LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9491, 3 January 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As far sis win bo leariu'd, Vv eduertdav'b ]/ailjit-onn in 'South Canterbury did notj cJitend iuLo the whvat areas.

•A J/.ondon correspondent mentions that 'on October 3lat Cox's ' Orange Pipp'ms WQro sold in Covent Gaiden mar]/i>t at 4s each, and Doyennes poai.'s at is (3d oach. On the same daj'i eggs were selling at auction in the, wholesale market at Braintree at over 8d eueli.

The Bisliop of Chelmfiford (Dr. Wntts Ditchiidd) has announced to the clergy of his dioccso chut he may be compelled to act as Controller of Sermons so far as deacons are, concerned, as so many discourses from the pulpit are ill-digestc-fl, and .stuff hurriedly put together."

A i'ow days ago a' youth employed Ivy a. farmer ut Grecustreet hurriedly left- his employment. Later a watch and a small sum of money belonging to another lad on the farm were also missing. The police wore informed, and the youth will be brought up on summons at the next siUing-or" tlie Magistrate's Court in A.shburton to answer a charge of theft.

I : A tologram to the Australian newa- [ papers states that when 2VJ i*. Lloyd '•George, the- Prime .Minister, was ad--1 dressing an overflow mooting at Bristol a few days ago, he fiaid thai Groat Britain would/ be guilty of a great .folly if she gave up her Navy. A voice: Thou watch' Wilson! Mr. •Lloyd George: Well/ I hope to see him in a fortnight, and I will toll Mm what you said. Wherever the request comes *l"roni, to are not going to give up the protection of our Navy, ,so far. as Great Britain is concerned..

Signor Orlando, Premier of Italy, speaking in the Chamber of Deputies a. few days ago, paid a warm tribute to Britain, declaring that the war would not have been won if Britain had not ensured the safety of maritime, commerce and she had not with traditional tenacity so' bravely faced the submarine war and transformed her "contemptible little army," to use the Kaiser's phrase, into the formidable national army which had covered itsol f with glory in France, Ttaly, the Balkans and Asia Minor. ' Great and prolonged applause followed tho speech.

Counies's Lavinia Mngri, better known as Mrs Tom Thumb, has celebrated her 77th birthday, says a New York message of the. first week in November. Tho Countess Magri was' a beautiful American girl, just 32 inches high, when- she married General Tom Thumb, a perfectly-proportioned man of 31 inches. The wedding took place in Ameiioa, and President Lincoln organised a special reception in their honour at .the White House, Washington. In the early; 'sixties the General, who had previously visited l'<oudon, took his bride there, and everybody wont to see the miniature pair. The General died in 1883 and Airs. Thumb afterwards married Count Magri, an Italian nobleman, of about her own height.

The forthcoming harvest in this County appeius to Ik- attracting the atlouUon of :> large number of men from various parts of the Dominion. At |bhe present time several early arrivals are. waiting in Ashburton for employment. The labour agencies are also inundated with telegrams and lelter.-i from various quarters all anxious to kuoiv whon operations will be in lull swing. Although there appeal's io be plenty of harvest labour oiTei-iii'i, the reverse is the case with shoarer-j, and many farmers have been obliged to struggle through as best ihov could wilh half the usual complement of shearers. The. shortage i* Jio doubt due to .UIC lateness of in the North Island, tho men not being available, as in former years, to lake up tho running in the South when the N't)rlh Inland sheds aro v clear. Tho ranks of shearers have alno been depleted through the rocent epidemic.

Mra W. G-. Gallagher, iiv forwarding particulars of the rainfall recorded at Braoklcy, - Mayiie}d. during 191S, states: —The heaviest fall registered for one monL-h was 5 inches 20 points, in November.. The total for the Tear 1918 was 3-1 inches. 66 jpoints, the figures, for 1917 boing 37 inches -10 points. Tho following were ihe monthly totals last year, the falls during 1917 being also given (in parentheses) for comparison: —January, 2 inches 81 points (1 inch 43 points); February. 4 inches GO points (1.86); March." 3 inches 40, points (4.20); April, 1 inch 10 points (1.82); May. 62 points (3.69); June, 2 inches. 79 points (84 points); July, 1 inch 15 points (3.35); August, 2 inches •53 ' points (1.94); September, 2 inches 82 points (6.92); October, 4 inches 33 point* (2.4.6); November, 5 inches 20 point s (1.59); December, 2 inches 71 points (7.06).

The managor of a large ■ business house in Wellington told a reporter that he found his positiou decidedly perplexing. "I, liavo the best staff now that I over had," he said. "I am using girls in places that were always filled by men before the war, and I say frankly that I am satisfied the change was for the good. The girls are just as intelligent as the men, they learn just as quickly, and they are more reliable and 'conscientious. There are exceptions on both sides, of course, and J ought to say that we pay good wages and get the best class of girl. We don't employ flighty 'flappers.' My trouble now is to find plaeeß for the returning men without doing damage to my staff and injustice to the girls, some of whom have been with us now for over three years. ,We are going to play the game by the men. Every man who went to tho front from this, office can come back at his old salary if ho wants to. But thore are going to bo more girls employed in this office than there were before the war."

