LOCAL AND-GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7732, 27 February 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND-GENERAL.

Mr Robert McNab was a passenger for the south by this morning's express. He will reach his home at Knapdale, near Gore, this evening, and does not expect to return to "Wellington, where he is proceeding with his literary research work, till April 20. The title of the lecture which he is to deliver to the St Mary's (Anglican) Men's Society. Timaru,.on. April 19, is "Te Wai Pounamu: When the sealer clubbed his prey on its shores, and the whaler killed his ' fish ' in its bays." Te WaiRounamu is the Maori name for the South Island, the history of which— from 1642 to 1835—Mr McNab is about to publish under the title of " Murihiku," in contra-distinction to his work published neqrly two years ago, entitled " Murihiku and the Southern Islands," which dealt with Southland and th© outlying southern islands only. The former work embraced the area south of 46 degrees south latitude only, while the one now in the printer's hands takes it up to 41 degrees south latitude. Some interesting remarks on the subject, made by Mr McNab to one of our reporters, will bo found in another column, The Rev. George Manifold, B. A., who has been ministering in Ashburton for about two years, has had a call to the pastorate of the Church of Christ in Hobart, Tasmania. The charge is an important one, and Mr Manifold has accepted the call. He will probably leave Ashburton next week. Threshing machine owners complain that the telephone wires in a great many instances throughout the county are not high enough to admit of their plants passing under them, while crossing road intersections and entering paddocks from the main roads. They ijtate that with the elevators folded and lowered as far as the engine will permit, difficulty is experienced in getting under the wires on the crown oi some roads. In a number of cases this is due to the wires being toe clack. During the present thrashing season quite a number of accidents have occurred, in which wires have been broken and posts pulled down. In an agricultural district like Ashburton the Department surely should provide telepone postr, high enough to prevent trac- j tion engine traffic being impeded. Some of'the accidents referred to may have been caused by carelessness, but the wires in any case are far too near the ground, and in many cases the ;ould be tightened to advantage.

At Mrs Fowke's refreshment rooms last evening Mr W. Hosken, a member of the Temperance Braes Band, was presented with a silver hot water kettle by Mr L. McDonald, on behalf of the- bondsmen, on the ove of his marriage. Mr McDonald, in making the ore'seiitntioii. referred to tlio real live interest Mr Hosken liarl always taken in the Rand, and echoing the sentiments of the bailsmen, he wished Mr Hosken a happy and prosperous future. Mr Hosken briefly replied. This morning's river report reads as. follows: Achburton and Rangitata clear; Rakaia, fishable. A gentleman who travelled through the Springfield district, Methven, yesterday, states that he counted 52 large sized wheat stacks in one paddock: In an address which lie gave in Wellington, last night, the Rev) H. E. Bellhonee, declared Ashburton to be as clean and as properous a town" as any of a similar size 'in the dominion. He said it was grossly maligned when it was asserted that drunkenness orevailed. He had seen little of it during his two years' residence in the town. A stalk of a bean plant, 8 feet 2 inches in height, was on view at Messrs H. Matson and Co.'s offices to-day. The plant was taken from a crop of five acres of beans on the property of Mr Grainger, Baling. The stalk has 20 pods, but had it been fully fertilised there should have been more than double that number. The greater part of the bean crops in the Woodend district, North Canterbury, are said to be over 8 feet high this season. Fairly large lines of fat lambs continue to be sent forward to the freezing works from the upper districts. This morning 15 double-decked trucks of lambs arrived in Ashburton by the Mount Somer.s train. Considering the i ! period of the year, however, comparatively few lambs have, so far, been ! slaughtered for export purposes. Many novelties will bo presented in the Oddfellows' Hall, Ashburton, on Wednesday and Thursday next, when Mr Charles Cooper's Operascope Company- will give three performances. Speaking of one of the company's entertainmente, the WaTiganui Herald says: '' The pictures wore displayed on an unusually large scale, and with clearness which left nothing to be desired. The. series of scenes from the ! opera ' Mikado,' some of which were beautifully coloured, were simply perfect. Solos, duets, choruses, and orchestral effects are presented to the audience, while the stage production is such as is certainly never seen in the colony. The animated effect of these was considerably heightened by the accompanying songs on the phonograph, which were rendered.in admirable time with the actions of the figures on the screen. Mr Cooper and his capable assistants have succeeded where others have failed, and the ( result is a genuine triumph of cinematograph, musical and mechanical art." A Press Association telegram states that the Cabinet on Friday authorised the expenditure of £32,000 for railway rolling stock, £1625 for the purchase of railway sleepers, £4000 for the Coal Creek railway, £2000 for theßeeftonInangahua railway, and £1200 for the Stratford-Ongaruhe railway, A runaway horse attached to a gig caused come excitement on the Wakanui Road on Friday afternoon. While the horse was galloping at full speed an old man from the Tuarangi Home, who was walking to the institution, thought he would endeavour to stop the animal's career. With this object in view he shuffled to the centre of the road and stood immediately in the course of the approaching runaway, which, fortunately for the old man, shied to one side. Subsequently the horse was captured and brought to a standstill, nothing having been materially damaged. Mr Selig, president of the Newspaper Proprietors' Association, in his address at the opening of the annual meeting, referred to the Imperial Press Conference opening in London in. June, and pointed out that two of the oldest members, Messrs Fenwick and Brett, were included in the dominion's representaJ tives. It might be t^at at a later date the dominion and Australia would .reciprocate, and have a conference in the colonies. The Newspaper Proprietors' Association was the proper body, as representative of the newspapers of the dominion, to set a colonial movement going. He concluded by suggesting that the Association should" send a congratulatory letter to the conference. This was adopted at a later stage,, and the president was requested to forward the letter.