LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7916, 2 October 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Mayor (Mr H. Davis) sent the following telegram to the Premier upon his arrival at Auckland: Sir J. G. Ward.—Hearty congratulations on your safe return, from Ashburton friends." The Premier replied: "Delighted to have congratulations of Ashburton friends on my return home. Many thanks to you all." j

The homes for incurables at Ashburton and Woolston are now ready for occupation, and applications for admission are being received by the Charitable Aid Board.

While loading a large packing-case in East street yesterday afternoon, on to an express, an elderly man named T, Bradford, Hampstead, accidently slipped and fell under the horse's feet, which, caused the animal to bolt. Bradford received a nasty cut on the face, below the eye, and was taken, to Dr Handcock's surgery, where he received attention. The horse galloped into the Hampstead district, where it was secured. Fortunately nothing was broken.

The annual meeting of the Canterbury Baptist Association was held in Christchurch on Thursday, the Ashburton church being amongst those represented. • The Rev. W. E. Lambertwas elected a member of the committee for the ensuing year, and at a public meeting in the evening he read a paper on "What Vision have we regarding the need of a Revival?" Two resolutions were unanimously carried protesting against the action of the Act-ing-Premier and the Minister of Railways attending the opening of the Tattersall's Club, Wellington, in their official capacity, and the other opposing the granting of license in the King Country. ••

The Timaru Harbour Board on Friday, on the recommendation of the Standing Committee, agreed to add Labour Day to the list of holidays, but reduced the Show Day holiday to a half-day, from noon,

Miss Paul's juvenile opera company is to visit Methven on Thursday next, the 7th instant, and will play the Japanese opera "Princess Chrysanthemum" i« the Publio Hall. The company is composed of children, whose aces vary from seven to seventeen years and contains some very clever performers. The playing of the opera in Methven's new Public Hall should prove an interesting event in the hi^ tory of the town, and be considered worth driving many miles to see.

The takings at the Dunedin competitions festival exceeded £600—a record. . . .. ■ ■

South Canterbury farmers express themselves as being well satisfied with the lambing this season. The weather has been favourable, the percentages 2 ood, and the lambs, which are, generally speaking, big, are doing well, the ewes having an abundance of feed, says the Timaru Herald.

A young man from the Soutlibridge j district who went in the direction of Methven last week in search, of. contract ploughing work, was unable to find any, the weather having been so fine in that direction that farmers have been able to get all their ploughing work completed. Contractors are said to be practically idle —a rather unusual thing so early in the season.

A Timaru registry office keeper has l (saya the Post) sent a man to a country hotel to discharge the duties of house-maid. It is also stated that a, country housewife, on - learning that the only obstacle that prevented a young woman from taking a position was her desire to be present at a certain race meeting, obtained the girl's services by promising to drive.her to the races in question. ■ '' ' /

The first sample bottles of milk from the 800 cows that belong to New Zealand's first yield-testing association were handed into the- Dalefield (Wellington) dairy factory on Friday, last week. This marks New Zealand's first step in the race after Denmark on. a new line. . . ■ •

Is grape-growing profitable or likely to be profitable in New Zealand? A prominent horticiilturist answered the question put by a Post reporter recent-1 ly in a decided negative. He said that he had been over to> Western 'Australia and had seen the conditions. there. Growers got only £2 2s a ton for grapes delivered at the factory. At that rate fthey barely managed to , make both ends meet. . '.

The Wellington Education Board decided on Thursday, says a Press Association telegram, to wait on the Minister of Education 'and to. invite the cooperation of other Boards in reference to the decision of the. Education Department to discontinue the concession of free railway tickets to country teachers attending instruction classes in cities. ...

An appeal is being made to motorcar owners for subscriptions to eTect a motor and stock bridge over the Waipara river. The estimated cost of a suitable structure is £400. About £125 was siibscribed at Culverden on Friday as a result of a canvass made by Mr G. B. Starky, who has been appointed treasurer of the fund. It is thought that there will be little difficulty in obtaining the necessary amount.

