Ashburton Gurdian MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PRÆVALEBIT. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1907. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7242, 30 July 1907, Page 2

Ashburton Gurdian MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PRÆVALEBIT. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1907. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

» The Domain weather station registered 4 degrees of frost this morning. The many friends of Mr G. S. Ma-

tlna,. will be pleased to learn of his health having sufficiently recovered to enable him to resume duties again, and in the meantime he will be temporarily attached to the Christchurch branch of the Union Bank of Australia.

As various items came up and amounts were passed for payment, at the Borough Council meeting last night, the Mayor advised the committees to be careful in making recommendations, as there was, at present, an overdraft of £645 at the bank. An Auckland resident has patented a telephone system for railway cars. The Mayor of Christchurch has received a request from the Collector of Customs for payment of duty on the organ handed over by the Government to the city. The letters states that a request for a refund can be made to the Department. _ The Christchurch V.M.C.A. has decided to enter upon a campaign to raise tho sum of £15,000 for new buildings and this on modern lines, and an appeal for funds is about to be made throughout Canterbury. At the Borough Council meeting last night, Cr. Thomas brought up the subject of a club room and conveniences tor ladies. He proposed that a building, at present let, should be handed over to the W.C.T.TJ. for the purpose. Ihe Mayor objected, if the rooms were to be used for a political organisation; and the matter Was referred to the Sanitary Committee.

. An example of "left-handed" promotion was given at the Christchurch magistrate s Court yesterday, when an employee of the Tramway Board, in describing his financial position, said that as pointsman he had been paid £5 per fortnight, but he had been promoted to the post of conductor, and, ow-inr earn % ifi h -° Ulx' he Col! ld now °n£ earn £3 16s m the same time.

ln^n 8 h»lf-y early meeting the Auckland Gas Company declared a dividend or as per share, absorbing £14,429 12s and carried forward £3969 10s 3d. To encourage the volunteer school cadet movement, Mr John Hunter Brown, of Whakaki, has given £200 to bo invested for all time, l,id the into rest devoted to cash prizes for a shootnig competition amongst the Huranua caff^ BlflM aHd tllc WairoalSSS

The Executive Committee of the Civil Service Association, which has been for iCrK- 5 ?»d«avoiiring to organise tht Civil Service throughout the colony, LT°T?, W! fc*\ SUCCess- Branches have been established at Auckland, New Plymouth, Napier Wellington,' Dunedin and Invercargill, and other centres. It is proposed ttr hold the first conference ot the new association in Wellington on tiie dlsti inst. The main matters for consideration of the conference will bo classification, superannuation, and holiday leave.

men in London the Federal Minister for Customs (Sir William Lyric) was interviewed by a large firm of shipowners, who made enquiries regarding the harbour facilities of Newcastle, especially with reference to the depth of water available. The firm intended, if the Harbour were improved sufficiently, to send out vessels of large draught. Sir William Lyne has had a conversation with the Premier of New South Wales on the subject, and Mr Carruthers told him that the harbour was to be deepened, so that there would always be 30ft of water available. The Minister for Customs will at once take steps to have the shipping firm apprised of this.

A question of considerable interest to teachers was raised at the annual meeting of the Educational Institute in Wellington, by a motion—" That whereas in a progressive district a time comes when a head teacher of a large school must retire from regular class teaching for the purpose of efficiently supervising his school, this institute is of opinion that the scale of staffs should be so amended as to provide at that stage for an additional teacher to take over the class vacated by the head teacher." The resolution was carried by a majority of one.

Mr A. Hamilton, curator of the Colonial Museum, in a lecture given by him in Wellington last Friday, referred to the beneficial use to which the Maoris put their system of tapu to ensure order and regularity in the community: "Forests, fish and fowl, were preserved by the regulation of .tapu, to, which the proudest chief humbly bowed his head, so that they were better able than we are to carry out acclimatisation regulations," said Mr Hamilton.

