LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 125, 8 March 1930, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A match between the Ashburton Rifle Club (which won the Champion Teams Match at the National Rifle Association's meeting at Trentham last week), and a team from the Timaru Defence Rifle Club was fired on the Temuka range this afternoon. A butcher employed at the Fairfield freezing works, Mr T- McAvey, collapsed while he was at work yesterday, and was admitted to the Ashburton Public Hospital. It was reported this afternoon that his condition is as well as could lie expected.

The Auckland Patriotic and War Relief Association resolved to transfer £1.5,000 to the capital account of the Veterans' Home, to meet an anticipated deficit of £BOO this year and enable the the committee to balance its budget annually. It was resolved also to ask the Government for a subsidy on the amount transferred and to asu assistance from the National War Funds Council, the Canteen Funds and the Council ci Sheep-Oweners' Fund. A Christchureh telegram states that at a meeting of the Citizens' Unemployment Committee yesterday, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr H. T. Armstrong, M.P., that as there are large sums of money at the disposal of the .Main Highways Board, they should be utilised for the purpose of improving and extending our main highways, thereby giving employment to hundreds of men and using; funds at their disposal lor the purpose for which they were collected. ' It was stated that the Highways Board had half a. million of unexpended Soutli Island funds in hand. When over 60 yearling cattle' were being grouped for photographing at the ' Waikato Central Agricultural Association's show at Cambridge, # an untimely stampede nearly had serious consequences. The animals were closelv packed and were surrounded by several hundreds of people, when a yearling at the rear tripped over its holding rone and bolted in panic. The other animals immediately started forward and the spectators ran for shelter while the stock stampeded madly. However, the disturbance was soon quelled and the group was reformed. Settlers at Pavaparaumu, 15 miles from Otnki, are perturbed over the number of fires of mysterious origin that have occurred during the last three weeks. From the nature r>f the fires it is concluded that there is a fire fiend in operation, or at least an irresponsible person-. Not only have a woolshed, containing a few bales of wool, an old slaughterhouse, and haystacks been destroyed, but fences also. Residents are of opinion that the police protection of what is now a fairly well settled district is inadequate. The nearest constable is stationed at Otaki and his personal visits to Paraparaumu are always ascertainable in advance. The residents are apprehensive lest the success of his efforts should tempt the fire-raiser to further and more serious offences.

Most of the wool which will he offered at the second Invercargill Bale on March 17, has been received into store, and it is in process of preparation for offering. It appears that there will be a much larger quantity forward than at previous second sales, despite the fact that a number of farmers have decided to hold over their wool for one season.

The tuition of school children m traffic dangers is to become a Permanent work in Auckland, and traffic inspectors are to visit schools in the city every six months, according to advice received from the City Council by the Education Board. Continuance of the work was heartily approved by the Hoard, which agreed to offer the same facilities at schools as previously for carrying out instruction.

There were fewer children attending schools in the Auckland district at the end of last year than at the .end of 1928, according to figures supplied to the Auckland Education Board. For the term ended December 31 last there were 68,866 children on the roll, 36,204 boys and 32,662 girls. The average attendance was 62,742, 33,101 m the case of boys and 29,641 for girls. Compared with December, 1928, there was a decrease of 110 in the roll number and of 182 in the average attendance.

Practically all nlaces, of business in Ashburton were closed to-day for t!u> annual Trades Picnic to Timaru. Two special trains, each of 19 cars, left for the south, the first, at 9.15 a.m., being packed with passengers. The second train, which left about 10.30 a.m'., carried very few passengers. The trains are due back in Ashburton ' at 6.44 p.m. and 7.33 p.m. respectively. Weather conditions were excellent for the outing. Streams of cars left Ashburton for the pleasure resorts during the morning, and comparatively few residents were lei'£ in tht town, the streets being almost deserted. Two race trains are due this evening, one arriving at 8.3 p.m. and the ether at 8.50 p.m., both bound northward.

"After travelling over 10,000 miles in Great Britain and coming ill contact with most of the daily newspapers there, I have come to the conclusion with regard to the New Zealand Press that there is nothing to equal it," said Mr L. R. Partridge, of AVelli igton, on his return from a tour abroad. "Apart from 'The Times 1 and 'Daily Telegraph,' the London dailies," he said, "are given up to sensationalism just as the American papers are. For instant-?, they gave details of a sordid murder case running over several days, in a way that would not ohtaiu in New Zealand. I was more than ever satisfied with the New Zealand Press. If they are conservative, loin* may they remain so."

According to primary producers in the Mataura district, the season so far has proved unusually successful (says the "Ensign"). Dairy farmers, particularly, have every reason to he gratified with the returns to date, a few dairymen even going so> far as to say that the 1929-30 season promises to be the best they have experienced for many years. The herds, it is stated are holding on well, and it is anticipated that the back-end of the season will be highly satisfactory. With feed still plentiful and turnip crops making excellent progress, there is every indication that stock will winter well.

