LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 14, 27 October 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thirty-six wiles were all that remained of the old traffic bridge over the Ashburton River this morning and a gang of men were at work removing them at the northern end.

The trustees of the Moule Estate have forwarded to the Finance Committee of the North Canterbury Hospital Board a cheque for £985, being the income from tlie estftte applicable to the Taurnngi Home for the year ended August 31.

What has been described by one man as “a sea of firewood” has been accumulated at Fairton, where relief workers have been splitting trees. Hundreds of cords of timber have been stacked. There are hundreds of others in various localities around the County, many storm-blown plantations hawing been cleared up in the past few months.

Patches of pale blue sky were seen from Ashburton this morning for the first time for nearly a week and the sight was a welcome one. Views of the lower slopes of the mountains were also afforded by breaks in the clouds. The topic of the weather and the possibilities of its clearing was on everyone’s tongue to-day.

A total of 206 radio telephone calls on the system linking New Zealand with overseas countries was made in the year ended March 31, 1932, according to the report made to Parliament by the Postmaster-General. The revenue earned bv New* Zealand from these calls was £331. The outward calls numbered 83 and the inward calls totalled 123. The service was inaugurated on November 25, 1930.

The North Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday decided to make no further* reductions in wages and salaries of the staff, owing mainly, as it was stated, to the staffs co-operation in keeping down expenses (says a Press Association message from Christchurch). The financial statement for six months indicated that the board’s budget would lie balanced at the end of the year.

. (Daphne (Rebekali) Lodge met last evening, the N.G. (Sister T. Harper) presiding over a. good attendance. Three members were reported sick, lwo candidates were initiated by the following members of the V ailn Lodge (Geraldine): —P.N.G. Sister E. Tagg, N.G., Sister M. McCabe, V.G.,.Sister T Rule, Chaplain, Sister J). Tindall, Conductor Sister E. Tangney, Warden Sister E. South, Pianist, Sister C. Rule, Inside Guardian Sister M. Charles, R.S.N.G Sister M. Barrett, L.S.N.G. .Sister C Waller, R.S.V .G. Sister P. Pratt, L.S.V.G., Sister A. Lord and Sisters R. M ailer and M. Stock. N.G. Sister T. Harper conoratulatcd the Sisters of the \\ ciihi Lodge on the initiation ceremony. N.G. Sister M. McCabe responded on behalf of the Wailii Lodge. At the conclusion of the initiation, membeis of the Wailii Lodge and brothers of the Hakatere Lodge were entertained at a social evening. Music was supplied by Sister V. Addis.

The Ashburton Silver Band has entered fur the Nsw Zealand Band Contest, to be held at Dunedin from February 18 jo 25 next. It will compete in the two B grade test selections, in the B grade quickstep and in the open hymn test.

“I think we may say that the position in Hamilton will compare more than favourably with that elsewhere in the Dominion,” said Mr \Y. Fraser, (principal of the Hamilton Technical School), in his report presented to the annual meeting, of the board or managers. He said that the unemployed youth problem at Hamilton was no longer critical, and most of the ex-pupils of the school had been placed.

Maintenance work on streets in the Borough is being kept well in hand. The works staff,have been busy to-dav Attending to repair work necessitated by the rain of the past week and Improvement is noted wherever work has been undertaken. Many pot-holes appeared during the wet spell and the general traffic .added to the unpleasant state of the streets. The grader was at work on West Street to-day.

Although Rangitoto Island looks so bare from a distance, and so uniformly drab at close quarters, there are yet some very beautiful flowers on it, says the “Auckland Star.” This month the two most charming things on the island are the shining parachutes of the Senecio Kirkii, or bush daisy. The seeds are just spreading for flight, and make a fine show. There are also great masses of velvety red buds of the rewarewa, just beginning to burst, and reveal the long red styles, tipped with cream.

Cast iron gratings placed at short intervals to carry away surface water from the new concrete bridge have given a good deal' of trouble since the bridge was opened. They were too small for the purpose and easily blocked up, necessitating clearing after every rainy spell. To-day several men were engaged in chipping away half of the grating which covers each opening, and the larger vent which is being left should be ample to carry away all storm water and rubbish washed into them.

