LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVIII, Issue 10984, 2 August 1927, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As the result of the concert held last week by) the Ashhurton Basketball Association the sum of £2l was raised.

The Ash burton Technical School Board has completed the purchase of half an aero «f land adjoining the school playing area. It v/ill be used for games.

Tenders for the erection of the Ashburton War Memorial closed on Friday with the architect at Timaru, and it is understood that nine tenders were received. These will be considered by the committee at an early date.

The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce last (vening received an invitation to send a delegate to the conference on the wheat question, to be held in Ashburton on Thursday. It was decided to leave the matter of an appointment in the hands of the chairman of the Produce Committee (Mr T. F. Gibson), i

Of the 157 deaths recorded in Christchuroln last month 95 were people of 60 years and over; people 80 years and over numbered 27 ; three were 90 and over.

A donation of £lO 10s was made by the Ashburton Borough Council last evening to the Canterbury Progress League, which wrote asking for the Council's usual annual subscription.

Only 25 minutes elapsed between the opening of the Borough Council meeting and its close last evening. The agenda was a. very small one, and Councillors were free from 7.30 o'clock. The Mayor {Mr R. Galbraith) expressed the opinion that the meeting njust have been a record for brevity.

Compared with the corresponding week last year, there was a large increase in the amount of tonnage taken through the Otira tunnel last week, when it/ was recorded as 11,288 tons, against 8718. For July, 44,200 tons were taken through, this being a slight increase on July last year, when the quantity was 43,445 tons.

A Dunedin telegram states that during the week-end the Wentworth Tea-rooms, at the corner of Custom House Square,, were burglariously entered. The safe was cut open, and £BO in money abstracted from it. Entrance was effected by forcing a back door, and the thief, or thieves, got clear* away.

In recovering the Chrysler motor car which ,was stolen from the railway station entrance at Ashburton on Satur-

day night, the Christchurch Police carried out a smart piece of work. The fact of the theft was notified to them by the Ashburton Police at 1.30 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and the vehicle was recovered on the Port Hills at 4.10 o'clock, in an apparently intact condition.

With the motor-car such a common item of everyday life there Beema to be few people who cannot drive one, and the number of new driver's licenses issued from time to time show that the number of people capable to handling a car is creeping up with each week. Last night the Borough Inspector (Mr J. B. Richardson) reported that he had issued three during the last fortnight.

The following resolutions were ! passed at a meeting of representatives of South Island butter factories held in Timaru last evening:—"(l) That this meeting of representatives of South Island 1 butter factories urges the Government not to increase the duty on butter box and cheese crate timber." "(2) That this meeting of South Island butter factories urges disapproval of the suggested Daylight Saving Bilk"

''Some people to do not seem to have taken a. warning from the fact that several have been fined lately," said the Mayor last evening when the Borough Council gave the Inspector permission to prosecute six cyclists who had ridden their machines at night without lights. For soYne time past there has been a. hatch of these offenders before each sitting of the Court, and the Council's revenue musj have been considerably enhanced from the fines paid.

In a report to the Borough Council last evening, the Town Clerk (Mr W. Paterson) drew attention to the number of rates and other accounts in arrears, and suggested' that some one should be appointed to gp into the matter with a view to having them cleared up. The question was left in the hands of the Mayor, the chairman of the Finance Committee (Mr W. H. Woods) and the Town Clerk.

Infectious and 1 other notifiable diseases reported in the Canterbury and West Coast Health Districts for the week ended noon yesterday totalled 28, as follow:—Canterbury: Scarlet fever 6, diphtheria 2, enteric fever 1, tuberculosis 4, pneumonia 7, puerperal sepsis 3. West Coast: Scarlet fever 1, diphtheria 3, tuberculosis 1. Deaths totalled five, all in the Canterbury district, as follow:—Diphtheria 1, tuberculosis 2, pneumonia 2. J

Pools of water lying on several of the paths in the Domain made pedestrians in the reserve wary in their stepping, and a quantity of shingle was put down to allay the nuisance. It was found, however, that there was a goodly proportion of soil among the shingle, so the trouble was made worse. When attention to this matter was drawn by Mr J. Thompson at the meeting of the Borough Council last evering, Mr It. Kerr said th-3 council's metal crusher would soon be at work and when crushed metal was available it would be laid on the oaths.

