LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10350, 13 March 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Arawa arrived _ at Auckland yesterday with 355 immigrants, xheir destinations are as follow Wellington 100, Auckland 140, Lyttelton 00, Port Chalmers 42, Napier 6, Gisborne 10, and Timaru 2.

The mystery of the whereabouts of Mrs Ellen Louise (NeJije) Mouat, of St. Martins, whose husband is on rev mand on a charge of having murdered her, seems to he no nearer being solved. Police officers are still concentrating on the case, but no developments have been announced.

The sequel to the purchase . of b, liorse, cart, and harness at auction is not without interest. The new owner, either through lack of feed or out of generosity of heart, decided to make a. present of the equine to a friend. The friend, of course, was delighted, as old Dobbin was so quiet and had snch a kindly look in his aged eye. All went well till Dobbin reached the vicinity of the gasworks. The gas fumes may have proved too much for him. For he dropped dead on the street. It cost his owner something in the vicinity of £2 to have him removed for decent burial.

Tho system of finger-post's for tlie guidance of motorists iu the Ashburton County will be inspected shortly by the organiser of the Canterbury Automobile Association.

The amount and excellence of the work put in by the Ashburton County Council in the maintenance of the main highways was favourably commented' on at the meeting of the Canterbury Automobile Association.

Motorists fear that tho ascertaining of the name® of owners of cars wik involve correspondence with Wellington, but this is not the case. A complete roll of the owners of tho new number plates is kept in Christchurch. The Chief Postmaster at Christchurch (Mr J. 15. Broad foot) lias explained this to the Canterbury Automobile Association.

Three quinnat salmon have been caught in the Rangitata River this week. On Wednesday a 14-pounder was landed, and last evening two smaller ones, of weights of 81b and olb respectively, were obtained. The river was clearing well yesterday, and promised good fishing this week-end. but the north-west wind to-day has caused discolouration.

That there is no necessity for the annual changing of number plates on motor cars has been pointed out to the Chief Postmaster at Christchurch (Mr J. E. Breadfoot) by the Canterbury Automobile Association. The matter will be referred to the Minister (the Hon. J. (I. Coates), Members stated that the name of those who had noft paid their fees could bo easily ascertained from the complete roll of motor owners.

The ladies’ hockey section of the AUenton Sports Club met last evening. The president of tho club, Mr AV. Morgan, presided over a large attendance. The president wished the club every success in the coming season. The election of officers resulted :—Captain, Miss M. Willers; vice-captain, Miss M. Moodie; secretary, Miss A. Gourley; committee, Misses G. Cartwright, G. Bushcll, L. AVills, D. Ncrrish, AA 7 . Saunders. It was decided to commence practice to-morrow.

A tooth, 10 feet long, of some antediluvian animal yet unknown, has been discovered in a dramatic manner at Cepramo, Italy. By striking the tooth with his pick, a man quarrying for gravel in a tunnel 25’ feet below the level of the ground, made the discovery. This is not the first time that traces of prehistoric animals have been found in this district. The tooth, which at its base is 19 inches across, will be taken to a Rome Museum, where an endeavour to “reconstruct” the creature it belonged to will be made.

Regulations for wireless broadcasting stations and the sale of radio appartus have been drafted to take effect from April. It is provided that the transmitting wave-lengths of four broadcasting stations, one in each radio district, shall be: Auckland, 420 metres; Wellington, 380 metres; Canterbury, 400 metres; Otago, 440 metres. The Minister shall allot wavelengths for any additional broadcasting stations that may be established. A broadcasting station shall not be used for the dissemination of propaganda of a controversial nature, but shall be restricted to matter of an educative, informational, or entertaining character, such as news lectures, useful information, religious services, musical or elocutionary entertainments, and other items ot general public interest as may be approved by the Minister.

Biff horsemen, whose achievements in the war with Spain are frequently referred to in the newspapers, are the most daring riders in the world. When in full gallop they will throw their swords and matchlocks in the air and catch them by the hilts or stocks -without drawing rein. Not long ago a war correspondent declared that he had seen a Biff rides thread a needle held by another rider, while riding full tilt across the sand! Cossacks are fond of performing, similar feats. One of their gavourite tricks at Gymkhanas is to snatch a child from its mother’s arms throw it in the air, catch it, and return it unharmed to its parent.

Since the discovery of a new glowworm cave near Te Kuiti further investigations have brought to light two more stalactite caves. The largest of these is on a farm a few miles from the glowworm cave, about half -an hour’s walk from the road. In one case the stalactites are “ dead” and the formation is apparently of great antiquity. A tunnel in the right wall, however, is thickly hung with splendid white work, and leads to a gigantic chamber, at least 100 feet in height. Here, slowly dripping lime is still at work, and some unique features have resulted. At one point where the water falls unusually fast a clear pool has formed, edged with curious terraces. The second cave has been dubbed the Alabaster Cave, owing to one peculiar purity of its stalactites. One of its chief features is a perfect column of white spar, about a foot in diameter, which supports the ceiling. In the floor is a crevasse 60ft deep, at the bottom of which is a _ stream which runs to an unknown destination.

