the people of the west of England.

Air J. Vigor Brown, who is visiting Melbourne with Airs and the Alisses Brown, met with an accident some days ago, severely spraining both ankles and breaking a small bone in one. It will be some weeks before he, will be about again without the aid ot crutches. Mr Brown, with his family, was visiting the residence of a former resident of Napier, and when leaving at might met with the accident. In the dark he stepped from a verandah thinking it was level with the, ground, but lie misjudged the position and stepped down some distance, suffering the injuries stated 'above.

I saved Us on this little cotton frock alone by taking advantage of Hooker and Kingston’s “Star SpceMs,” one day between i) and 12 o’clock, remarked Airs Smith yesterday to tier friend. Acs, I can quite understand it, replied Mrs Brown, I bought a similar parcel the other day. By the way, da Hooker and Kingston’s run these star specials every day? I should just think they do. Why, I never miss reading the paper now, just to see what they arc advertising to-morrow. I am out to save as much money on my purchases as 1 can, said Airs Brown and you should just see some of the bargains my friends have secured c-n different mornings. "Star Specials” operate daily at Hooker and Kingston’s from 9 till 12 o’clock in the morning—read to-night’s advertisement on page C for you don’t know what you are missing*

52 Lavender grows in popularity every year—because, of its delicate sweetness —and charming fragrppee.

The drought in the South Island has broken, heavy rains being reported from Canterbury and Southland. A branch of the Rotary Club will he opened at Hamilton to-morrow. Some 20 members of the Auckland branch will visit Hamilton for the occasion. Thieves entered the home of Madame Avanzo at Rose Bay, and stole diamonds and other jewellery valued at £4OO. The Christmas holidays for public schools will begin on Thursday, December 20. The sehools will re- : open on Monday, February 4. The j Education Board has resolved to defer \ until January’ next consideration of the l question of the course to be observed £ during February. || The Canterbury Cricket Associalion decided that married men going | on tour he paid ten shillings per day 1 for every working day lost.. It was de- j cided to apply for a match against the New South Wales team on terms offered by the New Zealand Cricket Council.

“Why we throw more into the pig bucket in New Zealand than the average man cats in many starved countries,’’ declared Mr Oscar Monrad, during his address to the Lunch Club aL Palmerston North. “You don’t know when you are well off. The country is being simply ruined for want of development.”

The sum paid to the Government- in taxation in connection with the Takapuna Jockey Gluh’s Spring Meeting amounted to £7592 11s lid, made up as follows: —Totahsator, £2383 2s; gates and privileges, £62 7s 6d; stakes, £670; dividends, £4289 19s; amusement tax, £lB7 3s sd. Total, £7592 11s lid.

Mr Alfred Murray, aged 29, residing in Woodleigh boarding-house, London Street, was admitted to the Waikato Hospital this morning 'suffering from bruises and shock. He was working in a sewerage drain in Bell Street, off Te Aroha Street, Claudelands, when one side of the drain fell away, pinning him to the opposite wall. He was somewhat crushed, but no bones were broken. A painful experience befel a boy, Morris Dent, aged 13, son of Mr T. Dent, Boundary Road, Claudelands, in the Whitiora school grounds yesterday. He was skylarking with a young companion who happened to have an open pocket knife in his hand, when the blade was plunged into the fleshy portion of youi\g Dent’s arm, inflicing a deep severe gash about four inches long. The sufferer was attended to by Dr. Pnfold, and s now making satisfactory progress. A formal meeting of creditors In the bankrupt estate of A. A. Brook, farmer and contractor, Cambridge, was to have been held in Hamilton yesterday, but it lapsed through want of a quorum. Bankrupt, however, was examined, but it was agreed to adjourn the meeting until January 17Bankrupt was the builder of the Cambridge dried milk factory and he ascribed his failure partly to of money on the contract. His estate showed an apparent deficiency of £6OO. The Bay of Islands County Council invited support from the Waipa County Council yesterday to a resolution in regard to rates on soldier settlement lands, urging that the Government,’which now takes an order on the settlers’ cream ohcaues in payment of rent and arrears of rent, should provide a certain proportion of this money for part payment of local bodies’ rates. The Council supported the request.

An unusually large amount of mail will reach New Zealand this week from overseas. The Royal Mail steamer Makura arrived* at Auckland yesterday with.93s bags of English and Australian mails, and the Marama from Sydney this evening with 218 bags of Australian and Eastern mail. The Kent is due at Auckland on Wednesday from Liverpool with 1200 bags of English mail, probably mostly parcels. The Royal Mail steamer Tahiti, which is due at Wellington about Friday from San Francisco, has 1161 bags of English and American mails for the Dominion.

“I think there are some ugly features about the bankruptcy. If a man can go to dinner at the Grand Hotel and pay for‘cabaret parties at Dixieland, while he is owing creditors over £4OO, his code of honour must be a strange one.” This was the conclusion of the official assignee, Mr W. S. Fisher, after Raymond William Casley (Mr Lovegrovc), a bankrupt land agent, had been subjected to a searching examination at a meeting of creditors at Auckland. Bnkrupt’s schedule showed debts amounting to £460, against which the only asset was cash in hand £ls.

“The very evil which we are endeavouring to remove from the centre of the city is growing up in tho suburbs,’’ remarked Councillor J. Aston at the annual meeting of the Civic League at Wellington. “I refer to the developing of slums in one or two suburban areas by the erection of shacks under the style of ‘bungalow.’ ” Councillor Aston mentioned the cases of Northland and Karori in particular, and suggested that consideration might very well be given the drawing up of a bylaw which would prohibit the erection of dwelling houses of less than four rooms, that a man who bought a home, generally from a speculative builder, would buy a real home.

Hamilton is not the only place in the Dominion experiencing a dry spell. Dunedin, Christchurch, Wanganui and Fcilding are all feeling the effects of the drought. Along the West Coast of the North Island, up as far as Wanganui, the prolonged spell of dry weather is having a serious effect upon the water supply. In inland districts where tank water is depended upon there is a very serious shortage, and most families are on short allowance, in Dunedin street sprinkling has been stopped, as the water in the reservoirs is falling.