LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 133, 17 March 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The level of Lake Coleridge has kept fairlv steady during the past week, the reading ytesterday being 1668.87ptt, compared with 1668.5 ft the previous week. The overflow level is 1672 ft. An Invercargill telegram states .that the Conciliation Council further considered the plumbers' application for a Dominion award, but no settlement was reached on the question of wages, which was* adjourned to Christclmrch on Tuesday, March '2B. The employers proopsed a minimum of Is 9d an hour and the employees sought 2s 3d. As the offence of boys riding bicycles on ,tho footpaths of the Borough has become too frequent of late, the Court has decided to impose a fine in all cases of this nature brought before the Court. , This was announced at a sitting of'.the Children's Court this morning by Mr R, Clark, J.P., when he admonished and discharged a. boy for having ridden a bicycle on a footpath. "I think, your Honor, that it is understood that the sheep are not frozen before they are killed," said a counsel in the Supreme Court, Napier, during the hearing of a claim brought by the Haw Ice's, Bay Electric Power Board against Borth'wick (Australasia), Ltd. "You are learning something new everv day from this case." replied his Honor Mr Justice Blair.' "I think I can safely say, however, that despite your assumption, there is a frost in the killing industry." The views of the New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society towards the deer menace were expressed at a meeting of the society at Wellington, and the following resolution was passed : "That this society views with grave concern the application of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society to the Minister of Internal Affairs to have a season for deer restricted to licenseholders in the place of the present decision, which is intended to combat this national menace. It congratulates the Minister of Internal Affairs on his refusal of the request." While ej)gap.ed netting flounders at the mouth of the Rangifikei River the other day, Mr P. Pritchard. of Morton, had a narrow escape from coming to crips with a large stingray. The wafer was no more than 18 inches deep, and Mr Pritchard noticed the creature only a few feet from him. The stingray was caught in the net, and weighed 321 b The spring-tide is suggested as the reason for the 'ray-being so close inshore. Smaller fish of the same snecies have been caught at the Rangitikei heads before. The floods on the West Coast which caused severe damage to the highways; in the vicinity of the Otira Gorge were reported on at the monthly meeting cl, the Main Highways Board yesterday. (says a telegram from Wellington). Fuji reports were placed before the board, and it was decided to authorise the funds renuirod to restore the roads to a condition fit for traffic. The road over Arthur's Pass, which has been closed fcr some weeks, will be opened as soon as the necessary repairs | can be effected.

Standard time will bo reverted.to from _ a.m. on Sunday. Summer-time will officially end at tna.t hour, when clocks are to be set back 30 minutes. The present, period of "daylight saving" commenced on Sunday, October 9 last. A stall in aid of. the funds of the Ashburton Girl Guide Companies was conducted in East Street to-day by the Guides and brisk business was done. The requests for gifts of cakes and produce had met with a generous response and there was an excellent array of goods donated, practically all being disposed of. Since birds have become : scarce,, weasels have been conspicuous by,their absence in the district from Paremata and Para par aumu, states, a correspondent of the "Wellington "Evening Post." A general exodus appears to have come about last autumn, and the weasels have been reported moving further north in numbers. The full extent of the country vacated is not known. The Ashburton branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants met last evening, when the chairman (Mr J., Brady) presided over a good attendance. Mr M. Connelly, of Wellington, a vice-president of the society and a member of the Superannuation Fund Board, addressed the meeting on various matters in connection with the work at headquarters. The Wellington City Council last night decided to expend £2OO in the construction of a new monkey house at the Zoo, the money to be obtained from Sunday takings. The propriety of spending a sum at present was discussed, but a proposal to rescind the motion was defeated, it being pointed out that the money was contributed for improvements at the Zoo, and all except £9 wpuld be spent on labour or materials produced in the Dominion. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr T. C. A. Hislcp) replying to a question at a meeting of the City Council last night, said that as a result of the care exercised the council would end its financial year with a credit balance. Cr. Chapman suggested that some of the sacrifices of former employees were unnecessary. The Mayor replied that if the council-had not had a credit balance at the end of the year there would have had to be cutting down next year. Among the third-class passengers by the Rangitane from London was an eleven-year-old girl, Iv. Weedon, who has lost her parents. The child travelled to New Zealand alone, and after the first day on the vessel was quite at home. She was under the charge of the matron, Mrs Lee. The Rangitane berthed at Wellington on Wednesday morning, and the child, who is an English girl, will be placed on the Limited expiess for Auckland this evening. She will be met by her aunt in Auckland. Two Featherston residents, Messrs J. Anderson and G. Walker, had an unpleasant experience while camping at Western Lake recently. Hearing a noise outside the tent, Mr Anderson investigated, and was .confronted by two large Hereford bulls showing every sign of unfriendliness. He called out to his companion, and the latter just had time to escape before one of the infuriated animals charged the tent. The canvas became entangled in the animal's horns, and the campers?"from a place of safety had to watch with dis-may-their tent being ripped to ribbons and their camping ■ gear trampled under foot. Evidence that the climate of Invercargill is just as well suited to tobaccogrowing as that of some northern districts was supplied yesterday by Mr C. Blomfield, of North Inyereargill, who produced a good sample of leaf of fine quality Virginian tobacco from a crop of 50'plants which he has growing m his glasshouse. Although the plants have been in for only 10 weeks, they are four feet in height and are just coming into flower. Mr Blomfield intends to dry and cure the tobacco and test its smoking dualities (states a Press Association telegram)! No agreement has yet been reached by Ashburton master bakers concerning an alteration in the price of bread. Master bakers in Christchurch at a meeting yesterday decided to increase the price by a halfpenny a loaf as from next Monday. They stated that even with the new scale of prices the public would be getting their bread very cheaply. A year ago bread was selling at Is a 41b loaf and now the consumer would be paying 2£d less than that price. Wellington bakers recently increased their prices and a 41b loaf now costs lOd over the counter and lid delivered. 