When the stoppage of water to the Domain ponds brought the level down to a mere trickle, and then to a few isolated puddles, the ducks and geese were in a very bad way, and the wild ducks which had for several months made their homo there resented the treatment to such an extent that they took Their departure to more congenial surroundings. Now that the ponds are once more full, the wild ducks are beginning to make their way back, guided probably by the instinct of the wild creature which is. beyond fathoming.

With several days of rain it was only to be expected that roads would break up under the wear and tear of heavy traffic, and many of the Ashburton streets are showing the effects of the weather. Huts and potholes have made their unwelcome appearance in all parts of the Borough, and l cyclists and motorists are hard put to avoid some of the deeper ones, where water is still lying. The cornier of East Street in front of the Post Office is in a very bad mess at present due to all traffic Having been diverted during road-making work. At the busy hours of the day the road round Baring Square is not quite wide enough to deal with the press of vehicles with comfort to drivers.

The vital statistics for the Christchurch metropolitan area for last month show a marked decrease in the number of deaths registered compared with the figures for July last year. Last month there were 157 deaths, against 235 in July, 1926. The difference is mainly accounted for by the fact that there was an outbreak of influenza a year ago, resulting in the mortality being greater than usual. The number" of births last month was 15 more than in July, 1926. Marriages showed a decrease of 13. The comparative figures for July, 1927, and the corresponding month last year in parentheses are as follow: —Births 20S (193), deaths 157 (235), marriage, notices 70 (S 3), marriages in office 13 (17). For the seven months January to July the comparative figures nve: Births'l46o (1466), deaths 718 (761), marriage notices 660 (675), marriages in office 131 (129). Th& figures relating to "marriages in offico" are included in those referring to ''marriage notices."

The only building permit issued by the Borough Council during the • last two weeks was that for a shed estimated to cost £ls.

A London cablegram states that the late Mr Frederic Lubbock, formerly chairman of the Londbn Board of the Bank of IXbw Zealand, left £30,014.

Entries in the Ashburton Competitions Society's third annual festival, which will open on August 30, close tomorrow. So far the entries received total well over 100, and it is anticipated that by to-morrow evening previous records will be surjsassed.

A Wellington telegram states that Mr F. Golder, driver of the goods train which was wrecked on Saturday Might when the engine ran into a slip <m the line just before reaching the viaduct crossing the Hutt Road into Thorndon Station, denies emphatically that he jumped from the engine. He was still on board when the train stopped. The train was just crawling along at the time of the accident.

There was a very good attendance at the weekly meeting of the WorkersEducational Association, when G. B. Shaw's play, '"Captain Ba'rbara," was read. The lecturer (Mr H. G. Miller) gave a brief outline of the play before the reading. He said it was one of Shaw's propaganda plays, upholding Socialism, which was the aim of most of the writer's plays. Those who took parts were: Mesdames Dunlop, A. Cooper, Heenan, and Misses G. Galbraith, H. Lockwood and Edmonds, Messrs R. M. iDunlop, A. Prentice, T. M. Clark, Wickham, W. Brvant and H. G-. Miller. Owing to the length of the play only two acts were read, and the final act will be read at next meeting.

A summoned meeting of the Loyal Tinwald Lodge, M.U., 1.0.0. F., was held last evening, N.G. (Bro. C. H. Milne) presiding over a good attendance. A letter of recommendation was received from the Loyal Ngapara Lodge in favour of a Brother flow residing in Tinwald. The Loyal Woolston Lodge forwarded a complimentary ticket for its annual ball. The sick visitors reported four brothers on the funds of the Lodge, and sick pay amounting to £8 was passed for payment. The secretary (Bro. H. D. Gunn) was elected treasurer, following the resignation of Bro. A. E. Frew. One candidate was elected. The N.G. reported that complete arrangements had been made for the annual ball which takes place this evening.