LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 8244, 17 December 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr Bates telegraphed as follows tc day: Easterly woring to northerly moderaie to strong winds will prevail freshening after 20 hours. Expec warm and humid conditions. The glas will fall after 20 Jhours. Shop-lifting appears to be practise* m Ashburton. Last week one trades | man missed a camera from his shop i while during, the present week anothe firm lost an alarm clock and some glaas waro articles. An Ashburton angler, when ques tioned on matters regarding the pre sent fishing season, said that he liac good reason for stating that larg< numbers of fish were being taken oui of the Ashburton river by illega means. Dynamite shots were frequent ly fired, and this had had the effect oi considerably depleting the streams. A team representing St. Mary's Tennis Club visited Timaru on Friday and played a match with a team fron St. John's Tennis Club. Th© hom< team defeated the visitors by a f&irlj substantial margin. A gentleman interested m agricul fcuro, who visited the Ashton distrid yesterday, informed one of our reporters that the cereal crops to be seer horn tho main road, from Tinwald tc the sea beach, are looking first-class, and, perhaps with one or two exceptions, will yield m excess of last year's crops. The ears of the grain (he says) are large and well-filled, and according to bulk should thresh unusually well. Some of the crops are certainly short m the straw, but the rain that has fallen of late has done wonders m improving tho yielding qualities. He noticed several paddocks of oats m the stook, but tho bulk of the crops are itill as green as leeks. The monthly meeting of the Mount feel Road Board was held on Thurslay. Present — Messrs G. J. Dennisloun (chairman), B. Tripp, and R. [Tiew. The Board agreed to to accept ihe offer of Mr W. E. Dann to roll tewly-shingled roads with his engine at he price quoted. In reply to a circuar from Dr Valintine, asking if the Joard was willing to hand over its luties under the Health Act to the iospital and Charitable Aid Board, lie members decided to sign the form eputing tho Hospital and Charitable nd Board to act. Rates received durrig the month were £94 19s 3d. credit alance at bank £1847 12s lid. Motor Cycling Holidays. — One of he most popular ways of enjoyine a phday nowadays is to take a trip nrough new country on a motor cycle. ,nd with the reliability of the un-to-ate motor cycle there certainly is a barm m this method of touring, hose who have not purchased a motor pcle, but who intend doing so, would 3 well advised to visit the G. H. arson Cycle and Motor Works and ispect their latest models. There are so on view several nearly-new marines, which have been overhauled id aro to be sold at very reasonable ■ices. The address of the firm is incred Street. 12 0

Th« Rangitata and ltnknia rivers w«r« r«p*rtad clear at 9 o'olock ibis morning. Some aood basket* of fish have boon secured l>y Ashburton anglers at tho month of tho Rangitata river this weok. A million Atlautic salmon ova haVd been ordered by tho Government. They will go to tho hatchery at To Ann v, and thence into the Waiau rivor. i-Sir Joseph Ward aud the Hon. J. A. Millar were staying at the Spa, Taupo, m tho early part of this week, having a rest. On Tuesday, they caught 22 fine trout weighing 1821 b, all m magnificent condition, the largest being llilb. Mr Daniel Moriarty (formerly of Ashburton) has, ns a result of a contest m which there were three aspirants, again been elected secretary to the Wellington branch of the Dominion Furniture Trades Union. The lUv< C. E. Beeoroft, ex-chair-man of tho Methodist Conference, wht is well-known as a veteran member ol tho New Zealand Methodist Church leaves Feilding next week on a tour oi the world. The Holy Land will be in;ludod m the tour. The Rakaia Domain is at present sown down m wheat, and the crop is one of the finest m tho Rakaia district. It is estimated that the yield will be 1 50 bushels, and the lessee staten that it is the best which has ever grown on the reserve. An Auckland Press Association message states that the City Council has resolved to take legal action to determine "its rights m connection with the alleged encroachment of private properties m Lower Queen street. The Nelson Eduoatidn Board', has appointed Mr F. C. J. Cockburn, of Auckland Technical College, to" -the position of art instructor at the Nelson Technical School. There were fourteen applications from various parts of the dominion. WeT understand that another attempt is to bo made at an early date, to obtain concessions on account of- the Ashburton Boring Rights Syndicate within the road districts of Longbeach, Coldstream, Wakanui, South Rakaia, Upper Ashburton and Rangitata, with the object of boring for petroleum. Mr A. Joyce is interesting himself m the matter. "Tho condition of tho country at tho present time is altogether satisfactory," said a Winchmore-Lauriston farmer, who was m town to-day. " With the exception of cereal crops that were sown very early for feedingoff purposes, the crops will yield better than they did last year — at least on the good land." There is every . prospect, too (he said m conclusion), that' the root crops (turnip and Tape) will be a complete success. A Press Association