LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 206, 13 June 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

By 34 votes to 7, a bowling club in Hamilton has decided against bowling on Sundays.

Counterfeit shillings, which are a fairly good imitation, are in circulation in Timaru. One coin, which was paid' into the Bank, of New Zealand, had quite a new appearance, and was dated 1919. It was somewhat lighter than the genuine coin, and the milling was clumsily carried out.

As the years pass, school girls in increasing numbers demand attache cases to carry their books and other equipment to school. The old school bag, with the long shoulder strap, is rapidly passing, so far as the girls are concerned, but the boys stick to the traditional conveyance. Lining the walls of the Ashburton Technical School main passageway yesterday, were no fewer than 112 attache cases.

“I have ’been out of work since March, 1930,” said a young man who called in at the “Dominion” office in Wellington the other evening, “and I have been vainly seeking a job ever since. Imagino my surprise in calling at Arapuni to find an army of Maoris and Dalmatians at work there. Many of these Dalmatians could not even speak English. There seems to be something wrong when Dalmatians can get work while native-born New Zealanders are unable to obtain employment.”

“The real heroes and heroines of the world are those men and women living cheerfully under the most difficult conditions with few of the amenities of life,” said Dean Cl. It. Ilarnett, in an address to the Hamilton Civic Luncheon Club. The dean said his experiences in thickly-populated towns __ in England and in tlie baekbloeks of New Zealand showed him that the most oi the present dav difficulties of the world would not be solved by political measures, but by the distribution of a larger measure ol the milk of human kindness, by greater generosity and sympathy, and by a greater willingness to'serve others than had been the case in the past.

Copies of an Order-in-Council prohibiting the use by anglers of any wire or gimp trace, plain or twisted of a greater gauge 21 standard, and th'c use of any rod of greater length than 11 feet in one piece, were forwarded to the Wellington Acclimatisation Society bv the Under-Secretary of Marine (Mr G. C. Godfrey). Mr F. Dyer said the prohibition was evidently intended to apply more to southern rivers, where numbers of quinnat salmon were reported to have been taken by stroke-hauling, the process being to flog the pools with a sixteen foot bamboo and a long piano-wire trace bespangled with large double hooks, throwing the trace across the pool and foul-hooking the fish. Members thoroughly approved the prohibition.

A clean bill of health is retained by Ashburton Borough and' County, there being no notifications of infectious diseases for the past week.

It was probably the raw conditions of the weather that kept many people indoors yesterday, for there was not as large a crowd in town as is usual on a Friday. Several shopkeepers’declare that there has seldom been a Friday when so few people were in their shops.

A caucus of the Reform Party has been called in Wellington on June 24, the day before the Parliamentary session opens. Questions concernin'- the Party’s attitude during the session will then be discussed. Labour also will hold a caucus before the session opens.

A Wanganui telegram states that the Appeal Board dismissed! the appeal of Catherine R. Phillips, teacher* against her dismissal by the Wanganui Education Board from the llangiwaliia. School. It was admitted that in many ways she was a good teacher bnt temperamentally unfitted for the position.

There was a good attendance at the monthly meeting of the British Sailors’ Society yesterday, when Mrs J. R. Wells presided. An interesting address on the work of the Society and its assistance to the Lyttelton Institute was given by tho Rev. A. J. Petrie. A musical programme was arranged by Mrs W. Thomas, the contributors being Mrs Wells, Misses Brown and E. Milliclmmp (songs), and Miss Andrews (recitation).

Two katipo spiders were brought into tho Wanganui “Chronicle” office bv a man who has been employed in transplanting marram grass at Castlecliff. He stated that the spiders which are fairly plentiful are to be found in their webs at the bottom of the tufts of grass. They are fairly “sleepy” at this time of the year, and unless disturbed show very little liveliness. The two brought in were large. Generally, the specimens found would fit oyer a threepenny bit, but the two exhibited would spread over a shilling.

A Wellington Press Association message states that a further move for legislation of euchre tournaments has been made from Christchurch, in representations to the Minister of Justice (the Hon. J. G. Cobbe), but the Minister stated yesterday that he did not think there was any necessity for the introduction of an amendment of the Act. Mr Cobbe added that the matter of proceeding in cases of offence against the law was being leit at the discretion of the police.

Having been removed from its original site, the eld Winchmore School building is being erected in the grounds of tho Ashburton East School, between the main building and the small building to the east. During its period of idleness the Winchmore building lost most of its windows, and a local resident stated yesterday that it was a puzzle to him why the Department should go to tho expense of removing the building, which, he declared', was riddled with borer. There are several places where bees have swarmed between the walls.

On inquiries being made among AJshljfwton grocers this morning regarding a reduction in the retail price of sugar following reductions in the bulk price announced by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, most of the firms expressed themselves as undecided 1 on the matter, pointing out that the reduction was too small to have any effect on the price per pound, though it might possibly affect the price per hag. One film, however, has decided on a reduction and announces a fall of threepence a bag from Monday, on new stocks.