The County Council at its meeting yesterday considered an application from the Mount Hutt Cemetery Board for a 10s in the £ subsidy .on an amount of £S0 that had been expended on th© Board's property^ It appears that the money expended was actually given by Mrs Duncan Cameron, and Or Friedlander questioned the legal right of the Council to subsidise money received from a private, source. Cr Dickie said that Mrs Cameron had been practically assured that the money she had subscribed to the Cemetery Board would carry a 10s in the £ subsidy. The money had been well spent, and details as to the manner in which it had been laid out accompanied the application. The matter was held over pending a report from one of the Council's officers.

For 56 days' work, two men using two of King's traps, have drawn £55 3s 9d from the Mount Hutt Road Board as payment at the rate of Id per head for small birds. The following cheques were drawn: August 5 £1 9s 9d, August 12 £3 4s 7d, August 19 £4 2s 9d, August 26 £5 4s 7d, September 2 £2 10s lid, September 13 £5 11s, September 16 £11 11s, September 23 8s 2d, September 27 £9 Is 4d, September 30 £11 19s 7d. The largest catch in one operation was 800. Since July 12th, the Mount Hutt Road Board has bought 27,600 heads of small birds. Tho trappers referred to have been successful chiefly when setting their traps near oatsheaf stacks, or on the site of oatsheaf stacks that have been cut into chaff. When the return was presented at a meeting of the County Council yesterday, Mr J. Lambie (chairman) and other members agreed that if trapping wore systematically carried out, the small bird nuisance would soon be reduced to a minimum. Since the Council commonced to purchase heads this year the following returns have been reported: Ashburton 51,724; Mount Hutt 24,124 (full returns not to, hand) ; South Rakaia 7147.—T0ta1, 82,995. Cr friedlander remarked, when the return was read, that small birds lad not been nearly so destructive this year as in former years. . ,

A correspondent, signing iimself "Smoko," writes as follows to the Lyttelton Times: "As a farmer,;l was surprised to see the Ashburton tranch of the Farmers' Union taking notice of Mr Taylor's utterances concerning the unemployed. They should have treated his views with the same contempt as the North Canterbury Union did. Does the Ashburton Union not know that Mr Taylor is a non-produoer in the country, and that 50 per cett of non-producors are only parasites, land that the producers have to; carry them on their backs? What is the opinion lof any man of that .class worth ? I say it is not worth a quarter of ■ the opinion of a bootmaker. I think the Farmers' Union ought to move in the direction of reducing commissions \on property, and thereby drive out of this business 80 percent of these agents, who 1-; are responsible for much of -the illegitimate values of New Zealand property. Only, the''other day a land agent- obtained judgment for £60 commission on a small property which took years of hard toil and privation to gather together. No wonder land agents live, high and, have a good time, when their money is earned- so easily at someone's expense. I. say, get them out to produce something, if it is only a pin, but get them out." -

At the Oddfellows' Hall last evening the Taylor-Carrington company presented the Irish drama "Home Rule," to an audience which filled the building. Mr Taylor has always be«n in favour on the stage, and his popularity shows no signs of waning. Irish character ia difficult to present/ but Mr laylor proved a good exponent of one of the best types of Irishmen; His brogue and bright wit were fruitful of merriment, and his acting right through was well up to his usual "standard Mr C. M. Keegan . (Whyseo ™? y L was alsa verT successful, and Miss Camngton (Phil Ireland)—as an honourable young man, but the victim of many intrigues—acted with, all her Sf, 6!'11: Mr A. Ooffey (Pat Mcf ahorj) .is one of the strongest members of the company, and forcibly pou^ trayed the class of man who, while Sr ing pto + rr^ Inland, injures her ™BV Bf I**? Ctertrucb Esdaille and Miss Minnie Lancaster acted well, 25 % ii P y- tn™ugn°ut was., onthusi-