message from Wellington states that the Labour party intends to contest 1 the next municipal election at all points. The secretary of the Trades and labour Council r was instructed on Thursday night to , communicate with the newly-establish- ■ ed Labour party m Wellington, re- : questing it to circularise {the whole of i the unions, asking ther^ to ' submit - names of suitable candidates. l It was recommended to pie Welling- - ton Methodist Synod, on^Wednesday, l that the Rev. C. H. Garlald, formerly » of Auckland and Nelson, and now of : Christchurch, should bo \ appointed - principal of the Theological institution, > commencing duties m April, J9ll. The ; synod recommended that the. name of [ the Rev. A. B. Chappell, M[A. (Johns sonville) should be added forlconsidera- ; tion by the conference. )■ t The new Post and Telegraph Office ' at Rakaia, at" present m courseW erec--1 tion, is expected to be completed about ; the end of January. The new building > is of brick and stone, and is very con- ; venient. There are separate ; depart- \ r ments for the telegraphic, postal, and ' money-order sections, and the telephone bureau occupies a' large, and , commodious room a,t the side of the . building. ' j A resident of Lagmhor, m speaking t to one of our reporters to-day on mat- •> ters pertaining to agriculture, said * that no cannot remember such a wont derful change having been brought . about so rapidly m the condition of the . country as that which has occurred this .• season. Six, weeks ago (he added) the r condition of the country was such as to five farmers cause fox* much anxiety, ut to-day the crops, both cereal and j root, promise to yield more abundantly t than for a number of years. Feed is 3 now plentiful, and it was safe to as- ] sume that farmers had a very prosperr ous period m view. ] Miss Edith Howes (formerly of . Elgin), ChieJ; Scoutmistress at Gore, 1 Otago ? reports good work by her troop . of thirty girls. She says that they . are keen on the Scout Law, doing their b best to act up to it, and performing 3 their good turns willingly.. She has . taught them knotting, signalling, 2 staff-drill, correct methods of walking, ] Nature study and personal hygiene; 5 while Dr. Carswell has given them instructive lectures m first-aid. This troop is fortunate m having for its Chief Scoutmistress an author, a naturalist and a pioneer. . s ! An interesting exhibit was on view h. at the Invercargill Show on Tuesday , and Wednesday m the shape of a J , swing plough, which is credited with t being the farst plough to be introduced s into New Zealand. It was imported from Great Britain m 1849, says the Southland News, and was landed at i Ruapuke Island by the Rev. Mr - Wohlers, the earliest missionary. In , 1855 it was brought over to' the. mainr land, and was some short time ago pur- - chased by Mr Stuck,, and used by trim on his farm at Otaitai Bush. At Mr Stuck's clearing sale, three months . ago, Mr J. Stevenson, senior, bought .it. I How useful wireless telegraphy may ■ be, says the Post, was demonstrated ■ on Wednesday m connection with the I arrival of the "Ulimaroa with pas- ; sengers and cargo for transhipment m the Aorangi for San Francisco. The Pacific mail packet was advised m good time of the cargo space reqxiired » tor the transhipments, and the staff ' was able, well ahead of the Ulimaroa's i arrivalj to prepare for its reception. ■ Both time and money to a considerable ' amount were saved, for the Aorangi's departure for San Francisco, via Auckland, was much expedited by the ■ pre-arrangement. At the Rakaia Racing Club's annual meeting yesterday, the cup presented Dy Mr A. W. Holmes to tho .winner of the Rakaia Cup event, was won by Mr 6. W. Clarksou's gelding Southern Cross. Mr C. A, C. Hardy, M.P., m presenting tho cup to Mr Clarkson said that it was his desire to see more cups and larger stakes given m racing, and a decrease, and even a total elimination of gambling. He wished to see ilie old sports meetings revived, when ;he old farmers came together for perhaps .the only time of the year, and spent a sociable time together, while they watched their sons and daughters competing for the various events. The following report on the Ashburton labour market appears m the current issue of the Journal of the Department of Labour : Building trades : All local tradesmen are fully employed, as well as a good many outside hands, owing to the building of the hew but-ter-factory and a water tower for high pressure water supply. Engineering trade: Normal. Boot trade: All factories fully employed. Clothing trade (factories)— Very busy, and working overtime. Retail trades: Groceries good. Clothing very good. Boots good. Miscellaneous: All trades seem busy at present owing to the approach ?t t | I^, h ? r Ivest1 vest and Christmas holidays. Unskilled labour: The principal part oi the waterworks is now completed and on that account a good nianv labourers are out of work. There. -is a number of strangers idle about- the town, some of whom are waiting for harvest, others for the freezing works to commence operations, and a few are poking for shearing. There; seems little doubt that afl will be fully employed within a few days. • . In our advertising columns Messrs 1 r. H. Undnll and Co. invite all to 1 inspeot their new and up-to-date show 1 rooms. • . i