The Evening Post publishes some "impressions" of Wellington by "a Sydney-sider, who says in regard to the town's architecture, that "rapid improvement is shown in the gradation of the buildings. The big six and seven storey buildings thrust themselves up from the midst of the two and three storey structures of a few years ago, while the shabby and dejected-looking frame buildings crough here and there as if conscious of the swift approach of demolition. Wellington must, because of its limited business area, become a city of skyscrapers."

; The return of the revenue collected by the Post and Telegraph Department for the quarter ended 30th June is gazetted. Stamps sold in the Auckland district amounted to £15.287 15s o_d; Christchurch, £12,312 lis S.d; Dunedin, £7054 4s sd; Wellington, £26,3.6 9s Bd. Telegrams—Auckland, £9155 Is lid; Christchurch, £5887 16s 2d; Dun°st n, ooo£4676 lfc 6 *d' Wellington, £11,382 3s 7_d. The total revenue collected for the quarter was £212,361 7s 6_d, and for the same period last year, £184,600 12s lOrl. The number of telegrams sent from the Auckland district was 238,595; Christchurch, 134,803: En 11-,^ 11 ' 115 >890 * 'and Wellington, _!4y,146.

The 1--eliding Star says that a writ has been issued by Mr E. A. Barton, late manager of the Bank of Australasia at Feildmg, on behalf of himself and all other shareholders in the Hawke's Bay Timber Company, Limited, against the Bank of Australasia. The plaintiff claims moneys alleged to be due in connection of the bank with Messrs Riteller, Nannestad and Company and the Timber Company, and also, on account of the directors of tho Timber Company joined as co-defendants. The case will probably be heard at the September sitting of tho Supreme Court in Palmerston North.

A discussion took place at a meeting of the Otago Employers' Association in regard to the prevention of strikes. It was generally conceded that Workers' Unions, could, if they wished, prevent strikes, and as they had in the past given no equal return derived from the work of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, it was held" that the responsibility for strikes should be thrown on unions. The matter is being referred to the Employers' Federation, with a view to its being brought before Parliament. The Association decided tb support the motion passed by the Chamber of Commerce in connection with the Public and Bank Holidays Bill before Parliament. The meeting considered that Saints' days and Whit Monday should.be eliminated from the list of bank holidays, and that the Act should apply, to all holidays except the Ist and 2nd of January, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, and the Easter holidays.

' Careful servants save their employfir's articles by careful handling. So we, by employing the most skilful workmen, and the latest specially designed tools, take a pride in our reputation for careful handling of tho machines of our patrons while undergoing repair at our workshops. A trial will convince you. We repair and adjust guns, lawn mowers, sewing machines, typewriters, oil and gas engines, electric bells, and medical coils, etc., etc. Carson's Cycle and Motor Works, Tailored Street. 7 0

The Ashburton Guards held a company parade last evening, under Captain Percy and Lieutenant McAllister. The men wei _ put through knotting and lashing drill by Colour-Sergeant Johnston. Mr Young, curator of the Domain, leaves for Invercargill on Monday, with Mr D. Thomas, to procure all the varieties of New Zealand ferns he can from the latter's property. While in tho south, Mr Young will inspect a number of nurseries, aand will try and obtain 60 or 70 more varieties of roses. Mr F. Ferriman reports the sale of T.S. 240, situated at the corner of William and Kermode streets, on account of Mr Alex. Shaw. The annual ball of the Methven Football Club was held on Friday night, when there was a large attendance, and the function passed off very successfully. During the evening songs were contributed by Messrs Johnstone, Warburton aild Sutherland. Mr F. .ft. l'latman, M.H.R., has received the following from the Premier, dated July 25th: "I have the honour to refer to your letter of the'6th ult., covering one from the town clerk, Temuka, about the desired establishment of telephone communication between Temuka and Ashburton, via Geraldine, and in reply to express regret that I am unable to authorise the erection of the proposed telephone line, as the expenditure involved would not be warranted by the additional revenue likely to be derived." Mr Flatman is now pushing the matter in another way. The wail of a back-block villager, comes from Ohakune. It is alleged that while the Government took £3246 at the last sale of township sections, there are some 10 chains of the township three feet in mud. Residents, more particularly the women and children, cannot get outside their doors, and the' settlers, generally regard the state of things as shameful. _ The whole tendency of things in America (says a writer in the Referee) is to reverse the old position of the sexes and to make woman the superior of man.

