LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 8444, 11 August 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A visitor to Ashburton fi'oni Southland states that that place has been favoured with the best and -mildest winter experienced there for over 30 years.

The man, Fred Burrows, who has been missing from Geraldine, and for whom search parties were out, was discovered, by the police yesterday, -aimlessly wandering about a paddock at (jeraldine. He is to be charged with' being of unsound mind/

A Halcombe mother gave birth to triplets a few . days ago. Mother and babes aro reported &> be "doing well."

The: beer duty collected in_ New Zeaand last year amounted to £118,100.

The cost of administering the Valuation of Lands Department in JNew Zealand last year was £30,965 16s Bd.

For creating a disturbance^ at: Disn-edin.-o.n capping day the > University Council suspended one student till the end of the term, another was lined £J and a third £1.

The "Carterton News" says that a pair of antlers' picked up by two brothers out on an rEast Coast station recently were sold for £10. , Wen mounted ~ they were -re-soldat £27. They are 12-pointers>' and' are remarkably symmetrical. ; ;

There..are!at present 647 Post Office Savings Banks open in <New Zealand. The total amount' standing to the credit of the depositors at the erid of March 31st • last was £14,104,989 19s 2d. The average amount standing to the credit of each depositor at the end of the year was £37 Is 3d.

A well got up chart entitled "The Apparently Drowned" is being distributed among the schools by the Education Department. It has been prepared by the Department of Public Health and it is hoped that it may be of service in connection with instruction in life saving.

A man at Pate a, who'was some time ago fined at-.the* Magistrate's Court the sum of 5s and 7s costs for failing to send his son to school, .and who expressed his determination at tho time to go to lgaol" rather than pay the amount, has carried out. his determination, being taken on Saturday to AVanganui Gaol to serve a term «f Cve days for failing to pay the fine.

The Wellington City Council last night decided to purchase an additional twenty-five acres of land at Lyall Bay, making a reserve there of 100 acres. The price for the latest purchase- is £125 per acre. The Government will contribute half the cost, and will use the reserve for Territorial parades and other purposes in connection with defence. -

The secretary of the Marine Department is of the opinion that nothing untoward has happened in the shape of a marine mishap near North Cape. "He thinks it highly probable that the raft found is one of ■ those used by the Terra Nova in the course of her surveying operations, as th-j description shows it to be very similar to those intended to be • used. However, instructions have been given for the coast to be searched.

• A Press Association telegram from Whangarei ■ states . that • the Mines Commission has'taken evidence relative to the Hikurangi and I£iripaka mines. The cross-examination of miners by their managers was objected to, and was abandoned. ' Only written questions by other than the Commissioners were permitted. The Commission has now left for the Thames.

A new industry is on the eve of inception in New Zealand. After carrying out a series of careful investigations in the "United States of America, Mr J. W. Ellis, a prominent New Zealand timber merchant, is introducing into the country a complete plant for cutting" venders'. ' He ■ has applied to the Auckland Land' Board for some 600 acres of timber in the- Piopiotia survey district, near Taumarunui, and if his application goes through will commence operations there.

The reluctance of some medical men to attend unknown patients at night was discovered by an anxious father on Saturday at about' 10.30 o'clock. An, 18-months-old child, whose parents reside at .Newton (Auckland) was seised with convulsions.. Leaving it to the care of its mother and hurriedly attiring himself, but -not' ,waiting to put on his boots, the father ran to the nearest boardinghouse where th§re was a telephone. - He rang up no less 'than-ten-'doctors:■before his' appeal for assistance met with favourable reply. One or two of the nine medicos first rung up were put; others said they could not come for various reasons.

. At the Coronation celebrations at Wangamii, it is asserted, a Territorial officer asked his men:to accompany him to his own church in a body, and not to take part in the services which were being held by other denominations. In consequence of representations regarding the matter (telegraphs the " Dominion's " correspondent), the Wanganui Ministers' Association lias been advised by the Defence Department that orders are to be issued that in future, men are not.to be required to attend religious services other than those of their own denomination.

During a discussion at an Ashburton hostelry during the week on the ready sale in. England for Canterbury lambs, a dealer present expressed the opinion that the excellence'--was only in the name, and that he had brought sheep irom other places and had them killed in Canterbury, which were accepted as readily. A travelling; Englishman, who was present, broke in with the foliow- £ lg:r~ c buy 'Canterbury lamb in' England just because it is Canterbury lamb. It had been a' dish at the hotel 1 stay at for years before I tasted it. Hut one day I was induced to try some, and found it more tender, and. more juicy, and better than anything I had before sampled. Canterbury lamb, when in Kng and, is now a favourite cusJi or.Mine."

tJ nder • the new Defence Act Rifle Clubs can be formed. in any locality tnat the Governor may sanction, tlie clause regarding the three-mile distance from a volunteer corps having been done away with. To form a riflo club there must bo 30 active mombors who aro bona fide residents of tho district where the rifle chib ois- proposed to hh iormed. . The 30 members must isicn a .petition to the Governor, and also bo under 55 yoai-s of age. Any person who was under 21 years of age on March Ist, 10] 1,. will not be eligible, but will still-be held'liable to compulsory training. Any .one 21- or over on March Ist, 1911, but not over °;\%* f?re will be able to join a rifle

iNew Lines for Motorists.—We have recently been shown several novelties at, H. G Carson's, which fill the lone: felt wa.nts of motorists. ; Petrol measures with funnels attached a t 4s 6d and 5s 6d Bowden Wire Terminals (detachable) at 2s. Insulated Terminals to slip .on to Sparkling .plugs, at 2s 6d. Bray s famous Roni Burners.ls 6d and 25,, Perry Free Wheels for Triumph Motors at 9s 6d. Tins of French Chalk with perforated caps at. Gd. Tins of Solution (small size) at Is. Combination Plyers at 3s 6d. . 6 298

Auckland is shortly to have a pretentious Trades Hall erected.

The Maori newspaper which has just been issued at Grey town unknown as "To Mareikura." It is printed entirely in the Maori language, aud is sold at Is per copy. . '

It is stated that there are nineteen Catholic educational mstitutions in Greater Wellington, all of which are inducted by members-of religious orders.

Farmers who were in town to-day said the present fine weather was much needed and that cereal sowing had boon recommenced after a lengthy delay. It was generally conceded that stock, were suffering a 'set-back u .as a result of, an insufficient feed supply.

Legal and other expenses to the extent of £100 incurred by Constable J. M Mcßae in defending charges Drought against him have (says the Nelson " Colonist ") been paid by the Justice Department. For a similar ca«=e £77 16s has been paid to Constable 8. S. Martin, who had to defend himsolf against a charge ot perjury-

The Wanganui Borough Council has accepted a tender for the construction of a now bridge over the river between Wanganui and Wanganui East. Four tenders were received, and that of Sanders Bros., of Wellington, • for over £26;000, was accepted. .The bridge is to 'be completed m two-.years' time, after which the tramway system is to be extended to the suburb, linking up Greater Wanganui with about nine miles of tramway.

In the .course of conversation with a representative of, the "Rotorua Times," the district tourist agent mentioned that for the year ended March 31 last about 25,000' visitors had visited Rotorua. the passengers by train numbering 19.7G1. Regarding the traffic between Rotorua and Taupo, it is estimated that 3500 .people traversed the road, 1500 northwards and 200 southwards.