LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 261, 18 August 1930, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the current "Gazette" it is notified that the bonus payable by the Department of Agriculture for the beaks of keas has been withdrawn.

Rugby and basketball teams representing the Mid-Canterbury primary schools visited Christchurc'h to-day and played matches against the., combined Christchurch schools' teams.

Another of a series of men's services was held in St. Stephen's Church yesterday afternoon, when there was an attendance of about 50. The service was conducted by the Rev. A. J. Petrie.

Although this has been a comparatively mild winter, there has been a marked prevalence of severe colds and a mild form of influenza in Ashburton. In some cases whole families have been indisposed for short periods These ailments, in the majority pi cases, have been contracted by children, and the attendance at schools lias 'been affected. Inadequate protection against the cold and damp conditions has been responsible for many cases, and during the recent rainy weather it was not a rare sight to see children wearing canvas shoes while others revelled in walking through large pools of water on the roadside.

Thm? bottles of strychnine were included in the "haul" of a thief who operated amongst the cars at the Aldington racecourse during the week. The bottles were all labelled poison, but'it is feared that if the bottles were later thrown away by the thief, the labels might have soaked off. Ihe warning is issued to prevent the poison doing damage to anv innocent person into' whoso hands the bottles may fall.

One case of scarlet fever at Ashburton was reported to the County Health Inspector (Mr E. N. Johnson) during last week. There were no notifications iu the Borough.

A copper trail was recently held at the Ashburton Technical School, the proceeds being in aid of the proposed new basketball pavilion. The trail, which was hold for a week, resulted in the sum of £9 15s being collected.

A Dunedin telegram states that or the £17,500 declared available from the Golden Wings Art Union, 37 per cent, is allotted to Canterbury, 33 per cent, to Ota go, and 30 per cent, to Southland. Otago's share will be devoted to the purchase of an aerodrome site at Taieri and its improvement.

There was a good attendance at the Orange Hall on Saturday evening, when a dance waayheld by St Stephen's Cricket Club. Music was played by Mrs Mitchell's orchestra. Another of a series of socials.was also held by the Ashburton Druids' Lodge in the Tancred Street Hall, there being a good attendance.

Numerous inquiries for houses to rent are still being received'' by land agents in Ashburton, but there is an acute shortage at present. Modern bungalows, the type of house in demand, are practically unobtainable, and old dwellings, without up-to-date conveniences, command good rentals. The market, as far as property sales are concerned, is very quiet.

The Prime Minister (the Hon. G. W. Forbes), when speaking at Lyttelton on Saturday evening, told a story to illustrate the recent increases in taxation. A friend had said to him that although most things were now taxed there were still some left. It reminded him, said Mr Forbes, of the old Irish jaunting-car driver who, after trying all methods of making his horse go faster, was asked if he knew «f anything more. "Sure," he said, "I can twist his tail, but I am keeping that for the hill." "We are keening the other things for the hill," said Mr Forbes.

"There is no need for pessimism," said the Hon. G. W. Forbes, referring at Lyttelton on Saturday evening to New 'Zealand's financial position. The country, he said, was passing through a troubled period but he was certain that it would come through it all right. New Zealand, was progressing. Production was increasing. In fact, there wero prospects that our production would soon be doubled. A readjustment was needed after the drop in the price of our produce, but we would soon get oyer that. He had seen prices lower in the past, and the country had always survived it. There was no reason why New Zealand should not go ahead.

The monthly meeting- of the MidCanterbury Women's Division of the Farmers' Union was held on Friday, when, the president (Mrs J. A. Fleming) presided over a good attendance. A letter was received from the president of the Timaru branch asking for co-operation in the matter of a housekeeper, and it was decided to accede to the request. After the business was concluded, the members visited a local business establishment, where a London expert gave a lecture on the coming spring fashions, which was much appreciated. On the motion of Mesciames Fleming and Marshall, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the speaker and to the manager of the establishment.

.Evidently in a desperate hurry to get home,"a man on a bicycle took a hi" risk of serious accident in Newmarket, Auckland, recently. He was p -dalling towards Onehunga, and when almost to the safety zone opposite the entrance to the railway station he encountered a temporary stop of traffic. Declining to pull up, he went round the wrong side of a moving tramcar and almost ran into an inward-bound tram on the other set of rails. However, lie kept his nerve and pedalled straight on between the two moving cars. Persons who have stood between two sets of tram rails while cars have passed them going each way will realise that the cyclist had very little "elbow room.''

To further popularise New Zealand apples at this season, the Fruit Board has arranged a competition for London school children, says an exchange. The board appealed to teachers: "Let your pupils win for the school a case of New Zealand apples. First give your pupils a lesson on 'New Zealand Apples,' notes for which will be found on the opposite page, and allow them to read the notes. Then set an essay on the subject to be written at school or at home. Select the three best essays. A case <cj New Zealand apples will* bo sent to the 40 schools which send in the best set of essays." Some 500 schools have entered for the competition, including two schools for the blind.

