The Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit TUESDAY, JUNE, 15, 1909. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7822, 15 June 1909, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit TUESDAY, JUNE, 15, 1909. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An average yield of fourteen tons of potatoes per acre is reported from the Malvern district. This is a strong contrast with our local experience this season. In fact, quito a number of the crops in the Ashburton district are so badly affected by the blight that they . are not worth digging, and it has been found that the tubers so attacked decay very quickly when exposed to the air.. The prevalence of disease in potatoes, turnips,' and rape during the past three years in .this county leads 'onc-to think that the diseases are in the soil. One farmer, when spoken to on the subject, informed one of our reporters that he had subjected a plot of ground to a good dressing of lime, and that | the turnips and roots he. obtained from this land were hot affected with any disease, the roots being clean and well grown. Should this not put practical men;ou..the track of a remedy ? Given;'fine weather this week, the threshingl'in the Ashburton county will have been practicallyr.completed. A 'number of the machines have tallies ranging: considerably over 100,000 bushels, and when one takes into consideration the fact that there are^close on fifty threshing mills in the county, I some idea can be gained of the importance of the Ashburton county for grain producing, apart from the large quantities of wool, mutton and lamb that are annually exported by the farmers and merchants. In regard to the threshing returns, the average tally, of each macliine can be safely put down at between 70,000 and 80,000 bushels of mixed grain, the quantity' of wheat probably being slightly in excess of that of oats. This represents a total production for the county of about' 3,500,000 bushels of-grain. "Of course, the .whole J of this is not available for export, neither lias the whole of the crops been j yet actually threshed, as large, quantities are annually reserved for chaff and other purposes. In referring to a recent statement'by the Premier, Mr James Allen asked him in the House upon what basis'he was going to calculate what was the paying .point of branch lines —whether ho was going to credit them with only their own earnings or with a certain percentage of,the earnings of main lines of which they acted as feeders. This poillt was strongly dwelt on in these columns in connection with the recent discussion on the working of the Methveu branch'lino.

The police want an owner for ft dark tweed suit. „, ... Amy Bock, who received a sentence of two yeafs, and mas declared- an habitual criminal, is. serving her sentence iii the Dunediifc: gaol, Should she earn good-coiiduet inafks, her Sentence, willhexpire in 1 ». yeSf and six months, when she will be' sent to a reformatory prison: Apparently Hawera is just now feeling the effect of the recent tightness in the money market, judging by .the number of bankruptcies that have been recorded. Since the beginning of Janu- j ary nine persons have sought the projection of the Bankruptcy Court, while during the whole of the twelve months for 1908 only twelve bankruptcies were recorded: ■ The usual monthly:'meeting of the Star of Ashkirtoii, L.0.L,, No. 23, was held iti the Orange -Jlall, Taflcred street, on Monday, the' 10th instant, ■ when' the Worshipful Master, Bro. John Mclntyre,'was in the chair. One new i member was introduced and received the first degree, and one by clearance from No. 57, Blenheim. The principal business was to arrange for celebrating the anniversary of the,l2th of July. It ..wa6 decided to hold a church parade, and a strong committee was appointed to, carry out tne programme. A pleasant half-hour was spent after the closing of the lodge. Mr Robert McNab (who is -now in Wellington" for a day or two supervising the publication of the second and extended edition,, of .." Mtlrihijiti "), states that he is exceedingly well satisfied with the.result of his compulsory military training. propaganda. At almost, every meeting that he has addressed, he says, a \inanimous, .or almost unanimous, resolution in favour of the proposal has been passed. In some cases hostile resolutions or amendments have been moved, but in no case have such propositions found more than four or five supporters. " I believe," said Mr McNab in writing to a'friend, " that if a plebiscite of the people of New Zealand were taken on the question, fully three-fifths of them would be found voting for compulsory.training." Mr McNab . has addressed twenty-five meetings, and he will conclude his tour by speaking at.Nelson, Blenheim and Picton. He has been compelled to decline invitations to speak at no fewer than twenty-three places. ■-■;, " A Watch that gives its owner entire satisfaction —L. S. McClurg's famous Nickel Lever, full jewelled, keyless, dust-proof case. The ideal watch for rough wear. Guaranteed for two years, 30s. „ ;6 00 Cheap Motor Cycles.—G. H, Carson's stock-taking sale commences on Friday. June 11th. There are., among other bargains, several good motor .cycles at prices to suit all buyers. One or two of these are, Triumph, 2 h-p., £10; Clement-Garrard, 2 li-pi, £10; Minerva, 2 h-p., £20; Minerva, 2f h-p., £27 10s; Bichrone, 2 h-p., £27 10s; F.N. 4-cyl., 4^ h-p., £5^ 10s (cost £75). See the new N.S.TL 3 h-p,. lntest model, £65. We have also ail old. style Benz Oar, £25, with really good engine, 5 h-p., water' cooled; suitable for portable for driving shearing machines, etc. Come in early and see these bargains.—Carson's' Garage, Tancred Street. 6,116