Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1911. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume xxxi, Issue 8284, 3 February 1911, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1911. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of shopkeepers was held at Napier on Thursday to consider clause 13 of the Shops and Offices Act Amendment Act, 1910, which provides that in a business conducted by partners one of them must be registered as the occupier, thus placing the others in the position of employees, who could not work overtime for. more than < a certain number of days. After discussion it was resolved-« That this meeting considers the clause which makes it compulsory to register shops in the name of one partner only is an infringement of the right of persons to work on their own premises whilst the shop is closed, and requests the executive of the Employers' Federation to urge upon the Government the necessary for immediate alteration of the provision."

The spreading of tares in the Masterton district is becoming a somewhat serious matter for agriculturists, and the farmers .will have to take joint action sooner or later to prevent Iho weed becoming an intolerable nuisance. It will probably be found necessary to put some of the cropping areas down to pasture in order to check, the, weed. Several wheat crops in the WincU.more district were, before the *ewnt , hailstorm, confidently expected to yield 25 buibels per acre, but they are threshing out only eight bushels pei acre. An Auckland Press Association telegram says that the Premier states that the revenue returns for the ten months show, an increase of £825,000 over tne same period of last year. ■ In all probability a million increase will bo reached by the end of the year. The Ashburton County Brass Band (under Bandmaster C. B. Gass), gave an open-air concert in Barmg Square East last evening, when an enjoyable programme of music was played. Ine night was an ideal one for the entertainment, and there was a large attendance of the public.

Our Rakaia correspondent states that harvest is now in full swing m that district, in splendid weather. He adds that it was. therefore, natural that there should be a poor entry and a poor attendance at Thursday's local stock sale.

At the last meeting of the Ashburton Tent of Rechabites,: Bro. H. Hopwood (secretary) was elected as a delegate to attend the annual conference of the Order, which opens at Napier, on Tuesday, February 7th. Mr Hopwood will leave Ashburton by the second express on Saturday. .

At Wanganui on Thursday the police raided a local stable and arrested a man named John Frrell on a charge of keeping a common gaming house. He will also be charged with frequenting the street for the purpose of betting.

Colonel Knight, Commander •>f the ■ North Island division .of the Salvation Army, will leave Wellington by tho Manuka to-day for Sydney en route to Mebourne, to take charge of the Salivation "Army's Federal training. He and Mrs Knight were entertained a<Wellington last night at an enthusiast"; gathering. j The South Rakaia Road Board held j its monthly . meeting yesterday, when J all the members were present. The> business was of an ordinary nature, and after passing accounts for £102 11s sd, and transacting cemetery business, thej Board met as the Doric Domain Board, I and received the balance sheet for thej year ending, December 31st, 1910, | duly certified to as correct by the Auditor-General.

Bathers in the river are much criticised on account of the scantiness of their bathing costumes. 'Last evening, between five and six o'clock, a party of young men and boys were engaged in a swimming match in the river about a quarter of a mile eastward of the bridge, but they wore no costumes. Swimming is an art which no one wishes to discourage, but its devotees should at least observe the rules of ordinary decency.

The Aorangi arrived at WelUn^t .m on Thursday from San Fr&ncisco, which she left on January 11th. There was fine weather for the passage, an.l the wireless installation worked satLfactorily until the steamer was a fe v days out, when, owing to the fusing of a wire, messages could not be received. Included in her cargo are 2461 cases of bananas, and 101 barrels ami 535 cases of mother-of-pearl shell, -550 cases of dried fruit, 76 cases of oils and colours, 300 bags of barley, and 70 packages of hops.

A Press Association message from Wanganui states that four municipal polls were taken on Wednesday. Mr Alan Robinson was elected a member of the Borough Council, polling 796 votes, against 265 cast for his opponent, Mr Walter Grey, who stood in the interests of the Labour party. The following loan proposals were carried:—£3s,ooo for tramways extension, by 713 votes to 225; £15,000 for water and drainage at Aramoho, by 137 votes to 47; £11,000 for water and drainage of Durietown, by 68 votes to 1. " .

At the annual genera) meeting of the Ashburton Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Society last night, a special committee that had been set up for the purpose, submitted a set of rules in an amended form, and with minor deletions and additions these were eventually adopted. Some members, however, took umbrage at the ruling of the chairman that the amended rules could not possibly come into force until they had been adopted at a special meeting of the Society. As the amended rules affect the conduct of the election of officers and committee, and cannot, of course, I be brought into operation till the next j annual meeting.

Amongst the passengers by the Aorangi from San Francisco to Wellington is Mr Charles E. Russell, an American journalist, who is revisiting New Zealand for the purpose of ascertaining how Labour legislation is working. Speaking to an interviewer in reference to the olection for -the Governorship of New' York, at which lie was Socialist candidate, he said that -the'-'-result of the voting showed an enormous increase of strength in his party. . . . */

Tho rainfall on ftC'ren Lea," Carew. for .the month of January, 1911, was us follows : Total fall, 3.75 inches, falling on twelve dnys, the heaviest falls boms on <!-.< r.'h, nth-and 25th, when .46 niche?, 1.02 inches and .65 inches fell respectively.—o. J. LeCren.