Something Better.—Nowadays folks are all on the ook-out for cheapness m the necessaries of life, and while this is reasonable and wise, if not carried too far, still the public will not be humbugged by clap-trap, and anyone who is s«»ple enough to imagine that they can obtain something for ; nothing will certainly be disappointed and disillusioned sooner or later G H Carson believes that honesty is the best policy, and when he offers a £12 10s bicycle wfth firs^grade tyres, etc. for £11 5s «sh, you may depend it represents extraordinary good value The equipment of this bicycle is so good that by substituting cheaper tyres, saddles, and other fittings it could easily be sold for £9 15 8 . 'but you will see for yourself that quality always wins, and Carson's value is unapproachable. ' 9oq

Mr Bates telegraphed to-day as follows: Westerly moderate to strong winds, probably freshening after sixten hours; the class will fall, and the weather will probably be cool^ and changeable; a low pressure o*. the barometer may be expected on or about' | Monday. |

A mild outbreak of diphtheria has occurred in the Ealing district, but it has not been deemed necessary to close the public school.

This morning the Rakaia river was reported to be dirty, the Ashburton (both branches) clear, and the Rangitata fishable.

The agitation for # a greater Timaru has been again revived, and as a result a public meeting to discuss^ the question will be held oil Monday night.

Mr William Andersoii, Riverside has a return of 362 lambs from 249 halfbred ewes, which represents over 140 per cent. Mr Anderson loet only o#e ewe by death during the lambing season.

At a meeting of the Timaru Harbour Board yesterday, the following motion was passed relative to the late Harbourmaster at Timaru: "That this Board records its sincere regret at the death of Captain Clarkson, and places on record its warm appreciation of the prolonged, faithful, and valuable services rendered by the deceased officer, and expresses its sympathy with his widow and family in their irreparable loss."

A meeting of the. Chertsey Sports Club was held on Wednesday. evening, when Mr J. Stringfellow presided. The chairman moved a motion of condolence to the president (Mr. T. Langley), and this was carried in silence, all standing. The secretary reported that large fields had , entered for all the events—both cycling and athletic; that the ground and tracks had been put in first-class order; that tenders had been accepted for a refreshment stall and games; and that a special train would be run to connect with the express at Rakaia, so that the northern visitors would have the full afternoon on the grounds.

South Canterbury farmers 6poken to on the subject, say that the proposed increases in the cost of threshing from the etook are too high. It is pointed, out that while \ tho increased rate of, pay between the mill-owner and his men wili probably be embodied in an award, the increase asked for in addition, by mill-owners, will not be; and it is anticipated that some millowners will not ask for any additional pay for themselves, in which case those who demand it will, find themselves without employment.

Mr A. D. Dobson, Christchurch City Surveyor, states thathe has frequently met with the remains of forest trees when carrying on pipe-laying and other operations in Christchurch. It is not at all unusual to come across timber at a depth of about 150 feet. Apparently there was once a very dense forest at the foot of the Cashmere Hills, where the sump has been sunk in connection with the high-pressure water supply. Mr Dobson found there an underground timber-yard. The wood was in excellent condition. A tqtara stump, which was standing upright, just as it had grown thousands of years ago, had the bark on it. The bark was stripped off, and the stump was used for poste.

To-morrow's services at Baring Square Church will be conducted by the Rev. N. Turner, of Christchurch. Special anniversary hymns of an unusually pleasing kind will be given by the Sunday school children, assisted by a strong choir and orchestra. The .festival concert is announced for Tuesday evening, sth instant.

Mr Ralph Gebbie, 8.A., of Christchurch, will conduct the services at the Church of Christ to-morrow. His subject at 6.30 p.m. will be "Unto th© Perfect Day."

Tenders for the right to advertise on boards at the Tinwald and Ashburton saleyards close on Tuesday next at noon. • ■

The New Zealand Government Department of Agriculture announces, by advertisement in this issue, that the imported Clydesdale horse "Sir Talbot" will travel the Rakaia and Chertsey districts this season.