LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume xxix, Issue 7541, 17 July 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A deputation of members interested in securing a change in the existing relations between the State and the Bank of New Zealand waited upon the Premier at Wellington on Thursday morning to urge that steps should be taken (1) to increase. the State's interest in the bank; (2) to pro ride that the State as a shareholder should share equally with private 'shareholders in the profits of the bank; and (3) to secure concessions in . regard to thej charges at present imposed on those persons using the bank. Sir Joseph Ward replied that he and the other members of the Ministry recognised the importance of the question involved. Ho indicated that he did not support some of the more drastic proposals that had been made, but that the representations of the members would receive attention as opportunity might arise to deal with the matter on the floor of the House.

A regulation just issued will be of interest to candidates proposing to sit for the Civil Service junior examination. It reads that to pass the examination with credit a candidate- must gain at least 60 per cent, of th« total possible marks assignable—that is, must gain at least 1200 marks altogether.

The .Hastings Standard reports that lambs are to bo seen in tho paddocks at Havelock.

A special poll taken yesterday upou the Christeluireh City-Council's proposal to raise a loan of £17,000 for the extension of the city electrical plant resulted in the proposal being carried by 385 votes to 253.

A ballot recently held by circular in connection with the choice of an Opposition candidate for the Oroua seat resulted in Mr Guthrie being nominated.

It is expected that the Wttikaka railway will bo finished by, the end of the present year.

The Dunedin master butchers have decided to increase the price of meat from id to Id per 1b as from Monday next. This is said to be due to the gradual hardening of the stock market. Present prospects indicate that the position will be more acute as spring approaches.

The Westport Harbour Board has received official authority to proceed with harbour improvements' at a cost of £200,000. The works that will be carried out, it is expected, will make Westport an efficient coaling station second to none in the Australasian colonies.

At a meeting of the Christchurch Hairdressers' and Tobacconists 1 Assistants' Union on Wednesday evening, it was unanimously resolved to -protest aaainst a suggestion mndo by thai" armors' Union that farm labourers should be exempted from the operation of the Arbitration Act. The Arbitration Acu Amendment Bill was discussed and it was decided that the Union's delegates to the Trades Council should have a free hand in dealing with it.

At the Arbitration Court on Thursday, Mr Frank Potter, saddler^ was charged with failing to send notice to the Inspector of Factories of the- emplovirient of an apprentice from August 21st, 1907, to May 12th, 1908. A breach was recorded, but no fine was imposed.—Mr Charles Baker was fined' £5 and court fees in respect, to two cases for having in his employment two youths not legally indentured.

A dance was held in the Orange Hall last night in aid of the refreshment stall at the Fire Brigade bazaar. Fully 35 couples took part in the dancnig. which was kept up with much spirit for several hours. Mr E. T. Hughes supplied the" music, and extras were contributed by Misses Stock and lerns. Mr W. Page acted as M.C. Master Stock and Mr James Brown contributed songs, and a whistling solo was given by Mr A. Stock. Refreshments were provided by the ladies.

At the Oddfellows' Hall on Monday next Messrs Anderson and Sheridan will present the pantomime of Cinderella," which has drawn crowded houses in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch, and is sure to repeat its success here. Mr J. I. Sheridan will appear as the Baroness and Mis« Heba Barlow ns Cinderella, Miss Stella Selbourno as Prince Char 11----ino-, and Miss Eaton as Dandini. Messrs Morris and Wilson, animal imi.orsonators, will appear in a new net, !'The Educated Cow," and Mr Fred. Norris, champion skater, in the Snow Ballet: ''The Porcelain March." _/no of the various features of the piece, is said to- eclipse anything of its kind ever seen in New Zealand.

A return furnished with the annual report of the Labour Department shows that of the four centres Auckland city heads in the list in the number of assistants employed in shops, its total being 2918, against 2209 in Wellington city, 2539 in Christchurch, arid 2199 in Dunedin. For the total of wages paid Christchurch is first with £228,713 for the year, Auckland next with £221,097^, Wellington next with £212,087, and Dunedin next with £189,215. -f Taking the averages, however, Wellington is highest with £96, Christchurch second witK £90 11s 7d, Dunedin third with £80 Is, and Auckland fourth with £75 15s sd. • ,

There is a probability of marriage license fees in the Anglican dioceses of Wellington being reduced by half-a-sovereign. This information is contained in a notice of motion by, the Rev. C. C. Harper, of Palmerstdn North, who brought before the Synod a. proposal to alter the surplice fee from £1 to 10s. The present marriage license fees, so far as the church is concerned, are £1, of which 10s goes to the Bishop, Hut not into his private purse.

A test case concerning, the £3 tax poi 1 dray which local bodies are empowered to impose with, regard to drays passing along roads under their jurisdiction, was heard by Mr Bishop, S.M., on Tuesday, Joseph Henry Garland being charged with a breach of the Act by the Woolston Borough Council, inasmuch as-he drove drays loaded with road metal through Woolston without having paid the license fee of £3 per annum on each vehicle. It was stated that the defendant was only one of a number of contractors who were carting metal from the quarries, and that the terrible damage caused to the roads put tho Woolston Borough Coun-cil-to a great expense. It was replied that there was no objection to a reasonable fee, but. the amount of £3 was excessive. The defendant was fined 40s and costs.

