LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7809, 31 May 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a meeting of the Socialist Scouts m Cathedral Square, Christelnjreh, on Sunday, the following resolution was carried unanimously: "That this meeting of Christchurch citizens protests against the proposal to adjourn Parliament for several months, m view of the many urgent social problems requiring immediate attention m New Zealand, and is of the opinion that the High Commissioner is well qualified to represent the dominion at the Imperial Defence Conference." The Eon. T. Mackenzie, Minister of Agriculture, and Mr L. E. Johnson (private socretarv) were passengers for the south by this morning's express. Tho Minister is to open the Dunedin Winter Show to-morrow.

Ten degrees of frost were registered at the Domain weather station this morning. • Our correspondent states that the weather is exceptionally good just now m the Mount Somers district, and that stock of all kinds are doing well. Mr Justice Denniston and.Mr G. Laurenson, M.P., were passengers. tor Timaru by this afternoon's express. Mr Barrington Waters, advance representative for Mr Clement L. Wragge, F.R.G.S., was m Ashburton to-day, completing arrangements tor the well-known weather prophets lectures, at the Oddfellows' Hall, Ashburton, on the. Bth and 9th instant. At a sitting of the Assessment Court m Hamilton on Saturday, says a, Press Association telegram, the whole or the objectors to valuations withdrew irom the Court as a protest against alleged unfair treatment received. Subsequently an indignation meeting was held, and a telegram was forwarded to tne Minister o? Justice stating that the objectors had left the Court because they felt they had no chance or receiving fair consideration. The Mount Somers Tennis Club held a social and dance m the hall on.lnav evening, to raise funds towards laying down an asphalt court. .About 50 couples were present, and dancing was continued until 2 a.m. Mr Sheldon, on behalf of the club, thanked those present, and intimated that the club intended to hold another social during the winter.—Own correspondent. The annual meeting of the Chertsey Public Library was held on Saturday evening. Mr Stringfellow presided, and spoke briefly m connection ■ with_ the year's work. A vote of thanks to Miss "Johnson (librarian) and Mr Ironside (treasurer and secretary) for the way m which they had carried out their duties was carried unanimously. Ihe balance sheet showed a credit of £i 17s 3d, and it was decided to procure £5 worth of new books. Arrangements were made to improve the grounds around the Library, and after the committee had been elected the meeting closed.—Own correspondent. " A late resident of Invercargill told a Timaru Herald reporter on Saturday that he had known Mr Robert McNab for a long time and always as a man of whom the country had reason to be proud. He predicted that Mr McNab would be re-elected to Parliament at next general election, and that he would take Cabinet rank as soon as he was elected, while it would be a matter of only a few years before we should see him occupying the, position of Premier. Mitchell and Turner have made great preparations for their Stocktaking Sale which starts to-morrow morning. See special circular delivered with " Ashburton Store News." ' 5 346 The members of the Tinwald ■TJnited Band of Hope met m the Tinwald Oddfellows' Hall on Thursday night, when the Rev. Mr Fox presided over a large gathering. The following contributed to the programme: Pianoforte solo, Miss L. Robinson; songs, Miss L. Robinson, Mr G. Osborne; duet. Misses Williams and Houston; recitations, Mr Greenwood, Masters M. McMillan, B. Clothier, W. Walker; ... dialogue, Masters D. Hickman and A. Carroll; banjo duet, • Messrs P. Sullivan and McPherson. An interesting address was given by the Rev. R. J. Liddell. A gentleman, who resided for some years m the' Ashburton county, writes as follows from the Pukerau. district m Southland: " The, weather m this part of the dominion has been very favourable for some time. Up to date we have had no snow, just enough rain,. and very little frost. The mills have-mostly all finished threshing, and tallies have gone as high as ninety or one hundred I thousand bushels per mill. The oat crops have been threshing out as much as a hundred bushels per. acre on the first class land, and eighty bushels per acre is a common yield. Turnip crops are fairly good, on the whole. Ewes will probably be fed at a penny halfpenny a week, and lambs at a penny. Owing to the good weather there is not much enquiry for turnips, so far." An Ashburton resident, who recently .made a tour through the Seafield, Newlands, Pendarves and Kyle districts, informs one of our reporters that he has never remembered seeing the country look so inviting and favourable at this period of the year. There has been a wonderful growth of grass and other vegetation, reminding one of the first month of spring rather than the last month of autumn. A large area of land is sown m oats and wheat, and both cereals are well up above the ground and looking strong and healthy of growth. He does not recollect so much wheat having been sown on Plains land before; 'but," he added, "practically m every case artificial manure has been sow.n to strengthen the fertility of the soil. I ascertained," he says, "that farmers on the Plains have adopted the custom of sending samples of their soil to the suppliers of artificial manures for analysis, and manure is then supplied to make up for the properties which the soil is deficient m." In speaking to a reporter m Christchurch on Saturday evening, Mr McNab said that he was much gratified at the reception he had received from the public m the South Island, where his proposal to establish compulsory training had been enthusiastically suppqrted. All the meetings- were, very sympathetip. The bgs£ meetings of. the whole eampuign. were those held at Christchurch and Ashburton. At both these places he had had receptions-that could hardly have been warmer or more sympathetic. He found that m the North Island the people "took a greater interest m his indictment of the Volunteer system of defence, and m the South Island m his remarks on reconstruction. He concluded from that fact that the people of the south were m advance of those of the north on the question. The south, apparently, was quite prepared to admit that the Volunteer system had failed, and desired to know the best system to, supersede it. ' " v . "ti:-"" '