LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 86, 21 January 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Of a total of £1139 of rates struck hy the Wakanni Road Board, the sum of £1076 17s 6d Ims been collected, leaving an amount of £62 2s fid. on which the 10 per cent, penalty will be imposed.

Owing to the wet weather experienced before Christmas, harvesting operations were considerably delayed throughout South Canterbury- Crops generally have ripened 1 during the past few weeks, and harvesting will shortly be in full swing.

The establishment of the Nelson office of the New Zealand Tourist Bureau is considered to be more than, justified (says an exchange) The business transacted during the last month of 1927 showed a substantial increase over that of the preceding year.

The bright, sunny, warm days have had the effect of bringing on harvesting operations in the Rakaia district. The hay harvest is in full'swing, and several crops of early oats are being cut. If the present conditions continue harvesting will be general in the district in the next few weeks.

The "Ashburton Mail" of* 50 years ago contained the following paragraph : Tlie Ashburton Forks Railway— The number of shares taken up in the propped company for constructing the line from South Rakaia. to Ashburton Forks was 2000, representing a capital ol £40,000, previous, to last Friday. At the meeting held at South Rakaia on that day a further 600 shares were applied for, in the room.

Among the 89 probationary teachers appointed by the Canterbury Education Board yesterday, are the following Ashburton names,'their place of residence being given in parentheses i—Becfc, Olive M. (Ashburton), Ashburton East. Brown, Mary (Rakaia), Rakaia. Lmibrick, Phyllis M. (Rakaia). Rakaia. MeLauchlan, William IP. (Ashburton), Ashburton. Mulvey,JDoreen K. (Ashburton), Allenton. Isewton Rhoda I. (Lyndhurst), Opawa or. Lyndhurst. Tullv, Nora E. (Rakaia), Rakaia. Vesty, Doris L. (Ashburton). Asliburton. i

The action of the president (Mr A. S. Christie) and the secretary (Mr E. K. Hopwooi) in awarding £5 5s to 'the High School Memorial Library Fund, instead of to the prize, fund, was approved at a meeting of the committee of the Ashburton High School Old Pupils' Association. The resignation or Mr G. C. Bonnington was accepted with regret, and it was agreed to write to him expressing appreciation of services he had rendered to the Association. It was decided to hold the next dance at the school in March.

In the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon, the Magistrate commenced the hearing of the case in which A. J. Beits' (Mr V. G. Russell) proceeded •igainst F. Sumner (Mr G. C. JNicoll), claiming £7 Is 9d. Witnesses were ordered out. of Court. The case was a dispute between the parties regarding details entered into in connection with a. contract to clear a section, whereby defendant's alleged neglect had caused damage to plaintiff's mowing machine, the damage having occurred m Pecember, 1921. Evidence was given by the plaintiff and the case was adjourned by the' Court till next Friday.

New. Zealand products are becoming increasingly popular in England according to Mr C. H. Bryant, a Birmingham manufacturer, who is in Auckland in the course of a two month* holiday tour of the Dominion. People who say that New Zealand products are not advertised," he said, "must be coing about with their eyes shut. Butter is well advertised in every city and town, and the butter itself is living "P to the advertisements. # Already it is more popular than Danish butter, and the great majority of people who buy New Zealand butter have the satisfaction of knowing that they are keeping their money within the Empire.

• Pukekos, or native swamp fowl, are multiplying rapidly in the Roto-o-rangi district, where they are becoming a pest, says a Waikato paper, on account of their depredations on A wellknown Roto-o-rangi resident states that pukekos have destroyed the greater part of his large field of maize. They pull 'the young plants up to secure the sweet stalk. He also states that these birds are doing much damage to potato croos, pulling up the young plants and peckisff at the young potatoes. beeing that pukekos are protected, settlers cannot destroy them. . .It is understood that representations are to. be made to the Minister tp have the protection lifted so far as Cambridge is concerneji.

Constable I. H. Mathieson, of Matam*ta, was the victim of -a pecuhai mhha- having painful results, a few days ago.' The constable and his family were having a picnic, and used a honey canister, with the lid, on, for boiling the tea water. Unfortunate y, they omitted to make a hole in the lid for the escape of steam. When Mr Mathieson thought the water was boning he went to lift ihe canister off, and! apparently this disturbance was enough to cause more water to flash into steam, increasing the pressure to such an extent that the vessel exploded with a report heard 300 .yards away. The boiling water splashed oyer Mr Mathieson's left forearm, resulting ill a bad scald, removing the-skin from the wrist to the elbow. It will be some, time before the arm is healed.