In reference to the trouble with relief workers at Dromore on Tuesday, tho foreman of the gang (Mr A. Beck) states that the trouble over the smoko related to only one man, the others concerned declining to start work after dinner out of sympathy with the dismissed man, and asking for a new foreman. There was no card playing during the three days Mr Beck was in charge. The foreman d.d not ask for the names of the malcontents, simply taking the names of the workers.

The now memorial tower in memory of the Hon. Sir John McKenzie, to replace the cairn previously built at the top of Pukeriti, was unveiled at Puhetapu Hill, Palmerston, Otago, _recently. In the absence oi the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. G. WForbes), who bad hoped to be able to officiate but was prevented from doing so by pressure of public business, the ceremony was performed by the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. P. A. de la Pencile). The memorial is handsomely carried out in natural rough stone," and stands about 40 feet in height. A panel records the outstanding events of Sir John McKenzies lite, including the dates of his sor\ice m civic politics, as member of Parliament, as Minister ot Lands and Agiiculture, and subsequently as a Legislative Councillor.

Several members of the Mid-Canter-bury branch of the Women s Division of the Farmers’ Union motored to Seafield on "Wednesday afternoon with tine object of forming a branch in tnat district. Mr A. liruce, on behalf of the Farmers’ Union, welcomed Mrs Fleming (the president) and Mrs Bruce, who gave a most interesting lecture and demonstration, on the “Uses of Wool.” Mr Bruce said that the ladies would have every support from the Union if they decided to form a branch. Messrs F. Johnston and Driscoll endorsed. Mr Bruce’s remarks. Mrs Fleming then addressed a large gathering of ladies andl explained the aims and objects of the Women’s Division of the Farmers Union, and it was unanimously decided to form n branch at Seafield. The following officers were elected: President, Mrs F. Johnston; vicepresidents. Mesdames Driscoll. A. Bruce and Jackson; secretary, Mrs J. Gregory; treasurer, Miss Jackson.

Corroboration of the indictment of hedgehogs as enemies of ground-nest-ing birds at a former meeting of the society was read at the meeting of the society was read at the meeting of the "Wellington Acclimatisation Society recently, from Mr Derwent Lee, ol Park Avenue, Lower Hutt, who stated that last season hedgehogs had levied heavy toll on his duck eggs. Deposits of twenty egg shells, taken away by hedgehogs. were found on the removal ol rubbish, heaps of sticks etc., also other deposits under boards and piles of stakes. Near a nest containing a hedgehog and four young ones were found quantities of egg shells which he identified as those from bis ducks. “They seem to be getting as destructive as rats,” concluded the writer, “and instead of encouraging them as we have done in the past on account of the work they do amongst snails, we will have to destroy all we see. After all a few snails are not worth the price of several dozen eggs.”

When the Marama sailed from Sydney yesterday afternoon four of the University footballers were aboard (says a i Press Association message). The remainder embarked on the Makura on Thursday on their way home.

Fire destroyed the bakehouse also the adjoining residence of Mr I). A. Fraser, at Ham.ua, early yesterday morning (says a Press Association message from Pahiatua). Tlie owner was Miss Bourke, of Wanganui. The insurances amounted to £7OO.

There was a momentary interruption in the electric power service in Ashburton about 4.40 o’clock last evening. The break took place as the Diesel engine, which was being switched in, was not properly parallel or synchronised with the Coleridge supply, causing a switch to blow.

I) river less, a motorl-car dropped over a bank and down about 70 feet at a sharp turn in Durham Street, off Are Street, Wellington, the other evening. The car, a sedan model, was standing outside the owner’s residence. He heard the engine running at about 7.40 p.m., and dashed out, but found the car on its way to destruction. The bonnet was left on a post, the. left side of the car was torn out, and three wheels were lost. But for the intervention of another post, the car would have dropped d'owu a 12ft. concrete wall and run into a house.

“Of what use is Parliament?” asked Mr H. F. Clarke at an Island Bay Bowling Club’s function this week, when proposing the toast “Parliament.” He went on to supply the answer in the following terms: “As Ngaruahoe to New Zealand, Vesuvius to Italy, and the safety-valve to a high-pressure boiler, so is Parliament to our commonwealth. There, freedom of thought and speech find full expression ; there, weird views arc aired and wild schemes are ventilated; and the relief thus obtained is an effectual safeguard against that dread monster, Revolution, which arises from pent-up indignations. The democratic assembly is our acceptance of the age-old invitation, ‘Come, now, let us reason together.’ ”

The use of the term “rabbiting” in Rugby football is not uncommon, and it was applied in a case for a ruling which came under the notice of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s Management Committee, it has been used to cover the actions of a player in endeavouring to score a try on all fours. “Don’t you think it is time that the references to ‘ rabbiting ’ should ho eliminated?” the secretary (Mr A E. Neilson) asked after reading the reference to the matter. “There is no such tiling as ‘ rabbiting ’ in Rugby.” In enlarging upon his views on the subject, the secretary later pointed out that the correct expression to cover what was meant by “rabbiting” was “playing tho ball on tlie ground. “You might as well say that «a player off-side is going fishing,” he added.