LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9477, 14 December 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to Monday being a general holiday, the meeting of the Asliburton Borough Council has been postponed for a week. Some alterations in the Borough water mains will be made on Monday, and the electric power will be cut off during the forenoon. Mr Duncan Mackinnon, an Indian merchant, and former chairman of the British-India Steam Navigation Company, left an estate valued at £11,781,000. The duty paid amounts to £1,308,667. The new railway station being erected at Chortsey is much more commodious than the old one, and provision is being made for post office facilities, it is expected to be ready for occupation next month. Robert Cree, thought to be a visitor from Waiau, was found lying dead in the backyard of the Railway Hotel, Christenurch, yesterday. It was stated that he was in ill-health when he came into. town, and, that ho might have fallen out of an upstairs window; . , ; At the. Dunodiiv G/ity Police / Courtyesterday; ' Ellis M'atlihew Peacock, driver of a motor-car, was charged with -manslaughter as the result of a fatal accident" to Thomas Lloyd, on .November 28, deceased having been knocked- down by. a car driven by accused. The' Magistrate held that no criminal neglect had been shown, and dismissed the charge. ' •• Mr Philip Gibbs is believed to have the longest record of uninterrupted service as a newspaper correspondent at the front. Some little time ajjo,. however, illnessi made it necessary for him to take a rest in, England.. His health has been affected, by the strain of unremitting: toil under conditions which were not favourable to one of his slender physique. A message received by the Govornor- . General from the Secretary of Sta.te. for the Colonies gives the following statement of the Admiralty:—"The censorship on all naval articles, photoj graphs, etc., has been removed. The ! Press, authors, artists, photographers, | and kinematographers need not subj mit anything to the naval censorship., which has reverted to. the pre-war' conditions. The censorship on naval books, articles, etc., held up during the war has been taken off." Some funny experiences are related by the medical assistants. It was on one of the country roads, and the lady of the house was reported to be very ill. The medical assistant looks her ud and takes her temperature, etc. Just then in comes the daughter of the house, who promptly proceeds to sit on the bottom of the bed. The old lady' lets out a scream. "What's wrong ?"• meekly asked ' the. M.A. "She's sitting on the chicks !" Sure enough, in"the same bed as the patient 1 was a brood of chicks, put there to keep them warm ! No amount of expostulation on the part of the M.A. would make the old lady remove the chicks, which are still there !—Tar-a-naki "News." , .

Mr S.E. McCarthy, S.M., held an encjuiry at Christchurch yesterday into the circumstances surrounding t'}§ death of an old man, 80 years of age, named - James Ross, who was found (load, jji a bath at his residence, 29 Cambridge early yesterday morning. Prom the fact that deceased was discovered lying, face down in the bath, his neck under a handkerchief which was affixed to a can and a bucket, it was" surmised that it was a wise of suicide. It was stated'in the evidence- that deceased had been in failing health for some time. The Coroner returnee! » verdict _ that deceased was found drowned in a bath in Ills residence, such drowning being tho deliberate act of deceased.

In a. military centre not 100 miles from London (says an 'English writer) the colonel of'a well-known, regiment was invited, with his officers, to a lunch and entertainment at the house of a local lady who had shown much ■hospitality in this way, especially to the wounded men. When the officers arrived in bheir motor-car, the• ■ lady recognised the driver as a^girl friend, and she promptly invited her to join the party. But she was told that this would not lie possible, as she could not be entertained with her superior officers. "Oh'!"-said the lady, "it's all right. The colonel used to be our chauffeur, and he has told me that .he would like to go and have lunch With his friends in the servants' hall." So the lady-driver lunched with the hostess. ,

An Auckland lady accidentally found herself in an embarrassing, if amusing,, situation one day this week (says the Auckland "Star"). She had commenced bo bake some dainties, and, requiring some additional eggs, sho rushed down the garden to a fowlhouse, the door of which locked behind her. She tried every limited means in her power to re-open the door, but it was of no.avail, and sho was a prisoner with her only outlook through glass, of which the front of the fowlho'use wks built. Her two daughters were, away from home, and so her calls brought no relief. Her anxiety was intensified by.the knowledge that a big fire was in tho kitchen stove and the oven was full. She gave up hope of getting free.; At last her little girl came homo, and, after searching the house, found her distressed mother. By this time' the contents of the- ; ovenwere utterly destroyed. , \ ■' '■■■ .-

Get away for awhile, from the sfermladen dust of the city. AKAROA is just the nlxj.co to so. iDars. from Broadway's, 'Christchnrch, daily. . . C

Motor Trucks for Sale.—G. H. Garson has for sale for immediate delivery two Jewitt I-ton to 30cwt. Truck attachments for converting 20 or 30----h.p. Oars of any make into reliable Motor Trucks. - The Jewitt Truck unit has internal gear drive, which is the accepted best system amongst Truck builders to-day This unit attached to a Ford Enpino nnd Chassis is capable of taking any hill road with one ton up, and it is very reliable in operation. The Jewitt attachments in-.stock are now being gold by Mr Carson for £110 each nett. Coupled to a Ford Chassis and fitted with lorry body ready for the road, the price % from £230. Farmers and business men are invited in inspect the Jewitt Truck, Chassis at G. TT. Carson's Garage, Ta.nered St.. Ashburton. ,

Advertising pays when a smmrt article of good value is regularly placed before the public in the right- mcdia — j sudb as the "Guardian."

