LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waikato Times, Volume 123, Issue 20689, 27 December 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ex-Kaiser’s Christmas Gifts Ex-Kaiser Wilhelm stood bareheaded in the snow on Christmas Day distributing clothing and food to poverty-stricken people, says a message from Doom. Each also received a large supply of wood.

Gaming House Charge Appearing before Mr G. K. Sinclair, •UP., yesterday in the Hamilton Police Court, on a change of keeping a common gaming house, Llewellyn Trevor Thomas '34), a clerk, was remanded until January 12. Bail was allowed.

Christmas Frost A frost of 4.2 degrees was recorded in Christchurch on Saturday morning. This is the heaviest frost to he recorded in December since 1910, when 5 degrees were registered. The hardest frost yet experienced in December in Christchurch was in 1913, when there were b. 6 degrees.

Charge of Arson Changed with arson Charles Henry a labourer, appeared before Mr C. H

Chissell, J.P.. in the Police Court, Whangarei, on Saturday morning. He was remanded to appear on January 16. hail being fixed at two sureties of £SO. The charge arose out of a fire on December 12 that destroyed a small building owned by the late Mr J. Jackub. of Whangarei.

Sales Tax Yield Sales tax collected during November totalled £304,381 and fell £3443 below the figure for the corresponding month of 1937. Compared with October receipts last month’s revenue was £4198 lower. For the expired eight months of the current financial year the amount collected was £2,343,209, a decrease of £38,980, as compared with the same period of 193 G-37. Hour In the Sea Wh*n the 14 ft. yacht, Omaki capsized off the Bayswater Wharf, Auckland, early yesterday afternoon, the crew were thrown into the water and suffered an hour’s buffeting from heavy seas before being rescued. One attempt to rescue them with a dinghy failed, and a second effort was carried to success only with difficulty. None of the crew was the worse for the long immersion and all quickly recovered. Election Petition It is probable that the election petition in connection with the Bay of Islands electorate will be withdrawn. This petition, lodged by two electors, Messrs Clive Cameron and William S. Smith, alleging improper voting by a number of persons in the electorate, was to have been heard by an Electoral Court sitting at Kaikohe on Tuesday, January 17. The petitioners applied for an extension of time as it was not possible to get their case complete by the date named. As this has been refused, it is stated it has been decided not to proceed. Pigeons’ Long Flight An interesting race from the Three Kings Islands to Wellington was flown last week by a large number of birds belonging to members of the Wellington Homing Pigeon Society. The birds were carried in the Awatea, which left Auckland last Tuesday niight for Sydney. Released when the ship was passing the Three Kings at 5.6 a.m. New Zealand time on Wednesday, the pigeons made a wonderful daylight, flight, the first bird being limed in at Wellington at 7.25 p.m. on the same day, having flown 501 miles in 14 hours 19 minutes, an average slightly more than 35 miles an hour.

Pianist-Composer’s Museum Project Progress with his project for creating in Australia a museum of music on entirely new lines and with a new object and outlook was described by Mr Percy Grainger, celebrated Australian pianist and composer, who, with his wife, arrived at Auckland by the Aorangi yesterday on his way to make a concert tour in the United States. Since his return to the Commonwealth in August Mr Grainger has been working 15 hours a day in the museum, portion of which has now been opened. The museum would show’ the achievements of the music of English-speaking countries from the 13th century to the present day, Mr Grainger said.