A third attempt to form a branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union at Dorie, failed last evening, only one farmer attending at the meeting place. Mr H C. B Withell (president of the Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive), Mr F. G. Eyans (vice-president), and two enthusiastic members of the Seafield branch attended with the object of explaining the many benefits to be derived from membership in the Union. The failure of the Dorie farmers to take an'interest in the meetings "must have been a keen disappointment to Messrs Withell and Evans, who, on three occasions have journeyed from Ealing and Ashburton Forks respectively to meet the farmers. It is noteworthy that while the farmers are reluctant to iom the Union they are in no way backward in accepting the benefits which the Union secures for farmers after considerable work. ■

That the deed of annuity should be cancelled, is the decision conveyed m the reseved judgment of Mr Justice Sim in the case of Emma Mumy, Soring Creek (widow of the late William Murray v. George Henry Eugene Hills (Blenheim), which was heard m the Supreme Court at Blenheim on December 14 and 15. Mrs Murray prayed for an. order setting aside and cancelling a. deed under which she had covenanted to grant Hills an annuity of ii another action Hills proceeded against Mrs Murray to recover rertam sums totalling £B3 6s 8d 3 alleged to be due to him under the terms of the deed. His Honour concludes by finding, as a fact that when the deed of covenant was signed nla,intiff was under the influence of defendant, and that the defendant made use of his influence for the purpose of inducing planrtift to enter into the agreement embodied in the deed. .

Motor cyclists from Christchuroh and Timaru will attend the Ashburton Motor Cycle Club's rally at Seaview tomorrow. The visitors will be met by Ashburton cyclists at the Post Office and will be accompanied to Seaview, where the day will be spent in motoring events.

As the Canterbury athletic championship meeting has been altered from February 25 to February 18, the Ashburton Amateur Cycling and Athletic Club' has decided to hold its annual sports meeting on the 25th instead of on the 18th.

During the last four days the weather has been beautifully fine and warm at Methven. Farmers have thus been enabled to get on with the work on the land, which has been delayed so much by the rains this season. A large amount of hay is being saved and hay-making has absorbed most of the surplus labour during the last week.

A successful dance was held in the Anglican Hall, Methven, last evening in aid of the funds of the Cricket Ciub. There was a very good attendance, including visitors from other districts, and the finances of the club will benefit as a result. Music for the dance was played by Mr L. Allred, extras being played by Mr (Price. Mr W. Grieve carried out the duties of Master of Ceremonies.

At a meeting of North Otago wheatgrowers yesterday, the following resolution was carried: "That North Otago wheat-growers notice that merchants in the North Island are endeavouring to bring pressure on the Government to alter the wheat duties as passed last session, and it is the unanimous opinion of the meeting that the Government should adhere to the present tariff as fair End equitable to all concerned."

The mind becomes accustomed to often-repeated sounds untl they are almost unnoticed, but perhaps the most extraordinary sound to foe heard 1 about Half-Moon Bay in the busy tourist season is the quaint modern-call Or people to each other (remarks the "Southland Times"). In every diction one hears "hoo-hoo" in musical cadence. Like a whistle in the street which makes everyone turn, so the similarity in this tuneful call or greeting makes people continually turn to its source, to see if it comes from a member of their party. It would be interesting to know the origin of this call andtf it is a New Zealand product or a world-wide mode of greeting.

Reference to the recent death of Mr J. B. Mayne, for many years an inspecr tor of schools, was made by. members of the Canterbury Education Board yesterday. Mr E. H. Andrews said ho had had a long association with the late Mr Mayne. The speaker was a •-.noil at the Hampstead School when Mr Mayne was headmaster, and the progress of the school had been largely due to him. Thousands of boys and girls had passed through his hands and many of them were in permanent positions, | not only in New Zealand, but abroad, and they owed a great, deal to Mr Mayne. He had a much brighter aim than merely imparting instruction; he gave his pupils an idea of the real value of life. The Board expressed its sympathy with the relatives. •

Noticing that historic Cuttle Cove m Preservation Inlet had recently been visited by a party of tourists, brought to mind another trip made there ihi 1892 (says a writer in the "Southland Times").- The writer, in company with a friend from Nelson, landed at the Cove for the purpose of locating an old Maori pa, said to have existed at one time in the vicinity. Before setting out overland, a search along the fringe of the bush was made, and, noticing a slight depression in the soil on a knoll overlooking the Cove, a shovel and pick-axe were requisitioned. After digging down about two feet through accumulated mould and earth, a layer ol bungeys (tree-ferns) was found. Upon lifting this layer, the skeleton of a man was revealed, .with a. short piece oif knotted rope round the neck. The only opinion that could foe formed byi the unwitting desecrators was that the bones were the remains of some early whaler or sealer, who) had offended against the laws of God and man, and had been ibrotught to this early day, rendezvous of whaling, ships, there to meet his fate. This is only conjecture, but the writer has on more than one occasion heard it stated by old timerw that the little islet, situate in the centre of the Cove, was used by whaling ship captains as a prison for refractory seamen. After carefully and reverently replacing the earth in the grave, the explorers proceeded on their way.