■ Although 'the influenza epidemic m\ now apparently quite stamped out, its after-effects are still with us. In the<se bu&.v days of the holiday season and during the. hot weather this is particularly noticeable in .lack of energy. ( weariness, and general weakness. [The whole sjsiem neads toning up. Totty's Quinine" and 'Iron Tonic is especially suited for this purpose, containing, as il does, only the best drugs obtainable. With' the high cost of h'vincr father must not miss his work, and mother must be fit to see 1o her duties at home. A hot tie of this tonic will gi\c new vimlity to the nervous sv>U»m and new strength to the, whole body. Get. a. half crown bottle to-day froiri R. Totty, Burnett Street." C

\ cuso of diphtheria in Ilampstead 'vovs notified to the Hospital Board on

It is reported that tho hailstorm on Wednesday afternoon, damaged some of the crops in the Wheatstono district.

Borne thoughtful person, who evidently imagined the business people would forget that they had passed into the new year, on Wednesday evening chalked JOl9 on the doors of practically half the /business premises in ■ Ashburton.

The London "Daily Express"_ suggests the possibility of tho marriage of the I'rince of Wales with an American girl, and points out that tho enthusiasm on both .sides of the Atlantic for such a marriage' would bo unbounded. An. Ottawa cablegram , received to-day stated that tho Prince may tour the Dominion' in the spring.

The Dominion Meteorologist's forecast for to-day was as follows: —The indications are for freshening northerly 1 winds, and veering by west to soiuh. 1 The weather will probably prove equally ! and overcast. Weather clouding over I'for rain later. The barometer has a Falling tendency, but rising after about :?fi hours.

Mr. C. Braunigan, Government Kiolds Inspector, btates that he intends to • institute a poisoning campaign against rabbits in the County during tlie next month instead-of in April as was tlio case last' year. A few days ago he poisoned on a farm, where rabbits were plentiful, and found that although feed was plentiful, the poison was "taken with excellent results.

As atatod in the "Guardian" yesterday, there appears to be considerable doubt a* to whether the damage amongst tho wheat crops in the County is due to tho Hossian Fly. An authority states that the presence of the fly in the wheat can easily be discovered by lifting of tho first flag. Mr. C. "Brannigan, Government Fields Inspector, is procuring samples of the affected wheat to i'oruartf to the Government Biologist at Wellington. For .soino time past tho periodical sUick .sales at Eaiiny; have been held aL private .yard- oum-d by a farmer in that district. The yards hare been hardly lar,w cnotiyh to irieoi the in- ] civasins volume of biiijine«s, so farmers , in Uic di-trict; -rof-outly formed a company, t-o erect new ponnanont yards. , A thrco-auro section was acquired, and Lho h< i\v yards will be ready for the firsx sal« of tho season in that district, which will be hold on January 16. It is hlu; intention of the farmers to hold ;: small function in connection with this sale. A now world's .shewing record h ivportod from OrnrttineV' W. Vella, in \U- H. B. Totuian's shinl there, shore ','>\7 '.hoop in nine hours, beating the world's record of 33fl sheep', 'established by himscl) 1 at Taihape last year. _ The' now record was mode under ordinary shearing conditions. The sheep wore taken as they came, including the usual proportion of lambs. The performance was supervised by Mr Totman's manairev. :>.m[ earoiully dipcked in every d*-t,»il. V->llrt, had as board mates J. Ouee'iia-n, who shore 304 sheep, and J. llulona. who shore 303 within the !»p<!cifiod time.

" There i<< no possible hope of the ISriniKtor givingl the public back tboir suburban (-^l'vic-os with tho present s^aff of locomotive men," j-nys the " Locomotive Engineers' Journal," " and there is no prospect oi' getting any more to an appreciable extent under .lire-sent conditions. -ISovcr in the history of tho railways was tho locomotive department in such a deplorable, stafco as it. Ip at present, especially ,in lh<? North Island, where tho men are almost out of control. The whole blame for a breakdown will res>t with the Minister of Railways."

Sonio, 70 children who wore camped with parents nnd friends at the mouth of tho. Ash burton River during the New Year holidays evidently spent a very iollv time. Messrs Rbbinson, Catcs, Xirum, nnd Page, on, New Year's Eve. fortified the children with a liberal supply of fireworks with which to amuse themselves. "On, New Year's Day w sports gathering was. organised,, about CIO worth of prizes being subscribed for by the various occupants of th<» hutsi Numerous events, in which old and young participated,' were contorted, resulting in one of the most enjoyable day's' outings- that has. ever ht'Mi spont fit, Lho river mouth. It is the intention to make the distribution of prizes nn, annual affair, so that no doubt next year a large -number of vi<-iilor.s will be attracted to tho beach, and tho gatherings should help to mako tlu\ report more popular than evor

The Winnipeg Police Departmont has adopted the censor habit (states a journal published in Toronto, Canada). This seems to .have been brought about by its solicitude for men of local prominence who may have :i weakness for poker or some other such game, and are unfortunate enough to get caught in police raiding expeditions. "When the roll is called later at headquarters, and the list is found to include members of leading families, society' is graciously saved the humiliation of publicity by the simple expedient of issuing fictitious names to inquisitive reporters. Those without any particular standing, in the community find their names published and recorded. The truth leaked out one day, and created somewwhat of a sensation, and subsequent demands for an investigation. This was intensified by an irato citizen with a foreign name, whose only offence was that he 'Was the real owner of one of the publshed fictitious names \ised in the protected gentlemen's list. In addition to an investigation for issuing fictitious names, the police heads were threatened with a suit for dstmages. ■