It seems that men who are out of employment in Ashburton prefer to remain on relief work rather than take lucrative work of a more or less temporary nature. The Ashburton County Council recently decided to have a large farm area hear the mouth of the Rakaia River cleared of gorse, with which it was over-run. Very few inquiries were made when the contract was advertised and not one tender has been received. It is said that suitable men on relief work would have put in tenders but for a fear that in the event, of the contract going to them they would have been stood down from relief work, which is not so arduous as that called for in the instance quoted.

After judgments of the _ Court of Appeal had been delivered in Wellington last week in six cases heal’d by the Court recently, the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, said the Court would be adjourned until Friday morning, when any further judgments that might be readv would be delivered. The Court did not have any other judgments ready on Friday, and the Judges did not sit. No counsel were present. The courtroom was deserted, but it was necessary! for the registrar to make the formal announcement through the Court crier that the Court stood adjourned until October 28. The stentorian voice of the crier echoed . around the almost _ empty courtroom, the sole audience being two press representatives.

The Show Committee of the Manawatu Agricultural and Pastoral Association has decided to offer prizes for the purpose of encouraging the destruction of white butterflies. It was stated at a recent meeting of the committee that the position regarding the white butterfly was that it had now reached Feilding, and this summer would certainly do damage to plants, so much so. that at the High School several varieties of crops were being planted so that if crops were attacked they would not be caught without stock food. The best -method of attack on the itfitterflv .was the parasite, and this had been introduced into New Zealand and was being cultivated It would be released, tins summer, and by next year might overtake the pest and get it under control. though it would net completely eradicate it.

The meeting of the> Allenton Women’s Institute was presided over by the president (Mrs D. A. Morgan)There was a good attendance _ot members. A demonstration on the making of mocassins and felt slippers was given by Mrs F. J. Chambers and Mrs L Walker demonstrated the making of tinfoil pictures both demonstrations being keenly followed and greatly appreciated. A vote or thanks was passed to the demonstmtors. The competition for tl e mtin<r of “Something New out of Some +hm<r Old.”' was won by Mrs n. Walker and Mrs L. Walker (equal first with Mrs Vincent second, and Mrs’ D. Moore third. The hostesses for the afternoon were Mrs tV. bpariow, firs I, Walker, Misses Sf-rrow and Jary.

For ten years on the tiny island of Bunana, in the. Solomons Miss E. Saftrom, teacher with the Church or Imgland Melanesian Mission, has lived ft lonely life with another white woman teacher and 35 native girls. V hen she arrived in Sydney recently on furlough she said that she liked the lite, and despite hurricanes and eaitnquakes, which made existence at times risky, she wa»- never alrard. The native girls, said Miss Saftrom, weie taught the rudiments of homecraft and a little nursing. When their tramin<>- was completed they were able to no” back to the villages and nurse the sick. In the event of desperate illness communication with other islands was made in a dinghy, rowed several miles across open water by the native gills.

A special train comprising an engine and one passenger carriage was run yesterday afternoon at Lyttelton a shoi distance from the Coronation Hall, situated opposite the railway .station, to the side of the liner Tamui which lav on the east side of No. i jetty. I t reason was that watersiders, who had been working during the forenoon in the holds of the Taimu receiving frozen mutton into the refrigerated space, had refused to resume work at one o clock, giving as their reason that they were not prepared to proceed to the boi.it in the rain and work in the hold, as them wet clothes would freeze. The oliaw, Savill and Albion Company’s representative thereupon made the necessary arrangements for a special train to be run, which resulted in the work or loading the mutton proceeding uninterruptedly till five o’clock. The tram was dispatched from outside the hall, vheie a fairly large number of watersiders had assembled to watch its departure and cheer the 40 occupants. The tram made a further stop at the railway Sheds to pick up some railway hands.

A Press Association telegram states that the launch Dolly with a fishing party of four men, which had been missing since Monday, was towed back to Napier yesterday morning by the tug Kuri. The men are all well.

At the social held last evening to mark ,±he close of the unemployed men’s instruction in wool-classing under the tuition of Mr B. C. Donnelly, the chairman (Mr R. Kerr) announced that of the 10 men who had sat for the examination in wool-classing the following had obtained passes, the names being given in order of merit H. McNichol, R. Bennison, A. Dellow, J, Boucher and L. Watson.

