Untitled

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 241, 10 September 1929, Page 6

Mr Frederick Carter King, aged 33, a married man with two children, was accidentally killed at Dunsandel on Saturday by shots from his own gun while he was shooting in some scrub, states a Press Association message from Christchurch.

A Stewart Island fisherman has a novel form of insurance to provide for his retirement in old age. For the past four years ho has been systematically gathering and hoarding ambergris. The accumulation has already become quite a valuable asset. He intends to add to it each season and not to sell until he is too old to follow his vocation as a fisherman.

A further draft of ‘29 boys for Flock House arrived in Wellington over the weekend and were taken to Bulls by tlie welfare officer, Mi F. W. Ivey, yesterday. On board the Rotorua the party was in the charge of Mr W. J. Kerr, migration secretary for the North Ireland Y.M.C.A. Altogether close on 500 boys have now been brought out under the scheme. Another fire, believed to be of incendiary origin, occurred last night in a house occupied by Mr A. V. Clements, of Holly Road, Christchurch. Flames were seen pouring out of the back of the house and there was another outbreak within the house. The brigade was called in timea nd had no difficulty in quelling the fire. No one was in the house when the fire broke out. A small boy said he saw a man leave the rear of the house by the back gate before the alarm was given (states a Press Association telegram). Au attempt was made late last evening to break and enter the premises of Mr D. Clinton, tobacconist, Terrace End. A plate glass panel in the front door of the shop was smashed, but the would-be intruder was unable to reach the two locks which held the door, as narrowly spaced iron bars had been fitted behind the glass, and an entrance could not bo made. Some four months ago Mr Clinton had a considerable amount of stock stolen when his premises were entered, an entry being gained through smashing the door panel. The provision of tlie iron bars has, apparently, prevented the shop from being ransacked on this occasion. The following staff changes in the Public Trust Department are announced :—Tlie' transfer of Mr H. G. Shakes, estates administration clerk, Wellington, to the position of district manager, Te Kuiti; the transfer of Mr 1. C. Robinson, district manager, Te Kuiti, to the position of district manager, Feilding; tlie transfer of Mr H. L. W. Von Stunner, acting district manager, Feilding, to the position of estates administration clerk, Hawera; tlie transfer of Mr D. L. Overbye, estates administration clerk, Hawera, to the staff of the Wellington branch; the transfer of Mr G. ID. Collins from Palmerston North to the staff of tlie mortgage division, head office; the transfer of Mr T. A. Hannah, Wellington, to Hastings; the transfer of Mr C. S. Scott from Christehuieh to Dannevirke.

The Ulimaroa arrived at Sydney this morning from Auckland.'

Owing to ordinary traffic delays, the south-bound Main Trunk express was an hour late in reaching Palmerston North this morning. The rangers reported to the Kairanga County Council to-day that 92 head of wandering stock had been impounded during the month.

A short but sharp earthquake tremor was felt in Palmerston North at 5.45 o’clock yesterday afternoon, it being unaccompanied by the usual preliminary movement. The Kairanga County Council to-day discussed the erosion caused by the Manawatu River eating into Hamilton’s Line. It was felt that the only way to ensure that no accidents would occur would be to put a fence across the road above the erosion. The matter was referred to the engineer, Mr J. E.> Menzies, to discuss with two settlers concerned. A Wanganui drapery firm received a letter from a lady resident of Murchison recently asking for certain articles of boy’s clothing to be forwarded. The lady mentioned that during the earthquake they lost their home, farm, and a portion of the stock, and on top of that thieves stole clothing belonging to the boys. “However, ’ added the lady, “the sun will shine again.” Addressing the Palmerston North Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society, yesterday, the Dominion secretary, Rev. David Calder, contrasted tire time it had taken him to reach Jericho from Cairo with that taken by the Israelites. They had required 40 years to journey from Cairo, while the train had taken him in 16 hours, and it had not been a fast train either. A Stratford message states that Mr Arthur J. Stockley, a farmer, lies in a critical condition in the hospital as the result of a car colliding with a train at a level crossing in the town on Saturday. His chest was crushed and he was severely injured about the head. Apparently he did not see the train. His car was carried 100 yards before the train was jmlled up and was totally wrecked.

An interesting experience, and one that is not an unusual one among residents of Hawke’s Bay, befell a Napier resident who drove his car recently from Wellington in the grip of a howling north-easter. The rain was falling in torrents, and wind and rain were experienced all the way to Takapau. From then on the journey to Napier —a distance of over 50 miles was accomplished along dusty roads. A Press Association telegram from Invercargill states that a somewhat extraordinary accident occurred yesterday afternoon. The express train from Invercargill to the north had reached the Ythan Street crossing, when Mrs Lawrence Ford, aged 72, who was proceeding across the intersection, walked into the side of the engine. She was thrown aside and the train was at. once pulled up. The injured woman was conveyed to the Southland Hospital, where she died last evening. Odd new sheets of galvanised iron on the roofs of most dwellings in Greymouth bear mute testimony to the severity of the recent earthquake. They show where brick chimneys have gone through the roofs. In one part of Grevmouth it is stated that out of a total of 1400 chimneys only four remained standing after the earthquake. In many cases the chimneys have been renewed, but in a number they have not. The new chimneys, needless to say, are of the short, squat variety. Other buildings also suffered damage which is now under repair. The inconvenience to propertyholders in Auckland through rates in the city falling due at different times forms the subject of a notice of motion by Mr G. W. Hutchison for presentation to the meeting of the City Council there. Mr Hutchison intends to move: “That the water committee be asked to report on a proposal to the elfect that for the next fiscal year water rates be struck covering a period of 11 months.” The mover’s contention is that levies should all cover the same period, ending on May 31 of each year. Under the present system there are complications when properties change hands. Ten years ago the Kairanga County Council authorised a ratepayer to build a bridge, to the satisfaction of the engineer, on a road used solely by the ratepayer, the county agreeing to make a grant up to £SO. The old bridge then in use was not replaced and at to-day’s meeting of the council a request was received for the county to erect a new bridge. Some doubt was expressed as to w-hether the resolution passed ten years ago was still binding, but it was felt that they should contribute to the cost. It'/was decided to hold the question over, the chairman (Cr. Batchelar) and the engineer (Mr J. E. Menzies) in the meantime to interview the settler concerned.

Although American athletes clear the board so often in international contests, sport is more general in New Zealand and Australia than in the United States, says Professor Sigerfoos, Professor of Zoology at the Minnesota University, who is on a visit to New Zealand. He says that one thing that struck him in this part of the world, not only from what he had seen, but from talking to people on the boats and reading the newspapers, was that New Zealanders had much greater facilities than Americans for sports. Cricket and footbail and other games seemed much more general with us than with them, though of recent years the Americans had taken much more to sport,. He was astonished at the hold racing appeared to have in this part of the world. In the States each country had what was called a fair, equivalent to the agricultural shows in New Zealand, and part of the programme at those fairs was racing in the afternoon, probably two or three days, 'but it was more pacing and trotting than gallops. The betting was not so intense in the States as it appeared to be in the Dominion and. Oommonwealth. Gambling on racehorses had not the same attraction for the American that it seemed to have for the New Zealander.