LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 16, 29 October 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Both the RakaTa and Rangitatn Rivers are fishable, according to reports received to-day by the secretary of the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society (Mr J. B. Nicoll). “A science bias is now in fashion with the Education Department, and inspectors are asked to report on science in primary schools,” said the chairman of the Wanganui Education Board (Mr Hemingway) in speaking on a notification from the department at a meeting (reports the ‘‘Chronicle.’ ) Next month there will probably be an agricultural bias.”

The opinion that the right hand rule should apply to- bicycles as well as to ether vehicles was expressed by Mr Justice Herdman during the hearing of a. street collision claim in the Supreme Court in Auckland. Counsel in the case had complained that there was no definite rule for the guidance of cyclists as there was for othei traffic. The fact that the prices for certain artificial manures on which the Government subsidy was paid were higher in the South Island than in the North, was brought before the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr C. Carr (Lab., Timaru), who asked the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. C. E. Macmillan) if lie would take steps to have a uniform, price established for the whole of the Dominion. Mr Carr said that 44-66 superphosphate was quoted at £4 a ton in the North Island and £4 5s in the South.

A rather unusual accident, in which a boy had a narrow escape from serious injury, occurred at the junction of France and Thompson Roads, Napier on a recent afternoon (says an exchange). The bov was cycling down Thompson Road when a occurred to the chain of lus machine, and he was unable to stop when suddenly confronted by a motor car turnjn<r "into Thompson Road. The bicycle struck the radiator of the car with considerable force, and the boy was thrown into the air, landing on the roof of the car and sliding off at . the back Beyond a few minor bruises, however, he suffered no injury.

Eleven Ashburton entries have been received for the Chamber of Commerce commercial examinations, which are the outgrowth of a system of examinations started in 1929 by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce In the last two years other centres have joined with ‘Wellington, and a continually increasing number of candidates have taken the opportunity of sitting for the certificates awarded in shorthand, typing, handwriting, and bookkeeping. In 1929 the number of entrants was 2b2, in 1930, when tlie Wanganui, Palmerston North and Hastings Chambers joined with Wellington, there were 562 and in 1931, when Christchurch and Masterton joined the others, the numbers reached 721. In the first year 200 certificates were awarded, in the second 380, and last year 524. This is the first year that the local chamber lias joined with the other centres. The examinations are conducted by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, all papers being corrected and the awards made accordingly.

A Gisborne telegram states that the eight-roomed hou.se of Mr M. Wade, Ngatapa, insured for £750, was destroyed by tire while the owner was visiting town. When tenders for motor oils were being dealt with at a meeting of the Waitema-ta County Council, a councillor caused amusement by relating an incident which occurred in his district, when an oil expert was asked to give an opinion on three grades of oil. jwo first-class grades were submitted, together with a bottle of harness oil and the expert decided that the harness oil was the most suitable for the job.

A Blenheim motorist was surprised and pleased to see a weka on the main Blenheim-Nelson highway near the Pelorus bridge on a recent afternoon. The bird seemed quite unconcerned about the appearance of the car, and stalked so languidly across the road and into the bush' that the motorist had to pull up to avoid running it down. Not long ago a weka was reported to have been seen wandering m one of the streets of Blenheim, but. it might have been an escapee from captivity.

A petition has been presented to Parliament from Nelson fruitgrowers asking that relief be given from absolute control under the Fruit Control Act, 1824, and that fruitgrowers he given the right of either sale or consignment outside the jurisdiction of the board. Petitions have also been presented asking that the method of Section 1 of fruitgrowers’ representatives on the New Zealand Fruit Export Control Board and provincial representation on the hoard be varied as set out in remits forwarded from Nelson to the Dominion conference in September, 1931. In the Woodlands district the birds are busy building just now, but one cannot help but notice that year bv year the number of small native birds such as the fantail, the ring-eye, and the tom-tit is sadly diminishing (writes the correspondent of the “Southland Times”). This is said fo be due to the activities of that comparatively recent importation, the German . brown owl, so to all lovers of native birds the appearance of this pest should he as nauseating as the sight of a weasel, and steps should be taken to encourage its destruction.

More and more residents are taking up the idea of cutting the grass which grows on the side! of the street in frontof their premises and in many streets a, keen rivalry has set up among neighbours in having the grass well kept. In some cases, the street edge of the grass has been chipped back in a straight line. One resident on the west side lias taken „t he extreme step of having all the grass removed and asphalt put down in its place, the result being most noticeable. There are few really untidy section fronts in Ashburton and most people take pride in keeping their fences tidy, the weeds and grass cut well back, and the gardens behind the fences neat and pleasing to the eye.

Definite information that, the 10,000ton motor-ship Achimota. has been purchased by the Huddart-Parker Company for the trans-Tasman passenger service is contained in Australian newspaper exchanges brought to Auckland by the Monterey. It was announced some days ago that the vessel, which has been idle at Belfast since she was completed a year or so, ago, would probably he seen in Zealand waters. Designed for the West African service, tlie Achimota is described as being eminently suitable for the trans-Tasman trade - , her construction having been based on that of the Westralia. The liner is expected to reach Sydney early in the New Year.

