LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8463, 31 May 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The recent heavy rama have been responsible for the discovery of several leaks in the roof at the Borough School.

It is not very often that rabbits are aeen in the Borough, but a local resident informed a " Guardian " reporter to-day that recently he has seen several running about in the Domain..

At a recent meeting several residents intimated that they would bo willing to assist in making pull-throughs, as every one of these necessary articles in a soldier's equipment means a saving of 9d to the Defence Department. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm which was manifested by several members is apparently on the wane, and the recent classes have been poorly attended.

About 200 of the soldiers from the Willochra, who were released from quarantine yoßterday, passed through Ashburton last evening. , A large crowd of local residents assembled on the platform to accord the soldiers a welcome. Members of the Patriotic Committee were present, and arranged for providing the men with refreshments and cigarettes. As the train steamed out the troops wore warmly cheered.

Now that the rain and clouds have cleared away the portion of the Southern Alps to be seen from Ashburton presents a magnificent sight. , They are one great panoply' of snow, clothing the mountains in a mantle of virgin whiteness that extends to their base. In the early morning, especially,; the scene is one of surpassing grandeur, which cannot be excelled in any part of New Zealand. The : snowf-clad ranges have excited the admiration of many travellers passing through on the trains.

Something in the nature of. a mild strike occurred-at. .Waiwera a few days ago among the hands. employed in Mr Roan's chaff-cutting mill (says the "Otago D/vily Times")- The-"price fixed at the beginning, of the 'season i for chaff-cutting was 6d per ton, and the farmer for whom the work was to be done refused to give more than 6d. The men refused to start work at this price, nnd 'some, of them left. A scratch team was finally got together, and the work, which involved'the cutting-of-less than six tons of chaff was completed. The total amount saved-at the "5d rate was therefore less than 6d.

Some unusual importations, of Oregon timber have recently been landed, and betoken that the sawmilling industry of the district is approaching its end. Tho* timber in question, says the Auckland "Herald's" Dargaville correspondent, was wholly of long lengths, for wide building spans, now unobtainable in kauri. All tho seven district sawmills are in full swing, and a plentiful supply of logs is now assured for the remainder of the year. During the months of January, February, and ■March tho exports of sawn timber from Kaipnra were valued at £11,576. For the week ended May 2 the exports were valued at £9138.

The man who behaved in such a pnculiar manner on Saturday night at ■Kaiapoi was arrested yesterday. His name is Peter McNab, and he was apparently in a normal condition when taken into custody. He- was charged at the Magistrate's Court, before. Messrs J. T-]. Blackwell and I?. Wylio. J/s.P., with wilfully breaking two Sanes of glass, the property of Nicholas oorge, and was remanded till to-day, bait being allowed, self in £10 and' one 1 surety of £10. To-day, McNab was fined £o, in the alternative a month's j imprisonment, and ordered to make good tho damage he had done. A prohibition order was also issued against him. The Bench said accused's folly might have had grave consequences, i seeing the state of tension in the district over the recent murders.

Private K. G. Smith, who was subeditor of the Manawatu "Times" until leaving with the Second Reinforcements, returned by the Willochra, and was amongst the soldiers who passed through by train last night. ' In conversation with .a "Guardian" reporter he stated .that the Dunedin residents treated the soldiers on the/Quarantine Island exceptionally well, and sent over consignments ,of all, sorts of delicacies. . The men counted their brief stay on the Quarantine Island amongst the happiest times spent since they left New Zealand. The' Dunedin residents even arranged a concert party for the benefit of the troops; the performers came within hearing distance of the Island, and the concert was greatly enjoyed by all. At various stopping places on the run through from Dunedin they had received liberal supplies of refreshments.: Private Smith, amongst other members of the Army Service, Corps, has been sent back to New Zealand to report for duty. Owing to their enforced stay on the Island,: their holiday leave has been curtailed, and they have now to report for duty in 1Q days' time.

Nothing helps to pass away a winter's evening like good music. This has been brought within the reach of every one by the Gramaphone. It will play,'n sing, or recite. It brings the world's best artists into your own room.—Hi P. Evans, Burnett Street, has Gramaphones and Phonographs from £4,10s to £76, and hundreds of Records to select from. 100

A Hokiiika telegram states that the Harihari cheese factory, in South Westland, has been advised that a shipment of its cheese, per s.s. Delphic, lias realised the record price of 110s.

The Rev, I). C. Bates, Government Meteorologist, has' forwarded a new maximum thermometer- for use at the Ashburton weather station. The old instrument, which was not registeringcorrectlv. has been discarded.

Gunner Charles Dunstan, a returned soldier, has been appointed as a recruiting officer for the Ashburton Borough: Although ho has been canvassing for only a few days, ho has been successful in getting a number of recruits.

Mr E, -Parkin, Ashburton, some months a^o sent to^ Mr Walter Bradley, Yorkshire, fc.for a trio of Brown Leghorn cockerels from hia celebrated breeding pens. The birds arrived in Ashburton on Saturday, and although in poor condition are splendid types of birds. ■

.- The secretary of the' Ashburton Hospital Board informed a "Guardian" reporter to-day that no cases of infectious diseases had been notified in the board's district since May 22. A case of chicken-pox was recently reported, in. the J&prough, but this is not a notifiable disease.- ■,

A Manawatu farmer, who passed through Ashburton to-day, informed- a " Guardian ", reporter that farmers in that district are very keen at present on raising funds for a; soldiers' club in Palmerston North. They have already contributed 2200 sheep to be disposed of by art union, and the proceeds will be handed over to the club funds.

