LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 107, 15 February 1930, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A short sitting of the Methven Magistrate's Court yesterday was presided over by Mr Stanley Smith, .T.P., when a statutory first offender'was fined 20s for drunkenness.

One case of primary lobar pneumonia was reported to the Borough health Inspector (Mr J. R. Richardson) during the week. No notifications weve received by the County Inspector :Mr E. N. Johnson).

According to a Press Association message from Wellington, Captain. J. D. Hewitt, whose Moth 'plane was damaged at Rongotai, will not be able to continue his journey for some time pending repairs.

An active campaign for the destruction of hawks is carried on by the Auckland' Acclimatisation Society which pavs a, bonus for hawks' feet. Pairs of' hawks' feet totalling 10.548 were paid for by the Society during the past year, according to a report made by the secretary to the meeting oT the council the Other evening. It was decided to continue the bonus.

"Personally I would sooner have a farm oompletelv covered! with blackberry so that I could not see a blade of gi'ass, than a farm half covered with ragwort," said a well-known Kiwitahi farmer, when discussing the danger of ragwort with a Morrinsville "Star" reporter. He added that he had experience of ragwort in South Taranaki, where it had practically driven some men oh" their farms.

A farmer, in the course of conversation with a 'll'atea Press" representative, gave it as his opinion that ther* would 1)0 a big slump in dairy stock in the near future owing to so manv heifer calves having been kept thi« year. Tn one small area where last year there were 1] heifer calves, today close on 120 were to be seen, and this, it was stated, was typical of manv similar areas.

A Wanganui man. who recently returned from a holiday tour in the North Island, speaks in .high terms of the service that the automobile associations are giving to motorists (says the "Herald"). He gives as an instance the case of a motorist who parked his car at the New Plymouth racecourse recently. After the races o note was found in the car statinc; that an automobile association officer had removed a flat tyre and nut on a spare. The motorist did not even know his car had a flat tyre. The sign-posting along the roads wap also of groat assistance.

A Piivorton correspondent of the "Southland Daily "News" writes: Great preparations are being made for the mutton bird season, which will commence next month, hut there i* some doubt as to the prospacts of a good season owin« to so much wet weather during the laying period. Tn n wot spring the water crets into the holes and affects the eggs, which fail to hatch. This may cause a shortage, especially as each bird only lays ono egg-

The air pageant held by the Canterbury Aero Club at the Wigram Aerodrome to-day proved a great attraction to many pe'oole throughout Canterbury. Manv people motored to C hnstchu'rch from Ashburton white others travelled by the early train which lett Ashburton'at 8.15 o'clock, carrying IUO passengers.

The well-known Pareora Buildings, situated in Stafford Street, Timaru in the heart of the business centre ol the town, and owned by the Hon. James Craigie, M.L.C., were sold to Mr J Adams, of Wai-iti Road, 'limaru, vesterda-.-. The price paid for this valuable block ot buildings is reported to be in the vicinity of £26,000. Ihe Pareora Buildings were erected lor AJr Craigie manv years ago. The sale is one of the largest transactions in town property that has taken, place in fimaru for many years.

At the Canterbury Kennel Clubs members' show at Christenurch .last evening, a notable success was gamed by Mrs A J. NicolFs cocker spaniel puppy "Rocket of Penscroit. Although onlv nine months old it maintained an unbeaten record in all the classes, winning the puppy, nonce, and open doir classes against strong competition from dogs of nine dinorent breeds Several judges spoke highly ot "Rocket," who is a half-brother to the grand champion "Braeval Balance, twice champion spaniel at the Royal Sydney Show.

At the monthly meeting of the Methven Sub-branch of the Plnnket Society opportunity was taken to bid farewell to Mrs R. N. Elliott, who has been a member of the society and of the committee for many years, and; wlio is leaving the district. The president (Mrs Stanley Smith) voiced tlie regret felt bv members at the departure 01 Mrs Elliott, and spoke in eulogistic terms of her work for the society. On behalf of the committee she presented Mrs Elliott with a handsome hand mirror as a token of their esteem. Another pleasing function was the presentation to Mrs E. A. Bland (lion. treasurer) of a silver mug for her baby, with the good wishes of members. The serving af afternoon tea brought a pleasant afternoon to a close.

" Practically all the activities of the woollen milling industry were maintained on a level slightly above those of the previous year," states a review in the monthly abstract of statistics covering the year ended March 31, 1929 The conditions are considered to be satisfactory. There was no increase in the number of mills, but the aggregate of employees in the Dominion on March 31 last was 2576, an increase of 125 hands on the corresponding total in 1928. In the year under review the salaries and wages bill amounted to £399,560, an increase ol 5 per cent., while the value of produets showed a rise of 2 per cent, to £1,236,578.

The Public Service Superannuation Board held its quarterly meeting in Wellington on Thursday, Mr .J. W. MacDonaldi presiding. Twenty-live contributors retired by reason ol age or length of service, and were granted allowances totalling £60(53 per annum, and four contributors retired as medically unfit, and were granted allowances totalling £528 per annum. An application for an additional allowance on account of retirement through injuries received whilst on police duty was refused. Fifteen widows and live children were granted the statutory allowances amounting to £595 per annum. Several applications for the inclusion of broken service for superannuation were dealt with, and committees were appointed for the ensuing year.