According to Maori weather lore, the profusion with which kowhai and cabbage trees are flowering in the Wanganui district is a sure sign of a long, dry summer. Although the kowhai was late in flowering in Wanganui, all trees are covered with masses of yellow blossom. Cabbage trees, also, are sending foflh an unusually large number of flower branch- %&.

“1 feel very strongly over the matter, as I have watched the birds working on my lawn destroying grubs,” remarked a member of the Taranaki Education Board when discussing a request from the Farmers’ Union that the necessity for not destroying the eggs of starlings, which were the farmers’ friends, should be impressed on boys. “So do I,” remarked another speaker. “They blocked up my chimney.” The board expressed itself as sympathetic to the proposal and adopted a suggestion that the School Journal should be made the medium for disseminating the information.

Since the County Council took a firm stand in the matter and dismissed several men who had refused to work in a proper manner, there has been no trouble with regard to the go-slow policy instigated by the Ashburton Relief Workers’ Union. When there was a hint that the policy would be adhered to the Council informed the men that if they persisted in going slow y the Council would not provide transport to take them to the jobs, this being an item of some moment to the Council, which pays a considerable sum every month/ for the running of trucks to places in the County where the relief workers are engaged.

The Plant Research Station at Palmerston North expects to receive this month a consignment of 12,000 wasps that have been imported to counteract the white butterfly pest. The wasps will he consigned in the. pupal stage. It was stated recently (says an exchange) that no steps had been taken to arouse the 3000 vespidae which are at present asleep in an ice chest at the station, as it was not desired to do so until the research officers were sure they had every chance of thriving. A special crop of cabbages had been grown near Hastings, where it was hoped the butterflies would breed prolifically and thus provide the fcod necessary for the wasps’ well-being.

Many sales on account of Ashburton County clients were made at the Addington market yesterday. Mr F. W. Ironside (Chertsey) topped the fat cow market, selling one at £9 2s 6d. The sales were as follow: —Cattle—F. W. Ironside (Chertsey), 2 cows at £5 12s 6d to £9 2s 6d, 1 cow at £5 2s 6d. Wethers: Nicoll Bros. (Ashburton), 2 at 16s lOd; G. Thompson (Lyndhurst), five at 15s 4d; H. Reesby (Lyndhurst), 5 at lls 7d to 14s 7d, 8 shorn at 10s 4d to 13s lOd; L. C. Anderson (Lyndhurst), 16 shorn kt 12s 4d to 13s 7d; J. Langley (Rakaia), 11 shorn at! 12s Id ■ J. Campbell (Methven), 80 shorn at 8s 7d to 10s 4d. Ewes: H. Hurst (Rakaia), 23 shorn at 12s 4d to 13s 4d; G. Thompson (Lyndhurst), 7 at 13s 4d; Estate J. Kermode (Lyndhurst), 7 at 12s 7d; Nicoll Bros. (Ashburton), 10 at 12s 7d; J. Langley (Rakaia), 25 shorn at 9s 7d to 12s Id ; Jack Connolly (Ashburton), 24 shorn at 9s Id to 10s Id; L. C. Anderson fLyndhurst), 12 shorn at 10s Id; A. Pithie (Hinds), 70 shorn at 8s 7d to 9s lOd; P. J. Hanrahan (Rakaia), 25 shorn at 8s 7d to 9s 7d; A. Ritchie (Hinds), 24 shorn at 7s lOd to 9s 7d. Fat lambs— R.. F. Lockliead (Rakaia), 7 at 15s 4d to 16s Id; W. W. Carruthers (Rakaia), 25 at 13s 7d to 15s 7d; J. McAnulty (Winchmore), 29 at 13s Id to 15s Id; H. Hurst (Rakaia), 35 at 12s 4d to 13s 7d; J. Miller (Killinchy), 9 at 12s Id to 13s Id; L. C. Anderson (Lyndhurst), 24 at 9s 4d to 12s lOd; R. S. Ruddenklau (Winchmore), 32 at lls Id to lls lOd.