" The Mayor of Wellington" (says the Evening Post) arranged a new system of night signals for the tramcars which is more simple and effective than the elaborate series of lights in use of latte. Mr Hislop's system is the use of one colour for each district. For instance, all Newtown cars will carry red lights. Island Bay and Constable Street green lights, Oriental Bay and Brooklyn _ crple lights (in a square)." A peculiar and serious accident happened to a Greymouth lad while he was watching the progress of a football match and had his back turned to the hockey^ground. He had his hands bohind his back, and a hockey ball flew out an dstruck him on the hand, breaking his wrist; A Melbourne cable message states that the horse Cordon broke its neck while being schooled over the hurdles. The Wimmera reached Sydney at 6 o'clock this morning. A company is being floated in Melbourne for the purpose of manufacturing butter boxes and the like from clarozite, wliich is a composition made of straw. It is claimed to be more durable than the pine timber used for the purpose, is non-absorbent, a non-con-ductor of heat, ordourless, and will stand the roughest usage. Boxes to hold 56----lb of butter are estimated to cost about ls each.

At a meeting of the Council of the Evangelical Churches, held in Wellington, the following resolution was passed: "That whereas the law relating to the restitution of conjugal rights prove! to be a very short cut to divorce, which was probably not intended, it is legitimately desirable that the law be so amended as—while retaining the right of action of alimony—to prevent the issue of any order, the issue of-which would be constructed to bo equivalent to five years' desertion." At the meeting of the Canterbury, College Board of Governors on Monday,

a letter was received from Dr Hight, who stated that tho Accountants Bill before Parliament contained no provision whereby a bachelor of commerce of the University of New Zealand or a holder of the diploma of any University School of Commerce, such as existed at Auckland University College and at Canterbury College, should have the right to be registered as a member of the Institute and to practise as a pub lie accountant. Several members spoke strongly of the omission in the Bill, and the chairman was instructed to communicate with the other colleges and such persons as he thought desirable regarding the omission and to endeavour to have it rectified.

! During the month of June 0.28 inch of rain fell at Bemnorc, 0.11 Kurow, 0.25 Otekaike, 0.24 Windsor Park, 0.28 Livingstone, 0.23 Kauroo Hill, 0.68 Timaru, 0.19 Waimate. These represent the most meagre rainfalls in the colony for the month of June. The average rainfall for the month for the colony was about 4 inches, and the average for /he districts mentioned is about a quarter of an inch. This (says the North Otago Times) gives dismal enough evidence of the parched state of the South Canterbury and North Otago districts, arid affords a reason why settlers, in their desperation, are eager to try rainmaking by explosives, although that method of attracting clouds and rain was long ago proved futile.

The alleged tendency of the minimum wage to become the maximum wage received some notice at the Arbitration Court in Christchurch on Monday. Mr ■S. Siddall, clerk to the Woolston Borough Council, said that that body wa. paying its carte:, higher wages than those mentioned in the award, and did not wish to be brought under the award. Mr Justice Sim suggested that the award could, do the Council no harm, but Mr Siddall intimated that it might bo better for the employees to allow things to remain as they were. He said there was a tendency on tho part of local bodies, when made subject to an award, to adopt the rate of wages mentioned in the document "That," said Mr Slater, from his place on tho Bench, "confirms a statement that has very often been denied. ' Mr W. King, who was appear ing tor the Canterbury Drivers' Union, would not consent to the withdrawal of the citation, and the Council's application for exemption 'was dismissed by the Court.

+i I r i i cCallum ' g*'ocer. announces that he has moved to larger premises in Tancred street.

Ihe annual general meeting of the Ashburton County Combined School sports Association will be held on Friday evening.