LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8831, 6 May 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-day is the fourth anniversary of the accession to the throne of His Majesty King George -V. On the death of His Majesty King Edward VII (on May 6, 1^10), King George ascended tho" throne, and was proclaimed with the usual ceremonies on May 9. .

Straying stock at Tinwald are at present a great nuisance. Yesterday a resident counted 13 on one of the, main thoroughfares at one time. They constitute an especial danger to motorists and cyclists, more especially at . night time. \ „

Serpents coiling round the ankles are the latest craze in hosiery. They are embroidered with metallic threads and have a startling realistic appearance on dark silk stockings. For evening wear, with very low cut shoes, lizards f beetles, and other creatures not usually, beloved by women.are seen sprawling or crawl-ing-along the instep. Another novelty promised for the warmer weather is the "fishing-net" stocking with squareinch mesh.

' The- paraffin craze has reached Otautaii in an amended- form:/ A young carter, named • Braithwaite,caught a severe cold, which appealed to his mate as a suitable subject for the cure-all craze. As no paraffin oil was available for inward application, the, sufferer was' recommended to try a'; liberal'external bathing of kerosene. The kerosene and heat of the ' man's body did the rest. He was removed, to the Riverton IHospital, where he i§. slowly recovering from, his severe burns. . ' ■ i':i:^' ■'■■'■ ' ' ' '"' ' '

■The Hon. James Alleu, Minister !of Education, visited Nelson College; yesterday (says Press Association telegram) and made'special : ref•garding the new features .of,.the curriculum, also into the facilities provided in the new science room. The Minister expressed pleasure at' what he saw, and he was much struck also with the large assembly hall.andJts permanent record of honours.' The College Cadets headed the military parade,' and' General Hamilton referred--to' their work as "extraordinarily good,"

On March 19, which is the feast of St. Joseph, the choir of the Sistine Chapel was to sing at St: Peter's. a hymn dedicated to_ St. Joseph, the words and music of which have been written by the Pope himself. The hymn begins with" the apostrophe:, "Salve! Animotar Josephus." This is not the firsfc time .that the . Pope has been seen in tho role of poet and musician, . He wrote a good deal of Latin verse during his patriarchate at Venice, and studied music under the Maestro Bossi, and later under Monsignor Perosi.

. The Cambridge paper _ says:—-" For some time past a certain." section of graziers in the Waikato liave favoured the selling of stock by live-weight, in a similar manner to what is being done in other parts of the world. Latterly, however, a number are advocating going a step further and selling on the hooks to butchers, much tlu. same as is done with nieat for export. It is claimed that the ■■.meat shouldreach the public in better order" than at present, and that . distributors should also do a more, satisfactory business. . * . .. : ; . r

The late " J. 8.", one of the best English journalists of his school, will be greatly missed fronv.the.; columns of the "Christian World,,'' y .which...he contributed for so many 1 years. The following extract is.from, the last article he wrote for-the paper: "Christianity has got on without any special buildings, and it could do so again. A vast, deal of church architecture has been a mistake, a'set-back to its pure, spiritual element. We hear now of religious buildings, here and there being converted into workshops, into all sorts of secular uses. We need not trouble over that, provided we have the con-1 trary movement; that of using, as the! eai-ly Christians did, the workshop, the dwellivghouse, the hillside, for its gatherings'-and-- worship. It. is the continuous complaint >of ( jthe;,leathers that when the' Church came out of the .back streets and from its -humble conventicles to ■sumptuous buildings and worldly recognition, its early spirit declined,' its purity was soiled."

Motoring for the Man of Moderate Means.—The man of moderate means and who is mechanically inclined has no need to \.j without either motorcycle or car. There are several shopsoiled and little-u°ed motors available for a handy man to put into shape, and make good use of. G. H. Carson has a number of really ireful motorcycles and cars which' have been taken in part'payment for more up-to-date machines, and which are being; cleared at ■ ridiculously low prices this month. Terms may be .arranged on any of these motors. Sop window of Sales Department. 49 Tancred Street, for price list. 4 00

Building is more brisk than usual at Tinwald just now. and two houses are in course of erection in the township. At tho Magistrate's Court this morning, before .Mr It. Clark, J.I 1-. » hrst offender (an old-age pensioner) was charged with drunkenness^ He was convicted and discharged.

The level stretch of road that passes through Tinwald appears-to be;a_ dolight to motorists, who race along it at times at a most reckless speed, regardless of the danger to pedestrians and heedless of by-laws. „. ■ ,•

This morning . (says ,a, Wellington Press Association telegram);, upon the motion of the .Canterbury District Law Society, the Court of AppeaLmade absolute an order to 1 'strike■-•.Walter Shaw, of Timaru,: off the rolls of barristers and solioitois of tho Supreme Court of New ..Zealand. , „

The London County Council Education Committee has "decided to equip each school" with a model nursery, in which girls will be taught how to take care of infants. Each nursery will have an imitation baby and a galvanised oval tub - wherein the, specimen baby may be washed.

