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Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 27, 29 December 1932, Page 6

The accident to the Spirit of Fun, the aeroplane owned by Mr Loew, the American film producer, which crashed at Victoria Falls (South Africa) in November, occurred on the soft and sandy aerodrome ground, the aeroplane’s tail striking a tree and snapping off. Mr Dickson, the pilot, who was killed in the crash, was buried in Livingstone cemetery with military honours. A motor accident which was not attended with serious consequences occurred at tlie corner of Broadway Avenue and Princess Street yesterday, when a motor car driven by Mr W. E. Jones, of Featherston Street, and a light taxi car came into collision. The impact was of a head-on nature and the front portions of both cars were damaged, but no one was injured. The meaning of the pb rase “gone west” is explained as follows by a writer in the London Times:—“ln Old Irish mythology deceased heroes go to the land of the Immortals (Tir nam Bee). This delectable place was situated in the west, where the sun goes down; hence, ‘going west’ (a’ dul siar) was equivalent to dying. The word ‘west’ is found in many Irish-Gaelic idioms with the meaning of finality. Unless I am mistaken, 1 think ltaftery, the eighteenth-century Connacht poet, uses the phrase ‘going west’ when describing his last earthly journey.”

Every town and city has its bore—a person who delights to speak in public on every available occasion dealing with abstruse subjects of which he has not even an elementary acquaintance. According to a gentleman in London, there is a simple and very effective method of stopping lengthy speeches which he saw adopted at a Belgian congress in 1919. “All that is necessary is a red electric lamp in front of the speaker, which is switched on at a certain period, say one minute before the end of the allotted time for his speech. When the minute is up the light is flickered (rapidly switched on and off). Anyone who has tried this excellent device finds that it is impossible to continue speaking with the light flashing in his eyes, and the most obstinate ‘light-crasher’ has to subside,”

During an easterly gale at Waihi early this week, 71 in. of rain were recorded in three days. A grass fire on the site of the old gasworks in Cuba Street was responsible for the Palmerston North Fire Brigade being summoned shortly before 10 o’clock this morning. .Master John J. C. Suckling, a son of the late Rev. J. B. Suckling and of Mrs Suckling, fiow of Zondoni, Fiji, who was dux of Wesley College at l’areata, Auckland, for 1932, will continue his studies at the Massey Agricultural College. No fewer than four weddings were celebrated at the Catholic Church in Greymouth on Monday morning, and by the train that left Greymouth for Christchurch three of the newly-married couples travelled in consecutive seats in the same first-class carriage. Two aeroplanes visited Waikanae beach on Boxing Day. One of them, which was owned by Mr J. Cain, of Masterton, collided with a rowing boat belonging to Mr W. H. Field, M.P. for Otaki, when landing audits propeller was smashed. The boat was badly damaged, but no one was injured. Pukekoho was placed on the cricket map this week when its team routed the South Auckland A sido for 15 runs, in just on 45 minutes. The highest score was five, and six of the seven batsmen who were clean-bowled failed to get a run. Six wickets for six runs was the average obtained by B. Kaho, a Wesley College youth.

The crew of the steamer Golden Eagle, which arrived at Auckland on Tuesday from Los Angeles, said it was unfortunate for them that they crossed the 180th meridian on December 24. Sailing west, vessels gain a day, but sailing east they lose a day, and so the Golden Eagle had no December 25, and so no Christmas Day at all. “We are getting to breaking point,” said Cr. A. Stuart at a meeting of the Kangitikei County Council, during a discussion on unemployed labour, reports the Kangitikei Advocate. "There is talk of difficulty in getting men for haymaking and harvesting because registered unemployed will not run the risk of losing their constant relief work when the seasonal work is over, until again eligible for the relief work.” Cr. Belle agreed. “The Unemployment Board is drifting to such an extent that it will have to turn round and call itself an Employment Board.” he said. There are still a few places where roads are a luxury. One such spot is Maruia, a name that came into prominence during the earthquakes on the West Coast of the South Island. Away off the main road, several farmers had nothing but a bridle track for some years, but that did not prevent them doing a lot of clearing and starting dairying. Now they have a better road. One of the settlers was enterprising enough to harness a stream, which provided electric power to run a circular saw, a milking machine, and a small lighting plant. The machinery was taken in on horseback.

A dash from Ashburton to Auckland, part of the way by air, was completed on Tuesday by two trotting trainers, Messrs O. E. Hooper and A. Holmes, with the object of driving at Epsom. Mr Hooper’s mission was to drive Nelson’s Victory in tho Auckland Trotting Cup and he was accompanied on his journey by the owner, Mr W. Stickings. He drove at the Ashburton trotting meeting on Monday and leaving after the sixth race travelled by aeroplane to Palmerston | North in three and a quarter hours, and then joined the limited express for Auckland. Nelson’s Victory ran second in the cup and its share of the stake money was £l3O. Probably the oldest tablecloth in the Dominion belongs to Mrs M. P. Atkin, of Kaitaia. Next March will see the 76th anniversary of the wreck of the ship William Denny, near the North Cape, and it was a few years before that event that the captain ol the vessel gave the table cloth—one that had been used in the saloon—to the grandfather of Mrs Atkin. The word “shoddy” was unknown in those faroff times, and the weavers prided themselves on their work. The William Denny’s table cloth was made of particularly fin© linen, and is apparently as good as ever, in spite of the fact that it is nearly a century old. It has been carefully kept in the family of Mrs Atkin, being only brought out for a wedding or some other important family gathering. On January 25 it will once more see the light of day, a.s it is to be used at the wedding breakfast of Mrs Atkin’s daughter. Speaking at a dinner in Loudon recently Lord Sankey said: “I do not suppose that any Government has had so many difficult problems to face as the present Government. However, we mean to stick it and to find a solution for all of them. In my view our chief difficulty is the question of unemployment. it is not sufficient mereiy to keep our unemployed alive; not sufficient merely to keep body and soul together. W© know that unemployment is diminishing and will diminish, but the process is a gradual one, and there is nothing so demoralising for a man as to have nothing to do. The problem, therefore, is how to prevent our unemployed from degenerating into a body of men apathetic, listless and down and out. in addition to the material help we must see that they have —call it what you like—the mental and spiritual assistance which will prevent them becoming worthless citizens. We must see to it that we preserve the youth, the spirit and the genius of the race. The State can do many things; it can pass legislation to prevent things being done, but I think we must rely a great deal upon voluntary effort to give the other sort of assistance of which I have been speaking. It is not an easy task, and one of the best methods of accomplishing it is to see that the churches do their share in a work which concerns them probably more than anybody. I would therefore appeal to all churches and all charitable bodies to ask their members to take a personal interest, and not a mere monetary interest, in the question, and to do what they can to keep the spirit of our people alive during this trying period. We hear a great deal about economy nowadays, and it is necessary still to have a rigid economy; but just as there is reckless expenditure, so there is reckless saving, and it is just as bad to be a miser as it is to be a gambler. To employ people on useless work is just as bad as the ridiculous system manv years ago of making prisoners wort the treadmill.”