LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7937, 27 October 1909, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Two dogre*s of frost were registered at the Domain' weather station i'or Tuesday nighfc. The tnermoinetor wgistefed 44 degrees on Saturday last during the height of the- storm.

Mr P. Mackenzie, who has been in charge of the Stock Department here for the past sixteen months, has received notice of his transfer to Christchurch, whore he will act as a Stock Inspector. As the transfer is being made in connection with the reorganisation of the Civij Service, it is riot likely that another officer of the same grade will succeed Mr Mackenzie here. During the short torm of Mr Mackenzie s service in the Ashhurton county he has proved himself to bo an obliging and painstaking officer, and his departure will be regretted by many of those whose business brought them closely into touch with him.

Mr Robert McNab, writing on the 6th of September from America by the last mail to a friend in Wellington, says: " I have got as far as Now Bedford, and after visiting Providence, Newport and N.antuokct, } will run down to New York and'take steamer to London. At Salem, Boston and here I have mot a number of friends I made when running through about three years ago. Tlioy all tako a. warm interest in New Zealand, and I have become a regular lecturer on its wonders.-' ' ' " 1

Mr Josoph Wyatt, of Warracknabea} (says the Melbourne Leader), shows a sheepskin which weighs 351bs. A singular thing is that the carcase of the animal weighed only 441bs, so that the skin gave the best return. The average weight of a skin is from lOlbs to 121bs. In this instance the sheep was a merino. Its wool was short, but of exceptional thickness,

At a meeting of the Christchurch Diocesan Synod on Tuesday, Mr 0, Hastings Bridge moved: " That this Synod commends to the support of Church people throughout the diocese the Home for Neglected and Orphan Children, which it is proposed to establish in Christchurch.". The mover stated that the proposal was .to convert St. Mary's Home from what it had been into a home for destitute, neglected, and orphan children, Mr F. Z. D. Perriman seconded the motion, and stated that until the home was in working order he would undertake to place children up to ten in number in the country, The motion was agreed to. On the motion of the Rev, H, H, Mathias, it was agreed: " That this Synod places on record its thankful recognition of the great value of the work done for many years past at St. Mary's Horn*."

The death is announced at Nelson of Mr Fedor A. Kelling, who was a member of the House of Representatives from 1859 to 1860. He was born at Mecklenburg-Scliwerin, Germany, on February 11, 1820. After a high school education he studied surveying, and then farmed on one of Count | Ilantzan's estates. He left Hamburg by! I the ship "Skjold" for New Zealand in May, 1844, in the second German expedition of emigrants sent out by the New Zealand Company. Of that expedition, he and his brother Charles (who died eleven years ago at the age of eighty) were the leaders. He settled at Waimea East, Nelson, and established the Nelson Agricultural Association, of which ho was secretary until 1862. In 1857 he was elected a member of the Nelson Provincial Council, in which he sat till the abolition of the provinces in 1876.

The annual tea and concert in connection with the Wakanni Good Templar Lodge wore held on Monday night, when there was a good attendanpe, including friends from Ashburiibn ans tjho surrounding districts. The tables were presided, oyer by tho brothers and sisters of %he lodge, ': and were- very tastefully arranged. After the tea the usual concert was held, with Mr D. Doak in the chftir, The following was tho programme: Pianoforte-solo, Miss A. Moore; duet, Miss Davidson and Mrs Sam Taylor, Mr C. Andrews and Mr Kish Dalton; recitation, Mr W. Clucas and Mr S. Taylor; song, Miss Mabel Wilson. MissrvM. ; Wilson and Miss A. Moore played the, accompaniments. Mr G. W, Leadley gave an interesting address' on tempern:!ce, which he p.r.esented'in a new light. The prpgra.mmo ..concluded with a dialogue, by the brothers a,nd sisters of the lodged entitled "T>r Philcups'- I)ik\mma.;'.'- After«■ vote of thanks to tho performers,,the meeting closed with tho national! anthem— Own correspondent, v ' - At the meeting of the Hampstead Town Board held last evening, Mr G. v. Andrews made reference to the manner in which the fire bell is usually rung. The bell is not tolled so as to convoy any ic^ea of- where a fire is, and this throws'the whole'town "into a state of confusion, It has-happen-cd on more th?in one qceasjon that the fire a|arin has qpunded while th© crnirch services were in progress, and all being in ignorance of the locality of the fire there was a general feeling of uneasiness. If what ought to be the rule were observed, nearly all minds would be set at rest and there would be nothing in the nature of a panic It was decided to write to the Borough Council, with the object of haying tbe alarm sounded in the righ-fc way'j. but this matter has alrea.dy. been brought up at one of the Borough Council's in^:t' ; r,£ia foe-W quite recently. Probably tho first man to reach the brigade station after a firo has started, rings the boll, and tho brigade may not be in a position to keep an expert always in attendance. Still the complaip}, made by Mr Andrews is just, and, something should, if possible, \q in the matter. '■'" ■ " ' '. "■

J _ Reliable Fishing Tackle—We have .lust opened a consignment of the famous Archer tackle, including stout casts at 9d and Is 6d, stout traces at Is 6d and Is 9d, youths' rods Is 6d and 2s 6d, fly and spinning rods from 10s 6d, reels from Is 6d to 20s ; also, special heavy worm tackle for silvery fishing. See our stocks before buying.— The G. H. Carson Cycle Works. 10 0

This morning tho Rangitata river was reported to be clear and all other rivers in the county dirty. The following Ashburton students have boon successful at the annual examinations in connection with Canterbury College: First year—Ethel K. Choat, J. E. Purchase, C. S. Thomas. Second year^-Kathleen L. Minnis, Florence E. Smith. A striking illustration of the benefits which accrue to a person who joins a friendly society has been brought under the notice of the Evening post. In 1885 a resident of Wellington who belonged to Court Sir George Grey Bowen, Ancient Order of Foresters, became ill and went on the sick fund of the institution. He died in September of the present year, and up to that time he and his wife had received from the lodge sums of money totalling £006 12s Bd, made up as follows: Sick pay, £340 10s; grants out of benevolent fund, £299 9s 6d; payments of contributions, £13 13s 2d. The lodge also made a funeral allowance of i-oU, bringing the total contributions up to £703 12s Bd. A Christchurch labour agent lias received an enquiry from Buenos Ayres regarding the farm homestead and Crown land system at present in force in New Zealand. The writer of the letter seems to have an intention to settle in New Zealand, and the requisite information relating to the land laws of the country is being forwarded to him. Mr S. R. Lancaster, Palmerston North, has presented a Romney Tarn, valued at 10 guineas, to the Masterton A. and P. Association, to be sold at the stock fair being organised in aid of the Solway show ground fund. The chairman of the Otago Charit- • able Aid Board stated on Tuesday that ■ in charitable aid they had increased > their expenditure by nearly £600 - above that of last year. RelicT was be- : ing distributed indiscriminately and r without proper supervision. He agreed - with Dr Valintine that for stricter 3 supervision they should have two in- > specters in Otago, who would make eni quiry not only into sanitary matters, * but also into cases of relief. An umbrella on fire caused some amusement in the Avenue at Wan--1 ganui a few days ago. A spark from 3 another pedestrian's pipe or cigar evi--1 dently caused the conflagration, but - the umbrella carrier walked along i oblivious of the spectacle he was caus- - ing and he was very much astonished - when a well-known citizen 6natehed » his umbrella and put it in the gutter, l t Ac announced in another column Mr a G. F. Smith, draper, is to hold an auc- «* tion sale of drapery and clothing, on Friday and Saturday next, on his premises, East street, Ashburton.