At the Timaru Police Court yesterday Donald Cameron, an inmate of the Old People's Home, was charged with having been found drunk in George Street on Thursday. The Master of the Home (Mr E. Laverty) stated that defendant was well-be-haved when sober, but drink was his trouble. The defendant had come to the Home from Ashburton. Tt was suggested that defendant should take out a prohibition order, but Cameron stated that there was no reason why he should follow this course. Mr D. McLennan, J.P., stated it was notright that a man from the Ashburton district should become a charge on South Canterbury ratepayers. Defendant was convicted and discharged oil condition that he agreed to take out a prohibition order. The Bench recommended that the authorities should take steps to have defendant transferred to the Old People's Home in Ash burton.

An amusing incident, in which the principal figures were a roadman employed on the main Auckland-Welling-ton highway, neat Maxwell, and a baby Austin car, driven by a lady is reported. At the time of the occurrence the roadman was walking backwards alongside a tip-wagon that was discharging metal. Quite unexpectedly the car "came along on the wrong side of the road and lifted him clear of the ground. Sitting on the radiator, jockey fashion, he appeared far from comfortable. An extra bump caused the would-be rider to be thrown to the ground. Before he parted company with the car he heard one of the occupants say: "What shall we do—hurry on?" The car rapidly disappeared in a cloud of dust.

A well-known New Plymouth resident has received some interesting details from a friend in Australia, about Coogee's shark-proof net. The net, he says, has been a wonderful success and has put Coogee's beach "right on the map." Particularly at night thousands come to bathe. On the night of Saturday, January 11—which was a particularly hot day—14,363 people paid for into the enclosed area. At the official opening on November 16 it is estimated that over 13/),000 people were present, while every week-end about 30,000 people come to bathe. These figurus serve in some measure to show the enormous popularity which-the beach enjoys.

Twenty-live minutes after the eleven other jurors had taken their places in the Supreme Court in Wellington the other morning the twelfth man walked quietly into the Court and sat down. He was exactly twenty minutes late! It is net the correct thing to keep the King's judge waiting, and everybody wondered what punishment would be meted out to the delinquent. The silence was relieved by the registrar de-

manding: "-Mr here. Just tell his Honour whv you kept the court waiting." "1 am sorry, sir. I thought the court sat at half-past ten, and not at ten o'clock." was the explanation forthcoming. All right. Do not be late again," cautioned Mr Justice Peed. A moment later the wheels of justice were revolving once more.

When your grain crops are removed, the bes"t implement to put into the stubble is one of our K.R. Grubbers with a set of Giant Tripod Harrows attached. In one operation the land is ready for drilling green crop. Twelve acres a day, or more, can be done. A first-class job.—P. and D. Duncan Ltd., Tuam Street, Christchurch, and Ashburton —Advt.

The warm weather of the past week has brought the harvest in very quickly and binders are busy all over the Methven district. Labour is plentiful and there is very little inquiry for men at present.

Heavy rain fell in Auckland yesterday says a Press message. No cargo work was done on the wharves, and the departure of all large vessels was postponed, including the Marama for Sydney, which is to sail at 5 o'clock this afternoon.

Mr W. Norris, a carrier, had a miraculous escape at l.ytteltoa yesterday afternoon. He was conveying some rubbish in a motor-lorry to the rubbish pit on the Sumner Road, when the lorry careered at a great speed over a cliff about 200 feet high. Mr Norris was thrown out before reaching the cliff. The lorry was wrecked.

About 450 people travelled to Timaru by special train* this morning on the occasion of the annual picnic of the Fairfield Freezing Works. Toys were distributed to the children on the train, while, providing pleasant weather was experienced, a programme of sports and races was arranged to be held on Caroline Bay. The picnickers will return this evening, passing through Ashburton at 8 o'clock. .

Inquiries made at a number of North Taranaki dairy factories show that the general tendency this season has been a moderate change-over from cheese in favour of butter (reports the "Taranaki News"). Averaging the output over a number of factories it appears that between 53 and 54 boxes of butter are being produced this season where 50 were produced last season, which means an increase in the butter output from North Taranaki this season of approximately 7 per cent. Cheese, on the other hand, shows a slight decline, but there is every reason to suppose, from the inquiries made that the total production in butter-fat for this season will show an advance of ever 6 per rent, on last season's output.

"Even if the law is an ass, we do not want to make it such a confounded idiot as to be obvious," said Mr Justice Frazer in the Arbitration Court at Auckland (reports the "N.Z. Herald") when an application was made bv' the Auckland Furniture Trades Union for deletion of a clause in the apprenticeship order, which would have the effect of forcing, employers, whether engaged in specia work or not, to teach apprentices all furniture work' His Honour said that would press heavily on some employers. He suggested that apprenticeship committees should decide whether an employer was in a position to engage apprentices. He urged the local committee to discuss the matter and endeavour to arrive at an agreement.