LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 17, 31 October 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The appeal of the Lang Government to the Privy Council on the Bill to abolish the Legislative Council in New South Wales will cost the State Government €5()90.

Both the Rangitnta and Rakaia Rivers are lishable, according to reports received to-day by the secretary of the Ashburton Acclimatisatoiii Society (Mr J. B. Nicoll).

It is understood that a parcel of 108 ounces of gold has been delivered at Boss from the quartz mine at Mount Greenland, making a total of over 300 ounces to hand since the beginning of the year. Work is proceeding steadily, some six men being engaged in the mine.

Two midget eggs, laid by a fully grown White Leghorn hen, were brought into the “Southland Times” Office, Gore, the other day. The eggs, which were of similar size and perfectly shaped, measured one inch in length and two and a-quarter inches in circumference. The same hen has laid seven of these small eggs in succession. Surely this is something in the nature of a record.

The ill wind that massed rain clouds over Wellington last Monday blew somebody good; During the morning a quantity of food ordered for the Old Boys’’ Day afternoon tea at Wellington College arrived at the City Mission headquarters. This thoughtful action was taken by the committee of the Wellington College 01(Jr Boys' Association, after it had been decided to postpone the annual sports assembly. The food, consisting mostly of bread, was passed on to the men’s shelter.

The prophecy was made at last week’s meeting of the Wellington: Philosophical Society, when the subject of science and agriculture was under discussion, that New Zealand would ultimately be looked upon as the greatest grass-growing country in the world. The demand for certified rye grass, a product which was going to he a most valuable export in the future, was far in excess of the supply. One Australian merchant last year wanted 8000 bushels, hut could not be supplied, neither could the demandJroip. Europe be met. The Dinted Mates had tried to grow their own, hut without success.

In a letter sent to the Director of Agriculture (Dr. C. J. Roakes), a copy of, which was before the Dominion executive of the Farmers’ Union last weelc. Mr W. A. Tate, of Groytown, stated that a Japanese wool buyer had told him that he was instructed hv six manufacturing firms not to buy New Zealand wool on account of the bales being sewn with twine instead of being fastened with steel elip.s. The manufacturers’ complaint was that sewing with twine tended to leave pieces of.twine in the wool, and these, together with the fragments of jute from the bales, had to be picked out by hand. Mr Tate said that while be was in Sydney he found that the Australians had used the clips for five years. It was quicker to use them than to sew the bales, and no machine was needed except a pincer instrument to extract them. The president of the union (Mr AY. J. Poison. M.P.) said he believed the clips would be a good deal cheaper than twine. It was decided to write to the woollen goods manufacturers and the brokers for their views

Recently the services of a water diviner were procured by the Cardiff Dairy Company, as a shortage of water was reared this season (says the •**',Stratford Post”). Water was located right beside the factory. Water should he reached at about ‘2OO feet down.

“I was astonished to find there is no demand for passion fruit in England,” said Mr J. E. Brown, formerly chairman of the Fruit Export Board, who returned from London by the Rangitiki on Thursday. “It has been tried without success in all the leading hotels and restaurants. The people complain of the number of seeds.”

"Threepence per week for a shovel i That’s ridiculous!” said Mr J. Macdonald at a Birkenhead Borough Council meeting last week. The subject under discussion was the charges made by tlie Public Works Department for tne lending of tools, about which the Birkenhead borougn had made inquiry. Threepence a month would be more equitable, he thought. “Is tlie Public Works B-enartrnent becoming a money-lending department?” he asked.

Excellent support has been given to the special man for Christchurch which closes at 8 o’clock on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, days when the express train mail closes at 2.45 o’clock. The new mail closes more than live hours later, hut letters are delivered without any more delay, reaching their destinations at the same time as letters which go to Christchurch by the express train. As a result of the new system, the mail room is kept busy late every da-v instead of on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays as formerly.

Definite proof of the ferocity of magpies was obtained byi a well-known W anganui sportsmen during a visit to a farm at Moumahaki. He actually saw magpies swoop down on a flock of twelve turkey chicks, killing them all and carrying some away. The turkey hen was also attacked while protecting her young, the savage birds picking her eyes out. The same informant also reported that he knew of an instance where an entire brood of pheasants at Okoia had been destroyed by magpies.

Furthering its efforts to preserve Rangitoto Island for native flora, the island Domain Board is taking steps to eradicate a patch of “mist bower,” or eupatorium glandulosum, which has spread over nearly an acre, ■on the edge of the lava field at the back oi Islington Bay (says the “New Zealand Herald”). According to a report of Miss Lucy Cranwell, of the War Memorial Museum staff, this plant, which grows to 6ft or Bft in height, and is covered with showy masses of white flowers, has already got out of hand in various parts of New Zealand, notably in certain parts of the river beds on the Coromandel Peninsula. It is a native of Mexico.

