LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4060, 17 May 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A record was established at the W'aingawa freezing works on Wednesday, wiien Messrs Bishop and Alexander slaughtered between them 61 head of cattle in seven hours.

The< Hon. G. W. Russell and Dr.. Valentine, during their visit to. Ashburton to-day, paid a.visit of inspection to the 'i'uarangi Old Men's Home, and were shown over the institution, lioth expressed satisfaction at the excellence of the Home and the comfort provided there.

In one of the schools on the West Coast the lady who cleans the building is evidently a true unionist. When requested by the headmaster to perform some additional work, she bluntly refused, with the curt comment that it was "not in her scuttle of duties."

The lowest tender for the continuation of an iron fence and gates between Queen Street and King's Wharf, Auckland, w/s about £8000, or nearly double the pre-war price. The work is not to be proceeded with until after

the war

Advice has been received by a Hampstead resident that Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., Mr Skinner (Commissioner of Crown Lands), and Mr Stowell (District Valuer), of Christchurch, have been appointed members of a commission to define the boundaries in connection with the inclusion of the Netherby district in the Borough of Ashburton.

" We should get rid of petty feelings and aim for the big objects, and every farmer, whether he is a small farmer or a millionaire farmer, should drop his own petty difficulties and work together for the benefit of the whole community of farmers. It is only by united efforts that great objects can be achieved," said Major Lusk at a meeting of at Waerenga-a-hika on Thursday.

Mr C. W. Nicoll, hon. secretary of the Ashburton County Wai- Relief Society,, interviewed the Hon. G. W. Russell to-day, and asked whether the Government would make provision for the accouchemant of soldiers' wives. The Minister replied that arrangements had been made for soldiers' wives to be admitted to the St. Helen's Homes, and kept there during the term of their accouchement, free of cliarge. The Government expected the patriotic societies to provide the money for travelling expenses^ ; ;

At a meeting last ni^lit the Greymouth Municipal-Elections Patriotic Association, which was formed for the purpose of the municipal elections campaign, decided that the organisation should continue. Its name was altered to the Greymouth Citizens' League, so that, should the necessity again arise, it will be ready for action. An executive of seven members was appointed, whose functions would be to call meetings of citizens at any or all times it is considered that the best interests of the town are jeopardised by any section of the community. The chairman said that the result of the elections, which was a complete victory for the patriotic ticket, had retrieved the good name of the town throughout the Dominion, and he expressed a hope that that name would be zealously guarded.

It has been reported that regulations will shortly be issued on the recommendation of the National Efficiency Board prohibiting the manufacture of cakes and pastry, and restricting the household delivery of bread. These steps are reported to be necessary in order to conserve the supplies of wheat in thex country, and to provide the efficiency of the Dominion in the matter of manpower. Bakers and pastrycooks, who were interviewed by a Wellington reporter, said they had no definite information. The Efficiency Board had consulted one or two members of the trade, but, so far as was known, had not invited bakers and pastrycooks generally to give evidence as to the essential nature of the work on which they were engaged. So far as the retail delivery business was concerned, this was now being restricted-by the shortage of labour. When a baker's driver left to go into camp it was not possible to fill his place, and the bread 'cart had to be taken off the road. Wholesale deliveries to grocery stores and shops in the suburbs were now be-" ing extended, and in fche natural course of events there would ultimately be practically no retail deliveries by bakers' carts.

Discussing the class of land provided for returned soldiers at Friday's meeting of the Returned Soldiers' Association, in Palmerston North, Captain McDonnell said the Government should not always be blamed. He had recently been in Marlborough, and there were some very goodv'propositions there for returned men. There were some excellent small holdings. Off one block of 12 acres a returned man took £120 last year, besides keeping himself and his family. On another area of 14 acres a man kept 10 cows, and he took £200 from them and his pigs last year. Certainly he had two paddocks about a mile apart, and it took him from about 7.30 to 10 a.m. to drive 'his cows.from one to the other; but there ■was--plenty of grass on the sides of the road in this district a^so. (Laughter.) Only four or five of these blocks were taken up. Some other land had been cut up in Marlborough that had been running three-quarters of a sheep to the acre. It was now in 600-acre blocks, and would jun a sheep to the acre, and could be obtained at an upset rental of 5s per acre—a very fair proposition, probably better than anything that was being offered to the soldiers about here.

