LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8300, 19 November 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In his address at llakaia last evening, Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P., referred particularly to the noble sacrifice made by mothers of New Zealand in giving their sons to the Empire. In Dunedin, he stated, there was a poor widowhad had sent three sons to the war, and she stood on the platform and waved her hands and smiled until the train left. Thon she returned home by a. back street completely broken down, and cried " My God, my three boys, all I've got." Mr Isitt contended that .such noble examples of-sacri-fice must be followed before the war could bo brought to a successful conclusion .

A peculiar discovery was made recently by the postmistress at Haimtii (says the Ekotahuna. "Express"). She had boen 1 much Avorried, as the letter box contained a certaiu amount of rubbish, in the.shape of sticks, grass, etc. over}' time she opened it. Not only that, but on two occasions letters.that had been posted were picked up outside the letter box. Then one day quit? recently a settlor, in a-.somewhat disturbed state of mind, asked her if sho always" cleared tlio box. "Yes," was the reply. ■ The young man explained to her that ho had posted a lot-tor containing a cheque for £10, and that it had not reached its destination. He- looked about, and near a- small desk he Sound the letter that ho had posted. The miscreant had been found, as very early ono morning lately a starling was seen to oomo out of the letter box, and at once the postmistress could inform the callers who had been tampering with the letter box.

Trooper Thomas Marshall, married, and 28 years of age, belonging to Lower llutt. died in Wellington hospital last night. Ho had been ill for three months.

In connection .with an article on the breeding of rabbits, which recently appeared in the " Guardian," it may be mentioned that the descendants of a single pair of rabbits would, in four years, amount to over 1J million.

About 400 men from between Timaru and Dunedin passed through Ashburton by a special train last evoking on their way to join the 10th Reinforcements in ilic northern training camp. There was a fair crowd of Ashburtonians upon the. platform to welcome the men who received a.good reception.

A Press Association telegram from D lined in says that the hairdressers' dispute was settled By the Conciliation Council this morning. The employers offered a reduction of hours from 52 to 50, and a rise in journeymen's wage from £2 15s to £3. The union accepted the terms, though its principal desire was to close, at 6.30 instead of 8 o'clock on throe days in the week, for a term of two years.

The increasing motor car traffic on the Alforct' Forest: Road is likely to result in au application to the County Council \o have some improvement made to Morgan's Corner. Even in daylight there is an element of danger at this spot, especially when a nor'wost wind brings- along rolling billows of dust, and at night the danger , is much greater. The purchase of a very small strip of land at the corner and the straightening of the fence is all that is necessary' to mako tjhe road quite safe.,, ;

Details of a tragedy. which was enacted on board the Dutch lugger Noor 7 dzeo became .known at Grimsby -recently when the Noordzee arrived in. the Humber in tow of a Norwegian steamer. Tho Dutch craft was observed by the steamer about 130 miles off Scarborough, drifting helplessly. The captain of the Norwegian vessel sent a small boat to the.lugger to investigate, and the whole of the crew, including the skipper, were, it is reported, found to be insane. They were taken aboard tho steamer and brought, along with their vessel, into the Humber. The naval authorities took charge .of the case and discovered from the ship's papers that three men were missing. The rcmaniuig 10 were questioned, and it was reported that the missing men had been killed. Tho crew of the lugger, it seems, had become frenzied with drink, and proceeded to dismantle the ship." The rails were torn down and thrown overboard, hatchways were dismantled, and the decks were practically cleared. The vessel drifted until observed by the Norwegian steamer.

The many changes that have recently taken place in the ownership of farms in the" Ashburton County, and the consequent influx of settlers from.other parts of the Dominion-,-.''have., had the effect of directing attention ,to; the scarcity of direction boards at the junctions of most of the roods. A '"Guardian"" representative who made a tour of the Highbank district was informed that it is no uncommon-hap-pening for settlers to be roused out of their beds at all hours of the night by strangers and new arrivals in the district, who have lost their bearings through the absence of sign-posts. It is stated by people from other parts who travel through the Ashburton County that in this matter it is easily the ■ worst ■• in New Zealand. One irate individual who had suffered great inconvenience by not being able to ascertain which road to take, suggested that if the Ashburton County councillors would change places for a year with the- members of the Selwyn County Council, they would get a valuable lesson in up-to-date methods of making the County roads more acccssibe.