LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 131, 16 March 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hinds correspondent of ' The Guardian" states that several mills, having completed stook threshing have "pulled in" for a few weeks until the stacks are ready.

Spurious half-crowns are said to be in circulation in Blenheim. One, which is in the possession of the police, was collected bv a milkman, in the ordknary course of business. It was moulded in' some lead composition from a cast of one of the 1929 issue, and was a very fair imitation unt.il closely examined. The "ring" of the coin and the defective milling round the edges revealed it as counterfeit. The metal, too, was easily cut with a pocket-knife.

Harvest thanksgiving services were held in St. Andrew's (Presbyterian), St. Stephen's (Anglican) and the Baptist churches yesterday. The churches were decorated with farm produce. The Revs. A. G. Irvine, A. J. Petrie and E. W. Batts respectively preached appropriate sermons and the choirs sang special anthems. The produce displayed at the two former churches will be. forwarded to _ Christchurch orphanages and a retiring collection was taken up at St. Stephen's in aid of missions.

The Ashburton Motor-Cycle Club held a run to Lake Heron yesterday, a large number making the trip. The weather favoured the outing, which was spent in fishing and swimming. During the afternoon the riders went further up into tiie foothill*. Mr S. Preddv, a prominent member of the club, had several successes in the grass track racing at Christchurch on Saturday, gaining two second places, one third and one fourth. He had bad luck in not winning one race, but rode exceptionallv well all: the afternoon.

The old "Blue Baths" at Botorua dismantled some time ago have risen to-day under a new name—the Ward Baths—bringing into lifelong memory the first Minister in charge of the Tourist Department, Sir Joseph Wfcud, says the "Evening Post," (Wellington). The new bath house is almost completed, and is to be officially opened with a ceremony within the next week or two. Everv comfort and convenience have been* provided in the baths, and the appointments are stated to be in keepin<r with those of the best resorts, of the world, in that modern tastes have been studied.

Designs for pictorial postage stamps ■are invited by the Postmaster-General (the Hon. J. B. Donald), says the "Dominion." The values of the new issue will be in approximately 15 denominations ranging from }d to 3s, and a prize of £2o will be paid for each design adopted for the new series. (De-signs-must be submitted by September 30 next, and a board comprising art authorities and Government Departments will adjudicate. The specifications state that each stamp must bear a representation of New Zealand seenerv or "•enre, or an industrial or agricultural scene. The Jd stamp will bo o-reen, the Id red, and the 2.U1 dark blue but for other values the artist may sweest colours. The entries are to be submitted under a pseudonym. If anyl design is utilised within five vears'of the new issue, the designer will receive £ls. Full specifications are available at post offices.

An extraordinary heavy yield of Tuscan wheat was threshed on; Mr Rex Pearce's farm at Willowby Jast week. From a 30-acr© paddock no fewer than 2100 bushels of grain were bagged, an average of 70 bushels an acre. It was all of good milling quality.

Rates, special rates and water charges struck by the Ashburton County Council amounted to £27,453 7s 4d. Of this amount £1,3,649 ]os 7d has been paid, leaving .£BBOB 16s 9d outstanding. Now that the Council has fixed a definite date, next Monday, on which rates have to be paid without incurring the 10 per cent, penalty, it is anticipated that the rates will be paid more freely during this week.

Members of the Ashburton Domain Board this morning inspected the croquet lawns where it is proposed that an extension involving, the removal of trees near the pavilion should be carried out. It is understood that the Board, approved of the extension and the removal of five trees. Confirmation of this approval will be given next Monday night.

With the object of forming a. Christchurch, branch of the Ashburton High School Old Pupils' Association in Ciiristchurch, a reunion of old pupils in the City will be held to-morrow evening. The president of the Old Pupils' Association (Mr E. C. D. Withell), a vice-president (Mr T. L. Crooks), chairman of the Jubilee Committee (Mr J. M. Meßae), secretary (Mr R. Sutherland) and practically every member of the executive will attend. It is> understood that there are about 150 old pupils in Christchurch, and there is every prospect of a strong branch being formed there.