f Tyre Vulcanizing by Experts.—G. H. Carson has recently installed a Shaler Electric Tyre Vulcanizing Plant. For sectional repairs to tyres and bursts a.nd punctures in tubes tlie electric process is ahead of all others. An exps*^ tyi'e repairer takes charge of all tuToo and tyre repairs. The fact that his work has earned a good reputation keeps him fully employed. "Moderate char gas and satisfactory work" is tha motto at Carson's. .. . ■ J... . .. ...X. ■ -V.»-i!

'•During' the inspection of the Ashburton Hospital grounds to-day, the Hon. G. W. Russell mentioned to Dr. Valintino that,, if necessary, there would not be much difficulty in providing shelters for returned, consumptive soldiers requiring treatment. Dr. Valintine replied that there was ample room, and that Ashburton was a very good place, with a very good climate.

Nurse Cameron, who was matron on the ill-fated hospital ship "Marquette," arid who has been an inmate of the Christchurch Private Hospital for some 13 months, is now in the Ashburton Hospital. Nurse Cameron is suffering from shock as a result of her trying experience during the sinking of the "Marquette," and it is hoped that the climatic change will be ol considerable benefit. The Hon. G. W. Russell, while inspecting the hospital to-day, had a brief conversation with her, and expressed hopes for a speedy recovery.

A reservist whose principal aim in life is apparently to cut blackberries appeared before the First Military Service Board at Auckland last week. He said he had been cutting blackberries all his life, as did his grandfather before him, and he expected to go on cutting them until the end of his days. He added that he had 11 goats to assist him to cope with the blackberry pest. A little later his mother said the blackberries were introduced by her father, and .. they were paying the penalty. Major Cony lan- remarked that the war Would do some men good, as it would'take them away from the environment of continuous '. blackberry cutting. The board, having heard of blackberries before, allowed the appellant until the end of next month to struggle with them.

The difficulty which has been experienced by. the Auckland fellmongers in obtaining sufficient supplies of skins under the Government requisition scheme has now, it is believed, been overcome. The local establishments require about 15,000 skins weekly to keep .them in full operation, and in order to supply them a considerable augmentation from the Southern provinces has been- necessary. Hitherto only a limited quantity has been obtainable, chiefly owing, to the lack of shipping accommodation. It has now been arranged that about 100 bales per week shall regularly be sent from Wellington, and the necessary shipping space has been reserved. It is also intended that the whole of the, skin output of the Taranaki district shall be brought to Auckland, and from these two sources', added to the local supplies, it is considered that all 1 requirements will be met.

The relationship of capital and labour formed the 1 subject of some discussion at the meeting of the Auckland Provincial and Industrial Association on Wednesday. It was pointed out that at present we were like the nations before .the war —preparing for war. "We" are practically in a stage of siege at the present time," said one speaker, " and. we should bring our best talent to bear on the question, with, a view., to arriving at some. solution.'- As things are" now," he continued, "those engaged in the industries are not interested in them v: and I must say that in -some- cases I can hardly blame them." After some discussion it was resolved that Mr C. E. Daniel^ chairman of , the Wellington Harbour Board, be asked to deliver a paper or an address i on the question at an early date, a similar request to be, made to Mr Veitch, M.P. . for Wanganui.

The extent to - which wo purchase goods manufactured outside of Britain formed the subject of a somewhat scathing comment in a communication to the Auckland Provincial and Industrial Association last week. The existing condition in the Dominion, said the writer, was a disgrace to any British community. "I cannot see," he continued, "the logic of boycotting the trade of one foreign nation (as we have rightly done to Germany) only to be swamped by another, i.e., Japan, with America a good runner-up. There is hardly a necessary or unnecessary article to be had in Auckland without one or the other of these brands. Their cheapness appeals to the average shopper more than their utility or quality, and it is high time the community was shaken up to the duty it owes to. British manufacture, and the necessity of getting the rubbish now entering the Dominion sufficiently taxed to protect their own goods."