The Ashßurton. Borough Council has received a letter from Dr. Pearson, Government Analyst, . Christchurch, in reference to the,samples of water taken from the tank at the infants' school, stating that outbreaks of diphtheria are usually duo to carriers, and^not to water. The council lias decided"not to send the samples "forward for analysis.

When a recruit is being medically examined two questions.to be answered are: "Have you ever had an illness?" and "Have you ever had an accident?" One recruit who enlisted at the Ashburton Defence Office to-day answered those' questions as follows:—"Yes, I had measles 15 years ago,"' and "I fell off a see-saw, when a .child.'' It is not known whether he thought that this would exempt him from sen-ice, or whether this was his idea of humour.

At the Supreme Court at. Wanganui on Tuesday, Mr Justice Edwards mentioned a practice which is not fully understood by the public. If a, prisoner was sentenced to two years' imprisonment he would be liberated after a period of 18 months if his conduct in gaol was good. Good conduct, or, rather, the absence of bad conduct, meant that a prisoner's term of confinement wa»' always reduced 'by onefourth.

Surprisingly few people remember France owns five littJe tracts of land in India. They are:—Charidanagar, near Calcutta; Pondicherry, Karikal, and Yanaori, on the Coromandel coast, north or south of Madras; and Mahe, r>n the Malabar coast, almost duo west of Pondicherry. The total area of the five i.s about 218 square miles, but the noDula-tion numbers about 250,000, and the total volume of ; trade is worth (Something like, one and a-quarter million sterling,., and .practically) all the export trade "is'" rice",./sent, to France itself or other colonies. Pondicherry, the seat of government for all these little tracts,, is but 83 miles south of Madras. , ..

The Relief Committee of the Auckland' Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association has now 1160 cases on its files. In a report submitted to the executive at its meeting last week (the "New Zealand Herald" states) the committee stated that the amount disbursed up to March 31 last was £5131, and that accounts passed for payment each fortnight approximated £300. One phase of the committee's work was helping recruiting. This was the assistance given to men who could not pay their board, and' couldl not go into camp until it was paid. Several such liabilities had been settled by the committee, which had also enabled married- men to enlist who would otherwise have been unable to do so, by making payments to their^ dependents agnihst the men's first military pay.

Somo time ago we published a cable messago from London stating that Germans in New York had published a facsimile oi" London "Punch" containing cartoons taken from "Punch's" issues in 1861-62-63 and 1877-78.. Those cartoons; as might have been expected in those critical years, were somewhat caustic in their representation of tho attitude of'the people of America with regard to Great Britain, a.nd. it occurred to the Germans that the pictures might servo to create an antiBritish feeling. ■ Unfortunately for the oromoters of the,scheme, tho General Manager-of "Punch* 1 happened to be in New York when the copies were pub^ lished, and a,s a result of his representations to tho State Department tho whole of the issue was confiscated. Tho proprietors oi" "Punch 1' have forwarded to this'office a copy of tho issue, which is' at: least a tribute to German ingenuity.

In a letter regarding tho. protection of hawks received by_ Mr J. A.. Young, M.P., from the Minister-of Internal Affairs,' it is' stated ih a t the ■I) epar tment lias- decided to protect these birds this year, as it was strongly urged that they, being the natural enemy of tho rabbit, should now be protected, (says the " Dominion '•)• It is impossible, says the Minister, to deal with the matter differently in any" one portion of the country, but it*'is hoped to doat with the matter during' the present session. Mr Russell adds, however, that under the existing Act he has power to authorise any person to destroy animals or birds found on his property and committing damage. If application is made by tho owners of property that is being so destroyed he will favourably consider such application.

Some good deer heads are reported to havt> hoei] obt/aiiMjd irom the JlakaiaGorge this year. The deer arc said to bo thriving/but good heads are difficult to. obtain, . i

The Defence Department* announce© ' that private- messages for members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forcesin France or England should be addressed: "Vanquisher, London."

Two of the Willochra soldiers' missed! the train at Ashburton last evening, and accommodation was provided for them by members of the Patriotic Committee. One of the men was suffering i:roin deafness brought about by shell concussion, and did not hear the train whistle. Roth soldiers were sent on to Cjiristchurch this morning.

In conversation with' a " Guardian "' reporter to-day, a local' resident expressed the opinion that Ashburton. would not be troubled' with' much more infectious- disease this winter. "The' cold rain; followed by such beautiful' clear, bracing air, and' tlie prospect of heavy frosts," he said, "will" do more to kill'germs than all tlie efforts of tKe Borough Council, and Hospital Board' put together.'*' '

An Ashburton recruiting officer was. trying ' to." persuade a s man to Enlist,, and had successfully overcome numerous, objections which tlio man had considered insuperable. . Obviously, hfc wasnot keen to become a fighting man, and at last he produced his trump' card. "I'm quite certain the doctor wouldn't pass me," he % declared, "because I. fell off the train coming from Christchurch the other night." The recruiting officer could not miss such, an opening as this, and promptly retorted: "Why, you're just the man we want. If you can fall off a train and come up smiling your place .is in the trenches, where they need men who can stand hard knocks." Eventually the man said' he«would consider the matter. , i