1 A reply from Mr J. Muggeridge, entomologist of the Plant Research station, Palmerston North, to a letter in reference to the white butterfly pest, has been received by the Tauranga County Council. Mr Muggeridge stated' he regretted that he had not sufficient parasites far general distribution. "All the material we have at present is being concentrated in selected localities near Hastings, the mam object at present being to ensure the establishment of the parasites' he said. "Once tfaifi is accomplished it may be possible to make an artificial distribution, of the parasites to different centres, from which centres they should spread naturally." The Southland League last evening decided to continue its agitation tor completion oil the Kingston-Queens-, town Road, two-thirds of which, has already been constructed along the cdoe of Lake Wakatipu (says a Press Association telegram from Invercar-o-ili) Discussion on the subject was Followed by a receipt of a letter from the Lake County Council, asking whether the league woukl\support it in its agitation for a tetter steamer service and a reduction in freight charges. The view was expressed that promise of co-operation would bo at cross purposes with the league's agitation in the past in favour cf the completion of the road. It was decided to ask the council to support the road project as having the most likelv ehhrtcc of being carried to a successful conclusion. The Tinwald Town Board met last evening, when the chairman (Mr H. B MilTiehamp) presided. A letter was received from the Post and Telegraph Department advising that i> could nob see its way clear to instal the public telephone booth at Tinwald, owing to the estimated loss en the year's working. The Ashburton County County Council forwarded a plan showing proposed improvements to the corners at the railway subway, opposite Carter's Terrace, and it was resolved to approve of the plan. The clerk (Mr J. B. Kicoll) reported that the amount outstanding in rates which incurred the 10 per cent, penalty was £75 14s 2d, against £142 16s last year. It was resolved to obtain particulars and estimates for the ton dressing of the footpath alonp Archibald Street. The pass book disclosed a credit balance of £261 5s 9d. and accounts amounting to £4O 9s 9d were passed for payment.

The Ashburton, Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers remain clear, according to reports received to-day by the secretary of the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society (Mr J. B. NicoM. Banking institutions in Ashburton were closed to-day, which is St. iPatrick's Day, and u.«igs were flown at the Post Office and on public and private premises. "Harper's Bazaar" for January features London and Paris fashions. Society and special features occupy a prominent place and interesting fiction rounds off a contents page that will attract lady readers. Weldon's Ladies' Journal for March and Weldcn's Bazaar of Children's Fashions for March, as usual, are full of useful hints for the home dressmaker and for the housewife in general. These magazines- were received from Gordon \ind Gptch, Ltd., per Mr M. J. Burgess. This month and next (says the Wellington "Evening Post') the school committees' associations throughout New Zealand will be discussing affiliation with the proposed National School Committees' Federation. At the present time Taranaki, Wellington, and South Canterbury have decided to affiliate. Replies from other centres are regarded 'as being very satisfactory as far as the feeling towards the project is concerned. The first conference of the national organisation will be held in Wellington in August. During the hearing of a case in the Waimate Magistrate's Court recentlv, before Mr C. R. Orr Walker, S.M., the usual solemnity was temporarily broken when a. case involving a dispute between two women was being heard. The complainant, giving evidence, stated that the defendant had said, amongst many other things, that the witness had "a face like a cow." Without altering his facial expression in the slightest degree the Magistrate remarked: "That is supposed to be a kind face. I have heard the expression, 'a nice kind face like a, cow.'" It took three stern commands for silence from the Court orderly to restore the sombre atmosphere usual to the surroundings. On the last stage of a three weeks' 500 miles horseback holiday at a cost of 30s each, Mrs A. Smith and Miss E. Glasgow, of Turakina, passed through Wanganui a few days ago. They had a bright story to tell of their experiences and said the holiday had been "simply marvellous."' Taking the whole of the trip, the riders averaged about forty-four miles a day, but on their first day in the saddle they rode for 18 hours, from G o'clock until midnight, to cover sixty-four miles. Their roiite lay through Mangamahu to Rangiwaea, to National Park, Taumaranui, Ongarue, Te Kuiti, and Hamilton. Thence they rode through Piopio, Ohura, Whangamomona, Stratford. Hawera, Waitotara, and thus home. The pakeha section of the audience, and possibly many of the Natives, noticed with interest that in the course of his address at the dedication of the new Maori church at Owhata the Bishop of Aotearoa (the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett), used the English words for "slump'' and "depression" in his Maori address (says- the "Rotorua Post"). The Maori language, which met the needs of more primitive and more simple social conditions, had no words which are correct synonyms of these two over-worked words of woe. We are prone, at times, to congratulate ourselves upon the benefits of civilisation. There is, however, perhaps something to be said for a condition of things which did not require "slump" and "depression" in its language. After lying neglected in an obscure corner of Seymour Square, Blenheim, for many years, Blinkinsopp's gun, one of the most interesting historical relics in New Zealand, is being mounted and will be set up on a small grass plot near the Plunket Society's rooms in High Street, Blenheim, states an exchange. In 1931 Captain John Blinkin.sopp, of the whaling schooner Caroline, drew up a deed with the Natives under which he became the owner of the Wairau Plain, the "consideration" mentioned in the document being the gun. Subsequentely Te Ruaparaha and other chiefs repudiated the deed, alleging that all that they had granted the captain was the right to wood and water for his ship and other facilities. The gun was retrieved many years ago from Port-Underwood, where the Maoris had left it, and brought to Blenheim.