A party of visitors who landed on the Cavilli Islands, near Whangaroa, recently, were surprised to see Jbellbircfa there. As far as is known, this is the most northerly point where the somewhat rare native 'bird has been seen. The largest island of the Cavilli Group is used for grazing sheep, but there are clumps of native bush in the gullies. The bellbird is plentiful o:: the Little Barrier Island l and the Hen and Chickens group, but scarce on the Mainland, except possibly in the TJrewera Country

An effort is being made by Ratana to initiate a , movement to bind the Moari people by making a pledge to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi, writes the To Araroa correspondent of the "Poverty Bay Herald". Emissaries are everywhere securing signatures. One of the matters dealt with at the Waimate hui, held recently, was in respect of the Treaty of Waitangi. In the agenda paper for the hui' to be held at Wai-o-Matatini shortly is the treaty, when its clauses will be explained. Other matters which will be discussed are farming among the .Maoris, the liquor traffic consumption, consolidation of land interests, matters affecting the welfare of the Moari race to-day, and what can be done to help the Bishop of Actearoa,

The Hon. J. B. DonaJd (Minister oi Industries and Commerce) stated today that Mr H. R. Jenkins had resigned his position as a member of the Select Committee appointed by the House of Representatives to inquire into and report upon certain manufacturing industries of the Dominion (says a Press Association message from Wellington). Mr Jenkins stated that his resignation was due to his being no longer a member of the Government party. The other members of the committee are Mr D. G. Sullivan, Air R A. Harris and the Hon. J. G. Cobbe (who is at present in Samoa); the position, therefore, is that the Government is left without representation on the committee. The situation which had arisen was being considered by Cabinet and an announcement ol the Government's intentions in tii<mattcr would be made shortly.

Since a motor-cycle speedway was recently erected in the vicinity of the Macandrow Road School, South Dunedin, complaints from residents of the surrounding districts have been loud and long, and something in the nature of an agitation has been oromoted against the noise of the roaring exhausts, when a meeting is in progress. It appears that the City Council is powerless to .act in the matter, and that if the residents desire an abatement of the noise thev themselves must institute legal proceedings. Reporting on a deputation which waited on it on the subject, the General Committee of the Council states: "It should be explained that the Council's jurisdiction in the matt?r concerns only the stability and fitness of the building and appurtenances. If these comply with the requirements the Council has no option but to grant a license. If, on the other hand, a nuisance is created by noise or in any other manner, it is the persons affected by such conditions who must take steps by ordinary legal process cr otherwise to secure an abatement."

When ordering a grain and seed drill, be sure you get the best; drilling being the vital operation in p'anting any crop. The Agricultural Department, after trying all other makes, both local and imported, found our "Star" Drill the only make competent to fulfil all their requirements, and to give the necessary accuracy in drilling test plots. During the last ten years the Department has purchased six seven-coulter Drills from us for that nurnose. They know the best.—P. and D. Duncan, Ltd., Tua'n Street, Christchurch, and Ashburtor.— '.dvt.

It would seem that tanners in; Eastern Southland generally and in the Mataura and Edtendale districts particularly have devoted larger areas of land than is usually the case to the production of crops (says the "Mataura Ensign"). Much attention this year has been given to wheat growing and the crops at this stage are looking healthy and are well* matured. Oat crops are being harvested with very satisfactory results.

An earthquake of a fair degree of intensity was recorded at the Dominion Observatory. Kelbtirn, at 3.38 a.m. yesterday (says a Wellington telegram). It would appear from the records to be about 6 or 7 degrees distant from Wellington. possibly somewhere in the vicinity East Cape. Its exact location, however, cannot be as yet determined, pending the correlation of records. East Cape is suggested as the district, owing to the recent shocks reported from that quarter.

Bird life on the Three Kings Islands is scarce but there is reason to believe that native quail, long believed to 'be extinct, exists there. This is the reason of the Government's recent proclamation of a sanctuary there for native and imported game. The .islands are rarely visited, and landing, except in fine 'weather, is difficult. It lias long been known that there are quail en the largest island. Recent investigations have proved it is a New Zealand bird, and not the Australian variety. New Zealand native quail is similar in size, but lighter in colour. In the early days of settlement native quail was plentiful in the tfussoek country of Canterbury, but it was wiped out by fires and shooting. The bird was also known in the Wairarapa country-

There are three Egypti.in.Jads serving as cadets on the Cunard steamer Valacia. now in Auckland harbour Thev were four years on the training ship" "Worcester, then sr>?nt two years in Commonwealth and Dominion Line boats., and are putting in a sort of finishing course of six months on the Valacia. When they qualify they will return to Egypt, being intended for service in Government vessels that do coast-guard duty. One of the lads is such a good English scholar that he topped the list in that subject on the Worcester, being only three marks off the possible. It is not perhaps generally known that Egypt has a regular coast-guard service ashore, quite as complete as England used _to have in the good old days of smuggling. Egypt has a fairly long coast line on the north, and owing to much of if being in practically desert country it is very lonely. The Mediterranean swarms with all sorts of small craft, and smuggling would be very easy. Every cvomng when the fishing boats return to the Old Harbour at Alexandria there is an armed officer, a start of combined gendarme and Customs official, who searches the fishermen as they come ashore. It is a rather perfunctory examination, to be sure, and would quite fail to locate anything whose "bulk could not be perceived by the naked eye.