The large amount of rain which has fallen in the past few weeks in the Wairoa district has caused considerable discomfort to many of the workers in the married divisions on the various Public Works eamps, more especially in the line of the Waiko-kopu-Gisborne route. Many of these workers, with their wives and families, are living in tents, the Department being unable to provide huts speedily enough to accommodate the large number, coming in. Even those in the wooden huts, although comfortable, have had to wade through mud surrounding their dwellings and, with the exception of the main road all tracks are impassable. Butcher, baker and grocer have been unable to use their motor transport and carried their supplies themselves from door to door, ft L stated that it will take a month's fine weather to overcome this state of things. Good firewood is closely adjacent, but was fast disappearing until the Department placed a moderate charge per cord, and them the demand decreased slightly.

Hearty laughter greeted the motion, "That the union should see if it cannot do something under the Pure Foods Regulations to compel brewers to use genuine malt and hops in the production of beer," when brought before the executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union in Wellington. Mr W. H. Gane (Marlborough) submitted the remit, which was sent forward from Marlborough. He said the growers in that district were satisfied that the brewers wore not putting the barley and hops' into the beer that thev did years ago. Mr'R. O'Connor (Nelson): There is some other substitute taking the place of barley in beer. We feel that beer is an old and respected drink. It is a drink of common use, and we may as well have good beer as bad beer. (Laughter, and hear, hear:) The speaker urged that it should be dealt with as a pure food, adding that some people might stop drinking it if they knew what it was made of. Captain Rush worth suggested that if it were brought un under the Pure Foods Act it would come under the Arbitration Act. That might result in an increase in wages and an increase in the cost of living. Tho remit was rejected.

A bunch of three fine lemons, including one curiously misshapen through two fruit having grown into one. was recently brought into the laranaki Herald" office by Mr H. J. Holmes, o. Bell Block. Looked at from one angie the freak lemon appears like a cockatoo with its crest raised.

Two Rugby teams from St. Andrew s College, Oliristchurch, visited Ashburton to-da Y and played matches against the Ash'burton High School. Ine visitors' second fifteen played against the Ashburton first fifteen, while a match was played between under 9st 7lbs teams.

To provide clocks for the ward and the day-room at the institute, a collection was taken up among the inmates at Tuarangi Home, and the sum of £/ was subscribed. ' The arrangements were supervised by Messrs J. Russell and D. Lilley.

It is freely questioned in Sprmgburn (writes the correspondent of the "Guardian") whether it was tactful ot the Railway Department to circulate in the district last Aveek a pamphlet requesting folk to patronise "your own railway." Further, it requires a broad sense of humour to see the point in a plumber being employed last week doing odd jobs to the Spnngburn railway buildings.

Nearly 70 men have registered with the Ashburton County Council, as unemployed, since the beginning of the winter but several of these have since found work. At present 27 _ men are employed in. County plantations, and on reserves. Over 50 men have registered with the Department of Labour, and about 30 have been found employment in North Canterbury and on the West Coast.

Thousands of tons of onions lying unmarketed at a time when the new crop was five or six inches above the ground was a sifdvb which met the party of New. Zealand farmers on their recent tour of Australia. At Colac the party were impressed with the excellent duality of the land and the tremendous crops of onions lying m long rows alongside the road, and for which no sale could be found.

The annual cleaning of water-races in the County was commenced in the Chertsey-Rakaia and Ashburton-Rangi-tata districts to-day, and is required to be completed by Saturday. Failure to observe the regulations set out in the notices sent to property-owners by the Countv Council, will incur a penalty. The work throughout the County is scheduled to be completed by September 6.

Counterfeit coins have made their appearance at Gore, states the Mataura Emsign." A resident when tendering a 2s piece in a shop the other day was told that it could not be accepted, a closer inspection revealing that it was somewhat lighter than the others among the change tendered, although in other respects it was a commendable imitation. Another example of a counterfeit florin' was shown to an "Ensign" reporter by a Gore banker two days later.

There was an animated scene at the Ashburton railway station at about 8 30 this morning, on the occasion of the Mid-Canterbury schools' excursion to the Winter Show at Christchurch. A special train, drawing 16 carriages, conveyed about 1000 children, parents and teachers, the great majority being pupils of Ashburton schools. This number was augmented by children from schools along the line north ot Ashburton, while several pupils from the Ashburton Technical School also made the journey. The primary school children were those in Standard 111. or higher. The lower classes attended school as usual to-day. In the unusual circumstances of having two blades on one of her twin propellers and four blades on the other one, the steamer Cambridge steamed safely from New Zealand to England, where she arrived a few days ago. Before the ship left here theorists speculated on the relation of one propeller to the other in regard to balance, and whether the steering would be affected. The vessel lost a propeller blade on the run from Panama to Auckland, and when the ship was docked at Port Chalmers it was found that the boss had been damaged and a new blade could not be fitted. Instead of making a new boss another blade was removed, leaving onlv two blades instead of the original four. When the vessel left New Zealand she had a two-bladed propeller on one side and a iour-blaled propeller on the other side. It is not expected that she will be allowed to leave England in that state.