Many young New Zealanders who desire to see the world are in the habit o: working their passages Home, but according to a young man of. Christchurch, who has returned after having four years' experience at sea, they find it very difficult to get an opportunity to work their passages back v to New Zealand. They gain but little experience of the sea on the passage Home, and when they seek for a ship back their discharge book, which gives their place of birth, prevents them "getting a berth, for officers know that, though they sign on for the voyage to.. New Zealand and back, they are almost certain to desert once they reach the dominion. They are consequently forced to enlist in tho army or get berths on British. coastal vessels, in which they receive £2 to £2 10s per month. If a colonial ships as. ordinary seaman and cook, he has to cook for both cabin and fo'c'sle, and if his cooking is bad he soon knows all about it ; he gets a kick from the cabin and a kick from the sailors. .

Mr Alex. McPhedran, one time of Coonoor, South Canterbury, writes an interesting letter to a. member of the Timaru Herald staff, under date May 12th, penned on the Pampa Central, Argentina. The writer is in the service of Juan and Jose Drysdale and Co., the largest importing house for agricultural machinery in South Amelica, and is doing well. As to farming,- Mr MtePhedran says that everything"in _South'" America is done on quite a different scale to New Zealand. Each season has its busy time, and May sees the end of the plough and drill period. The ploughs are made in North America, and turn a furrow of 18 inches. The disc plough is largely ised, and on some of.the large estancios, stem ploughing is done, the engine pulling 20 discs. As ccal is dear, straw has to be used for fuel. All machinery is light, or it will not sell, New Zealand implements not finding favour owing to their weight. A North American two-furrow disc plough cost? £17, and a three-furrow £20; a 16-disc drill for grain £26, and a 20-disc £32. If an implement lasts four or five years the farmer thinks that it has done well. # Splendid rains have fallen in May in the Argentine, and a lot of grain_ was sown, there being every promise of a great harvest. Store sheep were cheap, but fat for freezing were keenly competed for at 14s to 17s for wethers. Fat bullocks sell at £7 to £8, and dairy cows at £5.

Melba's concert tour in New Zealajid l'ext year, under the management of John Lemmone, was booked yesterday. f"he tour begins at Invercargill on April 13, 1909, and finishes at Auckland on May 20. The Dunedin dates are April 15 and 17. . ,

In answer to Mi' F.latnian, the Minister of Railways said, on Wednesday, that agricultural salt is already carried oil thft railways tit an unremlinerative rate, in common With other manures. A further concession would mean loss, and in the interests; of• the general taxpayer the free carriage of salt ealliiot Wapproved. Ml' Flatinan urged that the salt-should bo tarried free, in order that farmers might bo encouraged to use it for the ■ purpose of dealing with the California!! thistle.

The Minister of Justice has published in the Gazette for general information that he has accepted the tender of the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company for the supply for^ three y^ars of blue tweed and kharlsi (Jedford cord for police uniforms; >The Hue tweed is to be wftol, dyed, 29 inches wide, llozs to the yard; and each yard to be 37 inches long Bedford cord is also to be 29 inches wide and 37 inches to the yard, and to' weigh Ifljozs per yard. The prices are : For tweeds 8a od, and for cord 3s 9d per raid.

A Taicri man informs the Dunedin Star that, .although the flood has been responsible for much serious damage, it has done good service in ridding the country of some hundreds of/rabbits and hares. The other day a high piece of ground, surrounded by water, near Shand's property on the Taieri Plains, was swarming with these creatures, and farmers took the opportunity to shoot them in large numbers. HWks -.also carried away a good number. .. ..

The Ashburtrm Mounted.Rides'ball, which took place in the Oddfellows" Hall last evening under the patronage of Lieutenant-Colonel Bond and Staff, was an unqualified success. Preparntions on an elaborate scale had been made, and the decorations were artistic and appropriate in a high degree. The attendance was large, butthe hall was not overcrowded so as to interfercwith tlie comfort of the dancers. The room &t the back had been converted into a drawing-room, and the supper arrangements left nothing to bo desired. Amongst the officers present were Major Dolman, V.D. . (retired list), Captain Hefford, and Lieutenants Meeehan and Childs (of the Ashburton Rifles), and Lieutenant Tucker, who v as in charge of the Ashburton Guards. There was also present a fair sprink"-; ling of South Canterbury men." -/The music was supplied by Fox's Band, of Christchurch. The ball gave pleasure to all who participated in it, and reflected credit upon the management, and especially upon Mr W. Anderson, the honorary secretary. :

At a meeting of the Canterbury! Acclimatisation Society on Wednesday evening, Mr H. G. Berryman ..applied for permission to remove trout from the Islington freezing works. The chairman said that this opened' up the^ question of placing trout hi the freezing works. The Act did not compel the proprietors of freezing works to keep records of the fish kept'in the chambers, and how was the Society to know whether fish were obtained out of season and placed thero? The Act required amending if this practice was to be allowed. After discussion it. was decided to grant the application, provided the secretary was notified;of the number of fish removed on each occasion. It was further resolved that Dr Moorhouse, who is at present' attending a Conference of the Acclimatisation So T f cieties in j Wellington ,should-be, in^ etructed to bring the matter up at the Conference; also that Dr Moorehouse and Mr G. B. Ritchie should be a euW committee to consider the matter, with a view to submitting a proposal to Parliament for the amendment.of. the Act.

We have received from the, Canterbury Fanners' Co-operative Association, Timaru, a well-got-up pamphlet setting forth particulars of the'various properties in their hands for sale. These run from an eighth of an acre town lot to 9040 acres grazing and bush land, and altogether there are over 300 properties specified. Anyone in search of freeholds should apply to the manager, land department, C.F.-A., Timaru for a copy of,this publication.