Three influenza patients were discharged from the Methven . Hospital yesterday, and three from the County Hospital, and another three to-day. There are now 14 influenza patients at Mothven Hospital, and fivo in the County Hospital. Lord Lovat's noted deer forests of Stray and Branlen, in Inverness-shire/ are to bo devoted to stock-raising. About 30,000 acres of Branlen have been converted into a cattle ranch, and 20,000 acres of Struy have been put under sheep. Mr Henry Ford, who was recently defeated for the United States Senate, has announced his retirement from the: active management of hiss,, automobile. business. A cable message from Vancouver states that he has bought a newspaper in Dearboon (Indiana), and will become the editor of it. "Female telephonists .who are required to possess a knowledge of one foreign language will in future receive an allowance of Is 6d a week, to be carried beyond the maximum of the scale.. If two or more languages are reauired the allowance will be 2s 6d." This is official (says a Home exchange), and trives a truly British idea of the value of linguistic attainments. ' The Management Committee of. the ; Ota&o Educational, Institute .protest ! against, the inadequacy" of; the increase'; fiTanted by Parliament to teachers in I salaries, pointing out that Cabinet and Parliament have acted, in-direct opposition to the opinions expressed by the public throughout New. Zealand. — ; Press Association. . . The Government Meteorologist's forecast for torday was as follows:.— The indications are for freshening winds, strong to gale, and veering by west to south after about 24 to 26 hours. The weather will probably prove squally and changeable; Weather clouding over for rain later. Barometer falling, but rising after- about 24 hours. '■ The Wangamii Ministers' Association' yesterday decided to write- to the ' Christchurch Ministers'- Association statins that the local ministers, with i local knowledge, do not concur in the Ohfistchurch Association's attitude (as telegraphed) in regard'to the trcatiment of the men in the detention barracks. They consider the removal of the officers .sufficient ' punishment. It is pointed out that none of the imprisoned . objectors belonged to any religious denomination that is opposed to' military-'..service, At a meeting of the Ashburtou Trotting Club last night it was reported that arrangements were well jiv hand for the Boxing Day fixture, for the holding of which a permit had been received -from the Minister for Public Health. An application was received from the Navy League for a.contribution, and it was agreed*-to. donate £25 to the fund. In connection with the New Zealand Sapling Stakes, to be decided at the Winter Meeting in June, 1920. it was decided to increase the stake from 375 soys to 525 soys. A telegram from Blenheim states that, on beha]f of the Dominion Woolgrowers' Advisory Board, the chairman, Mr C. de. V. .Teschemaketj-Shute, cotitioned Parliament' to grant the repeated requests of the Board on behalf of the woolgrowers of the Doi minion—that the Department of Imjporial Government Supplies should, issue a' catalogifc 'of prices, "an* ■" so", ! reduce the cost of appeals-on small lots I of wool.' The petitioner was heard at j Wellington by the Stock Committee, I which, unanimously supported the petitioner and referred the petition to the Government for favourable consideration. .. . • ,

'■The Auckland City Council discussed a teleeranv ffonv the Hon. G. W. Russell to the Mayor (Mr J. H. Gunson), calling upon him to take measures for the protection of the health of , the city under the Act of 1908. The council resolved —"Inasmuch as the Minister had failed to withdraw his telegram of November 29, which, is strongly resented by the council and by the citizens of Auckland, the council requests that all further communications between the Department .of Public Health and the council be made through the officials of the Department and the Town Clerk."

An appalling tragedy occurred at the hlasb furnaces at Lithgow, New South Wales.''a few days ago. One of the furnaces was about to be tanked, when it prematurely blew out. William George Cox, a foreman, who was standing right in front of ,tne plug, received the full blast of the....white-hot molten mass, and he -'was"■immediately'''.buried beneath a. flood of metal. Henderson, the manager, was also very badly formed about the body. -Ben Goodwin was severely burned about the face, and it is feared that his eyes are affected. A number of other men were also more or less injured. Cox' was a. married man. with one son at the front. . , •

.Peasants of Picardy returning to -the villages recovered during . recant advances arc making curious .finds amid the heaps.of rubble which once were homes. A new fret-work * machine,-an ■ aviary containing a pair; of-• chaffinches still very much alive, a complete anatomical skeleton, a box ;pf dancing pumps, and an incubator packed .with the remains of eggs wexe .unearthed m a village near Albert. In 'the library of a. ruined chateau was found a. notebook, bearing .on its title-page the signature "of Napoleon Bonaparte. The book was dated at the time when ho was a, corporal, arid was filled with notes referring to foot-drills A dug-out-^-once a German battalion headauarters^—contained a well-filled bed of excellent mughrobnis. '■ . „

.At to-day's meeting of .committee'of the Ashburton A.'arid P. Association, "the chairman (Mr .J: Cow)- referred to' the' influenza .epidemic. Many ' Jives had been lost, and he asked the meeting to agree to a. resolution of condolence and sympathy with the relatives of those who had died. This was done in the usual manner. ,The chairman said that, many workers had done magnificently in fighting the epidemic, and lie thought these people deserved the thanks of the community and the A. and P. Association could be the first body to publicly express its thanks. He .moved that the thanks of the Ashburton A. and P.' Association be accorded to the workers who risked their lives and worked so well to combat the recent iniiueausa epidemic. This was seconded by the, vice-president (Mr A. Horsey), and carried with acclamation.

_Mt Roberts will conduct both services at the Mission, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Own-air at Post Office a.t 6.15. 12