Mr 11. Mathieson intimates, in another column, that, in order to enable him to assist the Temperance Brass Band, his business will be suspended from the 6jh to the 18th instant.

Mr A. Joyce will visit Ashburton to-morrow afternoon in connection with the business of tho Ashburton Boring Rights Syndicate. j

All the, county., rivers ware-, clear, this morning, ;

Mr Bates telegraphed ;o-day at follows: Westerly moderate to strong winds will prevail; expect unsettled and cloudy weather at times; the glass shows little movement, but will rise slowly after sixteen hours.

At their meeting yesterday the raem-I.pi-5 of the South Rakaia Road Board d.'.cided to ask the Government for some particulars as to the opening or the new post office in' March next.

A Press Association telegram states that regulations under the Tramways Amendment Act and .the State Guaranteed Advances Act are published in the Gazette;. / -•

At Auckland on. Thursday,£the Stock; Exchange resolved to invite { the Wauu shareholders to attend \ a meeting at an early date, and those who held shares during the past six months were also invited to be present. »nares on Thursday were sold at 75s to vos od.

Dairying land in the Reeftod district is being taken up with eagerness. As compared with last year the local factory at .Cronadun has more than doubled its output.

The enquiry held by the Board of Education officials concerning the allegations of misconduct' at the last scholarship examinations, at Aratapu has concluded. It is understood that none of the charges were substantiated The enquiry was forced by Mr Hockin, who was the headmaster accused.

At the Levin Magistrate's. Court on Thursday, says a Press Association message, two lads, aged seventeen years, were-fined £3 and £4 respectively for dynamiting trout. Margaret Wilson, representing the licensee ot the Weraroa Hotel, was fined £3 for supplying a Maori woman with liquor. The accused admitted the offence, and pleaded inadvertance.

The export of gold from Zealand for the last month was 49,5660z, valued at £195,783, an increase ot 8887oz, valued at £33,855, compared with the figures for January of last year. Last month New Zealand exported 114,8450z of silver, valued at £ll;520, which is 42,4870z, valued at £417% less than in the corresponding month of last year. The libel action brought by Mr W. F Massey, leader of the Opposition, against the New Zealand Times Company, states the Dominion, will probably be heard at the civil, sittings ot the "Supreme Court, which: commence on February 13. In the absence ot Mr C. P. Skerrett, K.C., leading.counsel for the defendant company, .Mr b, Solomon, K.C., of Dunedin, with Mr A. Blair, Wellington, will act as counsel for the company. Mr H. D. Hell, X.C, will act for Mr Massey. I Last night, the members of the Ash- ! burton County Brass J*rr..-Z presented one of the bandsmen (Mr B. Hughes) with a travelling rug in recognition of his valuable services to the band m . the capacity of secretary. The pre- ! sentation was made by the president ot the band (Mr G. D. H. Hefford). Mr Hughes, who has been one of 'the most active members of the band for a number of years, has been transferred to Christchurch. The bandmaster (Mr C. B. Gass) and other members also spoke of interest Mr Hughes had always manifested on behalf of the band's welfare.

With rogard to the complaints made by local business men that-the mails of stations south of Dunedin are unduly delayed in their delivery in Ashburton, Mr R. D. Dansey, the Postmaster, told a reporter this morning that the reason that the mails in question went through to Christchurch was.because there was no postal van on the second express for the north. The expense and extra haulage in placing such a van on the train would be' considerable, he said; but, he added, that he would forward the complaint to the Department.

At a meeting of the Canterbury Laud Board in • Christchurch on Thursday, a tenancy, of part of the Ash burton riverbed was granted to Miss Jane Chalmers, the ad]oining owner, at a yearly rental of 2s per acre. The tender of John Clark, at £26 per annum, was accepted for the lease of an area of 147 acres of the North Rangitata township reserve. It was resolved to offer for lease by public tender Reserve 3534, of 47 acres, near the Arundel traffic bridge, subject to the., lessee's providing accommodation for travelling stock.

Yesterday afternoon, a number of friends paid a surprise visit to the residence of Mr and Mrs W. Halsall, Hampstead, for the purpose of bidding good-bye to Mrs Halsall, who is about to leave on a trip to the Homeland. The Rev. R. J. Liddell, who acted as chairman, spoke of Mrs Halsall's social service, and on behalf of the subscribers —presented her with a silver teapot, silver afternoon teaspoons, and a silver backed comb and brush, and 'to Mr Halsall—who was unavoidably absent— a silver-mounted spirit flask and silver stud box. Mrs Halsall sympathetically responded, after which afternoon tea and cakes wore handed round, and a pleasant gathering was brought to a close.