Singing led by the children’s choir was a feature of the annual Sunday school festival of tlie St. Stephen’s Anglican Church held yesterday. There was a large attendance at the morning service and children were present from the Tinwald and Fairton Sunday Schools. The Rev. A. J. Petrie preached an appropriate sermon from tlie text “Forgiveness of Sins.” The lessons were read by Messrs It. Macmillan and L. Arnst, while the offertory was'taken up by four boys, A. Osman, F. Doherty, 0. M-oore ana L. Armstrong. There was an equally large attendance at the afternoon service when the collection was taken by Fred Horton, Phil Harris, Loris Harper and Lawrence Lees.

While there was almost unanimous opposition to a suggestion that some oi the unions funds should he used in exploring the possibilities of trade with the least, tne Dominion executive of the Farmers’ Union agreed that every effort should be made to build up Eastern markets. The general opinion was that the necessary investigation should be undertaken by the Meat and Dairy Boards which hacl the proper organisation and funds for the purpose. The Dominion president (Mr W. J. Poison, M.P.) said it was absurd to suggest th§t New Zealand should concentrate on pouring all her produce into Great Britain. New Zealand had her natural trading sphere in the countries round the Pacific. Australia was rapidly developing trade in which the Dominion should be sharing. There was no doubt about the markets being available.

A Gisborne telegram states that at a meeting of the Poverty Bay Power Board the chairman referred to unconstitutional aspects of the Sinking Funds Bill. He said the Government had admitted that the Public Trustee, the defenaiit in an action brought by the hoard, had been permitted to draft the Bill. It was thus a piece of legislation drafted bv the defendant litigant, who was otherwise bound to pay over moneys to the hoard and who was supposedly guaranteed by the State, which was bringing forward the legislation. The Government had refused to insert the usual clause protecting pending litigation and so placed the Public Trustee in a position of resolving in his own favour questions that were at issue constitutionally. If such legislation were passed the board could petition the King and the British Government could disallow the measure. Suggesting that perhaps it was true that the farmer knew better how to feed his stock than his wife and family, one speaker in the course of the discussion at a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society said we had not sufficiently explored our home markets. Half a pint per head per day was all the milk that was drunk in the Dominion. This‘‘was too low a figure, and if it was increased to a pint it would he equivalent to the consumption of an extra 7000 tons of butter per year. This would be of value to the farmer and t° the health of tlie community. Lord Bledisloe remarked that the consumption of milk in the Dominion was certainly low when compared with some other countries. In Scandinavian countries, where the consumption per head was considerably higher, the result was reflected in the very healthy children one saw. The consumption of milk, he added, certainly was n great aid in warding off disease.

Flying machines invented by man require to Ire well oiled to give efficient service. Not so a thrush (says the “Southland Times”). The other day one of these birds had the misfortune when perched on the edge of a petrol tin to overbalance and fall into a mass of discarded engine oil. Attracted by the queer noise coming from the tin, a gardener working nearbv went to investigate and discovered the thrush making frantic efforts to get out. Fortunately for the thrush, the mail was a bird lover. He lifted the bird out and placed it on the grass, only to realise that in its ■oily state it was quite unable to fly. ’He thereupon set to work with an old tooth brush and did bis best to remo\ e all the oil. When the laborious operation was over the thrush tried "rf its wings and flew to the branch of a tree where it preened its plumage for the rest of the afternoon.

The packet steamer Mountaineer, which was retired from the Lake Wakatipu service some 18 months ago (says tlie “Southland Times”), has been purchased by Major P. Mackenzie, oi Walter Peak, for a houseboat.

"If business were always as good as it, lias been with us during tlie last month, I should he quite satisfied,” said an Invercargill jeweller to a "News” reporter on Friday. He added that business had been dull for a time but had shown a wonderful improvement lately.

An investigation into the “vast difference between the cost of manufacture and retail prices of certain goods which the retailers are selling at a price fixed by the manufacturers” was agreed upon fast week by the Dominion executive of the Farmers’ Union as being a very, necessary move. A delegate said he knew of a stock remedy selling at a standard price of £3 3s, the ingredients for which cost lid. ! It was decided to ask the Department of Industries and Commerce to undertake an investigation as soon as details of specific cases could be collected.

An incident quite as worthy of note as that which occurred in England when two golf halls met in flight, took place on the Ashburton Coif Links yesterday. A local player hit off from the tee at Gudsell’s and lost his hall in the long grass at the side pf the fairway. After searching unsuccessfully for it for about five minutes, lie dropped another and nlayed the hole. He then drove off from tlie water jump tee. His second shot on this fairway, which runs parallel to Gudsell’s, went into the rough between the two fairways, hit the hall he had just lost and knocked it out on the water jump fairway. This shot was about 100yds. The hall he was using remained in the rough grass.