The unusual spectacle of grass growing iii) one of the principal streets of Napier was observed last week, says the Hawke's Bay "Herald," a few blades having made their appearance outside an office in Browning Street. Since the earthquake the footpath at this spot has been covered with a heterogeneous mass of debris, and, further, most people have preferred to walk in the comparative security of the road away from the immediate proximity of buildings which are likely to be in a dangerous condition. On Thursday workmen were engaged clearing and sweeping this particular street, and it was then that the incongruous blades of grass were to be seen growing through a crack which had appeared in the footpath.

"We have heard a good deal of the trouble alleged to have been made by mortgagees in acting arbitrarily, but as one who has had much to do with mortgagees, I have found them most reasonable," said a prominent Taranaki business man at a meeting of the Stratford Chamber of Commerce. "Not in one single case in my experience during the present slump has the mortgagee taken any steps to* dispossess the mortgagor; on the contrary, they have been anxious for the mortgagor to remain." The great bulk of the mortgagees were either Government or lending institutions, and were not in a position to re-enter and exercise the power to sell.

Summer-time ended officially at 2 a.m. yesterday, but most people put back their clocks upon retiring on Saturday night. The town clock was altered at II p.m., but the clock on the Library building maintained "sum-mer-time" over the week-end. Cases are known where people advanced their clocks by half an hour instead of putting them back, with the result that several church-goers arrived for services an hour ahead of time. Some people omitted to change the hands of the clock and at least one woman, hurrying to keep an appointment during yesterday afternoon, found that she was too early by half an hour. Most people will regret that summertime has past .till next October, and the majority hold the view that the extra half hour will ere long be a permanent thing.

A recurrent problem at the beginning of each school year is the difficultv of placing the excess supply of teachers. In normal years this has been due to the exodus of a large number of qualified young teachers from the training schools, and experience has shown that the position usually rights itself as the year goes on through replacements of teachers retiring on superannuation, and women teachers marrying. This year, however, the position is not normal. It is stated that as a result of the pruning of staffs a number of teachers who have held previous appointments are out of work. In some cases they have to make way for ex-trainees who join at a lower salary. It is clear (says.the "Dominion") that the remedy lies with the training colleges. Tho number of trainees should be cut down, and the yearly exodus reduced to a point which will keep supply and demand at an approximately even balance.

The opinion that the present economic depression is being accentuated by a form of "economy panic" Avas expressed by Mr C. H. Williams at a meeting of the Poverty Bay Sheep Owners' Union, his comment following consideration of the Government's proposed measures for adjusting the Dominion's finances. Mr Williams, in suggesting that the meeting should express its approval of wlftt tho Prime Minister had proposed, remarked that there was one aspect of the Government's economy campaign which was difficult to understand. There had arisen a form of f'economic panic" that was little short of political madness. Men were put to work in one part of the country for a short time, and then transferred somewhere else, with little regard to the respective value of the undertakings concerned. He did not agioe with the policy in connection with borrowing. In his opinion it would be wise to raise reasonable loans at the present time, instead of waiting for tho good times and then accentuating the booms.

"Mum, Prank has gone for a ride on the step of the car," was the alarming news a little girl very tearfully confidded to her mother one day recently after a man, who had called at a house in Epuni Street, off Aro Street, Wellington, to deliver some goods, had loft in his motor-car. Frank was a boy between two and three years old, and while the motor driver was inside the house he had climbed on to tho running board of the car. The man got into the car again on the opposite side and drove off, carrying, unknown to him, the small boy. When the boy's mother heard what had happened she was terrified and there was really little she could do. When he left the house the motorist drove down Epuni Street, at the foot of which there is a sharp bend, into Aro Street, and then Willis Street to Ghuznec Street, where, on stopping the car to do other business, he became aware for the first time of the hov's presence. The child had not been shaken off. The driver, after recovering from his surprise, took the boy post haste back to his anxious mother.

The secretary of the Ashburton Acclimatisation' Society has received reports of the fishing rivers in the County as .follow: —llakaia, cloudy; Rangitata, cloudy.

A raid on premises in Cox Street suspected of sly grog selling was carried out by the police shortly after midnignt on Saturday and again at 5.30 last evening. A quantity of liquor was seized on both occasions.

To foster the sport of gliding which has become so popular in England, America, and on the Continent, a club to be called the Canterbury Glider Club.has been formed in Christchurch. The movement has been well supported, and one of the members is building a glider. It is expected that it will be finished before long. The first general meeting of members will be held on "Wednesday evening, when the club's operations will be discussed.