A very interesting item in _ the annual exhibition of the Auckland University College School of Architecture is a large reproduction of a wonderful isometric drawing of the dome, choir and transept of SL Paul’s Cathedral. This drawing, which was made bv a group of architects and draughtsmen during the extensive repair work, took two years to prepare. It shows the building as if parts had been cut out of it from crypt to roof, and <rives an exact representation of the wonderfully ingenious structure of the great dome, with its interior supporting cone of brickwork. Another feature that can be readily seen is that the upper halves of the side walls of the nave and choir are merely stone screens, enclosing spaces open to the sky.

The Ashburton District Women’s Institute met yesterday afternoon, the president (Mrs E. A. Cockro'ft) occupying the chair. A motion of sympathy was passed with Mrs G. A. M. Macdonald (Orari), vice-president of the South Cantej;bury Federation, in the death of her liushamj, Mrs Macdonald wrote asking the institute to carry on with the arrangements for their first annual picnic to he held at her residence on Tuesday. A copy of a calendar to be used instead of a Christmas card was received from the Wellington Federation, which advised that shies were being made in aid of tffe Federation funds. Mrs F. J. Chambers, delegate to the half-yearly meeting of the Federation at Geraldine, gave an interesting report of the conference. Mesdames C. Parsons and W. Thomas were appointed to represent the institute at the special meeting arranged by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union for Tuesday. An interesting demonstration on gas-cooking was given by Miss I. Thompson, demonstrator for the Christchurch Gas Company. The competition for a Christmas gift was won by Mrs L. Walker. Mrs H. Miller was second. Mrs J. M. Wilkie was judge. A fire-side ,'humpty made from a dyed sugar-bag by Mrs R. Tucker was on exhibition. The hostesses were Mesdames P. Cookson, A. J. Thorpe, I). Fitzgerald, G. Arthur, Misses Chapman and R. Hardwick.

When addressing the-Wellington Philosophical Society on “The Economic Value of Agricultural Science.” his Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, remarked on the devastation wrought to economic crops by insect and fungoid pests. This, he said, was reckoned in temperate countries to represent a loss of at least 15 per cent, of their total value, and in the world generally (including tropical and sub-tropical areas( more than 20 per cent. “The present annual losses from insect pests alone are estimated bv the Imperial Bureau of Entomology at £150.000,000 in India. £00,000,000 in Canada, and £20,000,000 in Australia, or. taking the Emnire as a. whole, at one-tenth of the value of the crops attacked,” said his Excellency. “Every year in the Empire alone insects destroy enough food to support 45,000,000 people. Estimates kindly furnished to me by Dr. Cunningham,' the Mycologist at the New Zealand Plant Research Station, place the annual losses from plant diseases (mainly of fungoid character) as affecting cereal crops, potatoes, leguminous crops, root crops, aud fruit trees in this Dominion alone at over* £2 000 000 without taking into account .the loss involved by the consequential reduction of the area under root crops which are the chief victims.”

A case of tuberculosis was notified fo the Ashburton County Health Inspector during this week. A case'of'a. similar fiatui’e was notified to the Borough Health Inspector. Sixteen applications for assistance from returned men in indigent circumstances, who were suffering from war disabilities, were considered by the committee of _ the Ashburton County War Relief Fund. The chairman (Mr E. H. Orr) presided. Assistance was granted in ,the majority of cases.

Addressed to the “Clerk, Eastbourne provincial district, Wellington, New Zealand,” a letter was received by' the Eastbourne Borough Council from the Liverpool City Council urging it to make a display of bunting on Christmas Day (says the “Wellington Evening Post.”) It was customary to display bunting on birthdays, said the letter, and Christmas Day was the greatest birthday of the year. The Mayor (Mr S. F. Fisher) thought that the borough already displayed bunting on Christmas Day, but it was decided to accede to Liverpool’s request.

At the annual meeting held at Auckland, Mr W. It. Wilson (acting-chair-man of directors of the South British Insurance Company), dealing wtih the affairs cf the Guardian Trust and Executors Company, said: “A special feature has been made in our advertising of the importance to-day of clients revising their wills in view of falling values of securities and investments. Cases are continually arising where, through lack of foresight and failure ,to review tire provisions of wills made a few years ago> testators have inflicted serious hardship on their families. It cannot be too strongly urged on every thinking person that there is a obligation .to-day to consult his solicitor and review the provisions of his will to ensure that his dependents will actually’ - receive the benefits to which they are entitled and which the testator would desire them to have.”

A suggestion from the Kairanga County Council that the maximum license fee for dogs should be £2, and that county councils should decide the class of dogs to which the fee should apply, wlas received at the monthly meeting of the Hutt County Council. It, was thought that a higher fee would have the effect of bringing about a reduction in the number of cases of sheep worrying. Mr W. V. Dyer said that a higher fee would offer no protection, because dogs from other districts might cause trouble. This was happening at the present time. Mr F. Brady said that at Pahautanui 20 sheep had been worried by dpgs from the Hutt. The chairman (Mr D. R. Hoggard): It is a very serious matter to farmers, but I think we can only receive the letter. Mr Dyer: We would only penalise our own ratepayers and we would still have the trouble. No action was taken.