In common with other stations m the Ashburton County, a busy time has been experienced at the Tinwald. rail-, way ''station, this"^season in ■lianulin.g' gVain aiid other farm' produces--Gram and potatoes are still pouring in, =j : >

The Turkish Government has given oiut an order for a million metres ot grey and-khaki ,vvoollens,,. The f urkislt. army is being reorganised orice again, and* is to be equipped and < uniformed in • accordance with Western ..ideas ,j, hence this large order for." woollen fabrics of,best^ah'aterials; ■' ■'■'"'■"' ' '"'There was a picturesque scene inuthev Gulf of when an. international motor-car race was run from St. Petersburg to Cronstadt and back, a distance of 50 miles, the course being over ice and snow. The 16 competitors were, escorted on their way_ by a number of ice-yachts. The' winner covered the distance in 54 minutes.

Mr Andrew Carnegie has founded another benevolent and reform trust fund. The new foundation is put entirely into the hands of church people, and the income -. is: to be expended through distinctly church channels and under Christian auspices. The' capital which Mr Carnegie has allotted to this purpose is 2,000,000 dollars, and he has suggested that the income should be devoted in part; to arranging for international exchanges of eminent preachers, as the uhiversitie-s of different countries have latterly come to exchange professors.

France is again alarmed over her decreasing birth-rate, which has fallen so low that more people actually die .yearly than come into the world. Although the subject is being seriously studied no .legal measures; have so far . been successful.' In view : of'the rapid ; increase in the population of f Germany, the decline in that of France imperils the country. It is admitted on ah sides that had the inpreas© of population of the two countries kept abreast of each other the necessity of increasing the French term of military service from two to three years would not have arisen.

, A Press Association telegram' from Auckland states that' arrangements have been made with Major A. E. M. Norton, trade commissioner in London for South Australia, .to accept the position-of managing director .of the Bristol and Dominion Producers' Association. He will assume office in the middle of next, month and will undertake the whole control of the Association's business in England, .directing the distribution of shipments among the 'various' markets and controlling, the sale of produce. He will visit Australia^ and New Zealand ; leaving London immediately after he assumes his new position next month.

A narrow escape from a great catastrophe occurred at Reef ton on Wednesday night at the Convent School concert, when a torch carried by one of the spirits of the night jn : the play accidentally touched the muslin djess of one of the girls. There was an instant flare-.{.says■ -iiiS Gr^iilQUth. .J}. gtar■•*) , and then another child's dress caught, but fortunately those on the stage had bhe presence of mind to put out the flames at once. Bliss Lily Loubere, who was acting the part of the magician at the lime, after a moment's pause, came forward with great courage, and went on with her speech. The episode only occupied a moment or so. and was over before the audience rda-lised what had happened.

Brigadier Hoare, of the Salvation Army, in the course of a statement in conection .with a young people's , campaign which is to be conducted throughout the Dominion from May 16 to May,2s, points out (the "Dominion" states) that last year, during a similar effbrt no fewer than 254 young people,■:.were registered^at the mercy seat, anc]. 158 children •added 1 to _ the; Class 'registers.,'. The campaign- will be 'ilndef '•■'tlie control of.-•the chief secretary, who is in charge of the Army's operations in New Zealand during the absence of Commissidnerr-.Rich.ardS'''••■in. ■London. .'-".'"' ' ' '■ v. "■" '•i; '

When.,the harvest is over and the stacks dpf> jthfi:,paddocks, it is a favourite occupation for agriculturists to guess at the quantity of !grain contain■,ed in each stack. It would be thought that men reared on the land, and .who 1 had seen the grain while in the paddock, would be able to form a fairly accurate estimate of how many bushels a stack of "grain would thresh, just as expert butchers can guess almost to a pound w^hat a fat beast will turn the scales at.when dressed., The following incident, however, shows. that ; , the grain-grower is often a long, way: put; in his .estimate as '■ to .•the; Contents- of;; -a stacks;'.While''-', two.; -experienced^H'-mon: were? crossing ■■& paddock 'oi^Mv W. Langdori's, at Westerfield, the other day, they set to guessing the amount of grain, contained in two stacks of oats,! which they considered had been well built. The first thought that the two stacks would together yield 600 bushels, and was of opinion that they would not yield more, as the' straw was of a good length. The other offered to wager that they would not pan. out at as much as 700 bushels, remarking that lie had seen the crop when standing, and adding that it was a.50-bushel crop. Despite their experience, they were both-a long way out, for.'"■'when threshed the stacks returned 837 bushels 'first, (jfirtons and 59v seconds, a total of 896} bushels. The paddock averaged oH bushels to the. nhre, and. when threshing-it, Messrs Fitzgerald Brothers put through 24Q6| bushels in a little over 10 hours.

All tho Tinwald threshing mills, with the exception of one, haVe now pulled m, and the proprietors report having had a very successful season.

