LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20783, 18 April 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Currency in London Fine gold was quoted in London yesterday at £7 8s 6*d an ounce (£7 8s Gd on Friday), the dollar at 4.68 1-8 4.68 1-1 G) and the franc at 1762 '■ 1765 ). Members Walk Out As a protest against the business of the council being taken in committee the Mayor, Mr A. Garside, and two members retired from a special meeting of the Onehunga Borough Council last night. Te Aroha Gold Revenue Gold revenue amounting to £124 was collected by the clerk of the Warden’s Court in Te Aroha for the first quarter of 1939. The money has been forwarded to the treasurer of the Te Aroha Borough Council. Ru>glar Surprised Surprised by the unexpected arrival of the manager, a burglar in the grocery shop of Mr James McLean, at Inglewood, decamped without booty. He had exploded a charge of gelignite in the keyhole of the safe. Surplus of Fish [ A large supply of fish on the Dunedin market yesterday and the refusal of the Port Chalmers fishermen to dispense of the surplus to exporters at a basic price fixed by the latter resulted in the return of approximately 3cwt. of fish to the fishermen. Female Labour Shortage Two problems are facing Wellington clothing manufacturers at present. Those who have stocks of materials are hampered by a shortage of female labour, while those without materials as a result of the import restrictions are doing very little. Both groups have plenty of orders. The high cost of living in Wellington is stated to he a factor in the shortage of female labour. Drivers On the Alert Drivers of motor vehicles in Hamilton this morning were kept very much on the alert when a heavy fog obscured the roadway only a few yards ahead. At the southern end of the main street the mist hung in thick shrouds and from the Chief Post Office little of the rest of the shopping centre was visible, looking north. The Cathedral could not be sighted from the main street. Resourcefulness of Birds Great ingenuity is shown by birds in opening shells and shellfish, the common habit being to drop them on rocks or pavements from a height. A community of rooks, near' Christchurch, when faced with the problem of opening l walnut shells, has adopted a different technique. Near the rookery is a barbed wire fence and the birds have been seen to perch on this and use the barbs with which to force the two halves of the nut open.

Te Aroha Company The Te Aroha Investment Company, Limited, financial agents, has been registered in Auckland, with a capital of £3325 in £1 shares, the following being the subscribers: G. H. Nicholls, F I. Halligan and Miss D. G. Nicholls, 400 shares each; D. Sealey, 300; A. J. Forrest, 250; W. Monson, H. H. Door, D. W. Davis, W. W. Maingay, Mrs E. M. Walsh. Mrs L. Thornton and Miss E. M. Sampson. 200 each; A. C. Peterson, 100; F. A. Clarke, 75.

Waikato Times Appreciated “In an era of propaganda, It is heartening to remember that the Waikato has a daily newspaper which keeps its columns open for all points of view, from which the individual may arrive more nearly at the truth than is possible from many newspapers devoted to one-sided propaganda. To the publisher and staff 1 wish to express our high appreciation for publicity given to the affairs of our union,” stated Mr G. T. Crawley, in his annual report to the Waikato sub-pro-vincial district of the Farmers’ Union at the conference in Hamilton to-day. Expensive Wager A wager that he would drink a glass of beer and yet leave enough to fill four more glasses cost a south Taranaki resident £lB 3s on Saturday. The attempt, which took place at a Normanby hotel involved his placing a florin in his mouth in order to slip it into the empty glass. As he put it down no florin appeared, however, and he discovered it had followed the beer. The man left immediately for Wanganui, where a specialist removed the coin. The operation cost £ll 11s, the hospital fee was £2 2s and the taxi fare £4 10s. In addition he lost the bet.

Farm Advisory Committee “A very useful purpose is being served by the Ruakura Farm Advisory Committee, and the Department of Agriculture merits the thanks of all farmers for the work which is being undertaken there,” said the president of the Waikato sub-provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union, Mr G- T. Crawley, at the annual district conference to-day. “lOfficers of the department are anxious to collaborate with the working farmer in every way and will give every assistance in the solution of farmers’ prcfole-ms. Closer contact with officers of State tends to remove many misconceptions of both parties and is helpful and instructive to both.”

Rawhltl on Sandbanks In consequence of the long spell of dry weather the Waikato River has become very low during the last few weeks and, with the formation of several new channels, a number of stops had to be made by the river steamer Rawhiti when it made the journey from Port Waikato to Hamilton during the week-end. Carrying a cargo of 400 tons of general merchandise, the steamer left Port Waikato at 5 a.m. on Saturday and. after grounding on several sandbanks where winches had to be used to pull her off, she arrived at Hamilton yesterday afternoon. The master, Mr W. Wade, stated that the work of piloting the Rawhiti during the week-end was not more difficult than it had been on previous occasions.

For the whole of this week Hooker & Kingston, Ltd., are holding a Home Sewing Week. This is what this means to you—First, when buying your material at the Dress Counter you must purchase a McCall Pattern. Of course, no one will need urging to do this because it is a well-known fact that the McCall Pattern, with its printed cutting line, is the smartest and simplest pattern obtainable. Then—their Expert, Miss Joyce Bawden. will cut out your garment no matter what, or how elaborate it may be—for the nominal sum of 2/-. No worry, and they guarantee satisfaction and a perfect fit. Tune in to Station SZB to-night at 8.45 for Hooker A. Kingston's Session.?^