LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 139, 23 March 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A reunion of members of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on May 16 was decided upon by a meeting at Christchurch last evening. Mr R. A her ne thy presided. It was decided unanimously that the reunion take the form of a smoke concert.

In the Ashburton Magistrate’s Court this morning, Mr W. H. Amos, of Ashburton, was granted a land agent s license by Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M.

A .Dunedin telegram states that the 80th anniversary of Otago was celebrated to-day. as a close holiday. Ihe principal sporting event A was the Oamaru Jockey Club’s meeting at Wingatui.

In the list of pupils of Miss _ Buxton’s class who- were successful in tlie life-saving examinations, which was published recently, the name of Aileen Johnson, Borough School, was omittec. She was successful in passing the proficiency test.

At a meeting last evening of the First Aid Class at which there were 16 new members, an interesting and mstructive address on “the objects or First Aid,” and “the human body, was given by Dr. J. Connor. The new members were instructed in the art of bandaging by members of the nursing division. Dr. Connor will continue his lectures next week.

An unusual case came before the Magistrate in the Ashburton Court this morning, when two boys were charged with having wheeled their bicycles on the footpath in East Street. This is a by-law that is not known to Ashburton people, and this was the first prosecution of its kind. The cases, were brought up with the object of bringing the offence to the notice of the public, the police not pressing for a fine. Both boys were admonished and discharged.

About 200 children of the Ashburton Technical School, and those of other schools attending there for manual training this morning were entertained to an exhibition of glass-blowing by Mr M. Cook, of the Christchurch glass works. He was assisted by Mrs Cook. He then gave an interesting lecture on the N preparation of glass. Mr Cook has given demonstrations to most of the local schools, including the High School. A similar exhibition was given at the Victoria Hall last evening, but only a small attendance was present.

A good performance was recently put up by Mr J. McMillan, of “Clunny,” Wyndham (Southland). Mr Allan Galt, “Mavis Bank,” Tuturau, recently decided to go out of dairying and a clearing sale of his select dairy herd was advertised. The sale, however, was cancelled as the herd was sold privately to Mr McMillan, who also made a deal for Mr Galt’s milking, machines. The cows were milked at “Mavis Bank” in the morning, and were afterwards removed to “Clunny.” The milking plant was dismantled and conveyed to “Clunny” in motor-cars, where it was erected and the cows were milked with the machines at the-latter place at night.

With a Magistrate as president, the Dunedin Club, of Auckland, wonders wehther it would he wise to conduct euchre tournaments during the winter as was done last year. At the annual meeting of the club a member asked Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M., what bearing Mr Justice Adaips’s recent decision would have on card tournaments. “I will reply by telling you a story,” Mr Cutten said, and i-elated an incident which .occurred in Melbourne many years ago, when an eminent Queen’s Counsel was asked: “Can I shoot a burglar if he comes to my house?” The lawyer replied: “You shoot him first, and come and ask me afterwards!”

In an Arch Hill garden, Auckland,, on Wednesday, a .cat killed a koheperoa, or long-tailed cuckoo, one of the rarest of New Zealand birds. The cat belonged to Mrs E. Olsen, Commercial Road, who brought the dead bird to the Auckland Museum, where it was identified and retained as an exhibit. The koheperoa is rarely seen in Auckland. It leaves Samoa and other South Sea islands in the early spring in company with the pipiwharauroa, or shining back cuckoo. The latter bird is fairly common in Auckland at certain seasons of the year, »and • after first landing in North Auckland gradually works its way south. Before the winter comes the koheperoa wings its way back to the warmer climate. Mrs Olsen stated that on Tuesday night she heard a curious call, but thought it came from a seagull. She 6aw the bird struggling to get away from the cat, but was unable to save it.

As a brotherly aid to one of the Dunedin ladies’ sports clubs, the men of the neighbourhood promoted a social a few nights ago. The central attraction was a progressive cards tournament. The procuring of prizes presented no difficulty. Three were gladly give]!, and, by a stroke of undesired luck, each of the three donors won his own gift. It would have been long odds against the three winning anything, and about a million to one against each getting his own back. This happening recalls a strange happening in Dunedin in the early seventies. A tobacconist who was giving up busihess disposed of his stock by raffle, the tickets being 5s each. The principal prize was twenty boxes of choice cigars. Four customers, selected because of their being well known, consented to conduct the raffle. It was found at the finish that all the tickets were sold except No. 1. To perfect the business side of the affair the four put in a shilling each to raffle off Nq. 1, and cpoxed the owner, very much against his. will, to take the other shilling’s worth, with the result that ■he''won the odd ticket, and with it won the first pijize. His quandary then was how to explain what would, to ro outsider, look fishy, and he did by auctioning the cigars and giving the proceeds to a benevolent institution.