Dr. Chesson, of the Health Department, arrived an Ashburton by the second express from the north to-day and, m company with Dr. Finch (District Health Officer) and the Mayor (Mr H. Davis), Cr. Davison, and the Town Clerk (Mr A. MeOhire), visited the site in the riverbed that has been .suggested for the purposes of abattoirs.

A movement has been commenced in Wellington with the object of forming a New Zealand branch of the Optimists' Club of the 1 British Empire. A strong committee of representative business men has been set up, and ' a preliminary meeting is to be held tomorrow night.

A Christchurch Press Association telegram states that Hugh Granger, bookmaker, was charged at the Court to-day with the fraudulent conversion of £1050, the property of E. F. Neate. Mr T. M. Wilford appeared for the defendant. Mr Hanlon, for Neate, said he had no evidence to offer, and the case was struck out.

The recent improvements to the post office at the Tinwald Railway Station are greatly appreciated by the public as well as the- postal officials. Postal business is on the increase at Tinwald, and, despite the additions to the building, the accommodation,, is fully taxed already, and customers have been found tor all the private boxes^at their disposal- , • ",,.M)''

A cyclist was placed...in a nasty ./.predicament on the Ashbur.tpn Traffic fridge-by the driver' of a vehicle this afternoon. The man. in cr c:harge of the vehicle evidently did, not, see, the .^cyclist, for he jammed the latter against the rails. and narrowly missed him with the wheel, > despite xttfie''"fact that the cyclist kept calling out to try and attract the driver's attention. Though the wheelman got off with only the loss of some skin from one hand, he received a. good fright..: v

'The United States JPos/fcmaster-Gene-■ralv is considering ■' the adoption of. +. new form of postcard, which will show not only .the street address of the recipient, but his telephone number also. Upon its arrival at the destination 'tjje 'clerk'would immediately call up tht telephone number, arid ask for the person to whom the -card is addressed', and read the message, • after which tin card would be delivered in the ustial way. The card would bear a special stamp, costing five cents,, and. woulc have preference over other first-class mail matter, in the same manner ;: , the 1 special delivery letters do now. A* reply postcard would be 10 cents.

v An insect pest, known in France* as the;pyrale, has for the last two or three years been, working, havoc among the Vineyards of the region of Bea.ujolais. !Against this pest•the yinegrowers have adopted a curious and apparently effective remedyi The moth or,'butterfly'of the pyrale is attracted by a-bright light, and the. owners of the. vineyards have fixed acetylene lamps around their areas, the flames being exposed, and the lamps placed over a bowl containing petroleum. At dusk the lamps are lit, and, as the night darkens, thousands: of the insects rush-to the light arid eiher perish in the.;flames or in the petroleum.. In the course of 18 nights, an,d employing experimentally two lamps 50 yards apart,rl7ojOOO; of' tlifes*© insects were killed.- : ;.;, .-....■■: ' '■ ■ ';

■■Whom it train goes through a tunnel the .resistance of j-the air is an important factor, experiments "having demonstrated that it measures 13.861b per ton of train weight in the Simplon Tunnel/ as against-only"8181b in the open air,-a difference of over 50 per cent. This is when the. train is running at 37 miles an hour in the direction of the ventilating air current; when running in the opposite direction the resistance increases to 20.461b. These points point out, the. significance of the new tunnel, costing,., some £1,800,000, which; : is 'now being built and will parallel the old, with numerous cross tunnels connecting tlieni, to promote an equilibrium between the air masses in.the tunnels, and thus reduce the resistance. :,:.■■

The disastrous elEsct in India of the wild talk indulged in by Tories as to "civil war'" in Ulster wa.s recently emphasised by Mr T. P. O'Connor, M.P., at Wellington, Salop. Referring to the threat that whatever the people of this country might do the people of Ulster would rise in arms, Mr O'Connor said that was a gospel -which was new in history. The odious infection of the new Tory doctrine had shpwn itself in many parts of the Empire. The speeches of the Orange leaders were printed with groat care in organs of sedition m Tndia, and Indians were boing taught by Tories to read the gospel of rebellion and anarchy. Had they come to this, in free and f democratic England, that when the democracy had elected its Parliament and''its Ministry, the Army is to be placed against the people p A more mischievous,. wicked, and prejudicial doctrine he had never heard.

'! "Among the very poor marriage is pea'sing to be regarded as a necessity." .This.statement was made by Mrs Cobderi Sanderson ;at a a-eceiijip in tlio, Institute, Lpndon.- ; ■ Mrs .^Sanderson wont-■on to explain that it jHyas .\h& desire, of -the Divorce Law Reform .'Union, that the marriage bond should be ; strengthened, not loosened. Poor women, 'unable to obtain divorce, took the remedy into their own hands and established free unions. In her opinion, to compel two people to maintain a tie of which both were weary was not to raise the ideal of marriage. "I fan understand the viewpoint of the Catholic or High Churchmaft who objects to divorce " altogether," Mrs Sanderson said, " but I cannot understand the attitude of mind of those who, admitting Ihc principle of divorce', will not have the grounds of release extended."