“ Unless some inducement is offered to the wheatgrowers to continue wheat production they will go out of business and confine their attention to fat lamb production,” declared Mr T. D. Burnett, M.P., in replying- to the toast of his health at the civic luncheon to the Hon. A. D. McLeod at Temuka yesterday. Mr Burnett said the granary of Now Zealand was limited in extent. The wheat-growing country extended only from Oamaru to a few miles north of the Waimakariri. While the producers of wheat deoended on the open market the fact remained that practically everything required in the industry—implements, manures, comsacks, etc. —was in the hands of combines. He did not believe in fixation of prices; that should have terminated soon after the Armistice, but unless something was done in the direction of more sympathetic treatment of the wheat-growers this Dominion might be left in a very sorry predicament when there was a drought in Australia and frost-blighted crops in Canada.

You can now cut your car upkeep cost by availing yourself of the new system adopted by G. H. Carson. By this system car owners are protected against overcharges, and more prompt delivery of their car obtained.. Electrical equipment repairs are especially catered for, and spare parts for all standard makes supplied promptly at competitive prices.—Advt.

Last year was the wettest year on record in Britain, tbo nearest to it being 1903.

The Victorian cricketers won their match against Wanganui by an innings and 49 runs. The scores were: Victoria, first innings 321; Wanganui, first innings 170, second 102.

“It costs the country over £25 in damages when the Westinghouse brake is used to stop a train suddenly,” said the Magistrate (Mr E, D. Mosley) in the Ashburton Court this morning, when impressing on a man the> seriousness of driving a vehicle in front of a train.

The local tennis competitions will be continued to-morrow, and a match between the Ashburton Cricket Club and the Rest of Ashburton will be played on the Domain Oval. The bowling and croquet lawns will also be busily engaged during the afternoon.

Fierce winds caused several interruptions in the supply of Coleridge power to-day in Ashburton. The first break came at noon, and there were several in rapid succession, each lasting about a minute. The Ashburton Power Board’s stand-by plant was brought into operation at 12.30 o’clock and supplied the deficiency. The damage to the Coleridge line was beyond Methven, probably in the Rakaia Gorge.

No meeting has been held the Ashburton branch of the Farmers’ Union for over a year. This was pointed out this afternoon bv the president of the Mid-Canterbury executive (Mr John Brown). He, said it was not fair to ask the Ashburton members to pay subscriptions to a branch which held no meetings. He thought it beet that members should join branches of the union in their own districts, or near them. This suggestion was favourably received.

Support for the establishment of a farmers’ bank was advocated by the organiser of the Farmers’ Union (Mr T. Buxton) in Ashburton this afternoon. He said the advances which the bank could make against wheat in store would render the farmers practically independent of the millers. Organisation of the men on the land was necessary. The farmers could he quite as strong as Labour in this country provided they united. There were about 100.000 men on the land in New Zealand, and if united they could carry weight with the Government.

The Taumarunui “Press” records a sensation in that town on a recent afternoon. A well known resident rode his horse up the main street in real movie cowboy fashion, and when he arrived opposite the shop of a prominent sport lie resolved to make some purchases. He promptly turned the prancing equine in toward the door and rode right inside the shop. The occupants were much surprised at this “AA ild AVest style of doing business. Accounts were paid and purchases made, and the resident then alighted from his horse and ordered it outside the shop. A little later he thought tliat his wandering horse might be up to. some mischief, so he sent his dog after it. Rider, horse, and dog then disappear from the scene, and business reassumed its normal progress.

A young resident of Huntly was charged at a sitting of the lower Court with causing an animal (a cow) unnecessary suffering by wounding it with a shotgun. From the evidence it appeared that the accused accompanied by two younger brothers and a dog, was out rabbit shooting when a cow, evidently resenting the presence orths do"-, made as to charge not only at the dog but at the pedestrians as well. Thinking to frighten the cow off, accused discharged his gun, but with no intention of doing the cow lnjuiy. ’Later it transpired that the animal was somewhat severely wounded in the neck. Accused had in the meantime paid the owner of the cow £5 by way of damage, and this the magistrate took into consideration when inflicting a fine of £3 and costs.

For driving a vehicle over a railway crossing when an approaching train was within half a mile, Angus MciJro - tens was fin 'd £1 and costs. (7s) in the Ashburton Police Court this morning. McMasters said lie had driven a horse and vehicle across the line when the train was a safe distance away. he did not think there was any danger in that. Tho> police stated that the man would have been run into had not the engine-driver applied the Westinghouse brake. The Magistrate (to McMasters): “You have been used to horses for quite half a century 1 take it.” McMasters: “ Yes. and I have never had any trouble with the horse I was driving at the time. The Magistrate remarked that with 50 years’ experience the driver should have known that even the quietest horse might play up at any time. If the horse had played up on the line a serious accident would have occurred. The law regarding crossing the line was made in the interests of the public. When told the amount of the fine McMasters at once dived into Ins pocket to pay it. He drew out some notes, but the matter was settled with a. nearby constable, who drew him into the clerk’s office.