LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 151, 7 April 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Ashburton River is fishablo and the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers are discoloured, according to a report received to-day by the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society. Retailers in Ashburton will close for the Raster holidays on Thursday evening of next week and will reopen on the following Tuesday morning. The grain merchants and stock firms will be closed on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. Fire of unknown origin early this morning destroyed atv hare on wheels in the yard of Mr W. Tilson, at Hinds. The whare was the property of Mr J. M. Clark, and had only yesterday been renovated ready for going out with a contracting plant. There was an insurance of £7O on the whare. At the meeting of the Ashburton County Council today, the County Health Inspector (Mr E. N. Johnson) reported that there had been few serious notifications of infectious diseases during March. One case of tuberculosis had been reported from Allenton and had ended in death. Cases of dysentery had been reported from Allenton, 'Hinds and Fairtcn during the week ended on April 1. The New Zealand Educational Institute, in a, ruling issued for the guidance of teachers, thus defines the legal position concerning school committees aiding euclire or whist parties for school funds: “It is lawful to give prizes if no charge is made for admission, or to charge for admission if no prize is given, but not both, unless it is certain that the local policeman will not hear about it.” There was a good attendance at the fortnightly meeting of St. Stephen’s Ladies’ Guild on Wednesday afternoon when the president (Mrs F. Curtis) occupied .the chair. A busy time was spent by the members in sewing, and after afternoon tea had been served, arrangements were finalised for the social afternoon to bo held on Wednesday, April 19. A whale 23ft long was discovered ashore at Mason’s Bay, Stewart Island, and upon investigation was found to he of a strange type (says a Press Association telegram from Invercargill) Books on the subject were consulted without result, so it was decided .to send a photograph to the curator of the Christchurch Museum, Mr R. Speight, In the meantime, the skeleton is being preserved.

A Dunedin telegram states that the supply officer of the Byrd expedition has written .to the local agents that the expedition lias been assured of all its food supplies and coal and oil. The fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Ashburton Lodge, M.U.L0.0.F., was held last evening, the N.G. (Bro. T. FSmith) presiding over a good attendance. Sick pay amounting to £ls was passed in favour of 13 members. Two candidates were elected, one initiated and one proposed. Bro. 11. H. Loy was appointed warden. The Blue Degree was conferred on .two candidates. “I want an increase,” said a ratepayer at the Auckland City Assessment Court on Monday (states the “New Zealand Herald'’). “Oh, my goodness! That is something new,” exclaimed the presiding Magistrate, Mr W. R. McKean. R was explained by the ratepayer that he had inadvertently said “increase” instead of “decrease.” The proximity of a church is detrimental to property values, according to evidence given by the land valuer in a sitting of the Assessment Court at Auckland. The witness was asked whether the property occupied by the Parnell Lawn Tennis Club eouid he regarded as suitable for subdivision. “No,” he replied, “the church opposite is really a detriment to most buyers.” Asked the reason, he said because of funerals, bells, and things. At a gathering of insurance managers in iNew Plymouth some amusing stories were told of incidents connected with the profession, says the “Taranaki Herald.” One member of the meeting, representing a fire office, said a woman once asked if she could insure her husband. She was told that the office took only fire risks, and could not give her a cover over her husband. “Oh, well,” she answered, “he’s been ‘fired’ three times, and I thought I would like to get him insured.” An offer to present 1000 acres of the “Broadlands” property at Reporoa to the Government for the settlement of .Laole unemployed men was recently made by Mr E. Earle Vaile. The land was inspected the other day by the Minister of Employment (Mr A. Hamilton) and the Minister of Agriculture (Mr C. E. Macmillan). It is considered that about 10 families might be settled on the area under the Small Farms Act. In any case, the intention is to finance it as an unemployment scheme. One of the bridges swept away from the Taumarunui district in the recent heavy flood has travelled down the Wanganui River to Aramoho, says an exchange. There it came to rest, caught in a pillar of the railway bridge, and has been salvaged by Mr F. Pepper for the Public Works Department. It is a two-span, wooden bridge, which-' was erected about 18 months ago. When the waters rose it was swept from its concrete pillars and started on its long journey downstream. Reports from upriver state that the wreckage from other bridges has been located at Matahiwi. The annual meeting of the Waihi School of Mines was held the other evening. Reports of the council and the director (Mr A. H. V. Morgan) showed that the past year had been a successful one, with an increase in the number of students attending classes and improved results at the annual examinations of schools of mines in December. Referring to the revival of the industry, the chairman said that everything pointed to a greater demand for technically-trained men in both mining and milling, and urged young men to take every advantage or the facilities offering at the school to equip themselves for prospective positions. The cost of repairing the flood damage in the counties of Ohur afvaitiokc," and Taumarunui is £15,000, states the “Taumarunui Press.” The work of removing slips, filling in washouts, and constructug new culverts and temporary bridges in the Qhura, Kaitieke, anil Taumarunui Counties is progressing satisfactorily under the supervision of the District Engineei of the Public Works Department (Mr G W. Albertson). About 20 men are engaged clearing and repairing the line on the Okahukura side of the Okahukura tunnel, on the Taumarunui-Strat-ford railway, and about 75 men are working two shifts, under the supervision of Mr R. Dawber (Assistant Public Works Engineer) on the Ohura side of the tunnel. The clearing of slips and filling in subsidences and wash-outs on the Mam Highway between Taumarunui and Ongarue is also occupying the attention of the Public Works Department. That a party of 15 relief workers with stores and equipment under the. control of a mining engineer (Mr J. MCadigan) and a foreman (Mr R. Urq»hart) had set cut lor the Wilberforce district on March 13, was reported by the County Clerk (Mr G. Ivelly) at the meeting of the Ashburton County Council to-clay. The party had arrived at its destination, tents and a hut had been erected and everything was working to schedule, he said. The Unemployment Board had made a grant ot £3OO for the cost of equipment and stores, but it was possible that this sum would be exceeded. The weekly wages of the men totalled £26 ss. Ihe Deputy-Mayor (Mr 11. Kerr) had collected' sufficient money to purchase a wireless set and this had been forwarded to the party and would no doubt be greatly appreciated by the men. The chairman (Mr J. Moore) and Mr W. G. Gallagher were asked to visit the camp and inspect the work being carried out and they will make the trip within the next week or so. Most people have experienced the eerie sensation associated with sleeping in an empty house (says the “Auckland Star”). Noises which pass unnoticed at other times suddenly become magnified in an alarming manner, and set "the sole occupant’s imagination working. All these sensations were experienced by a well-known Matamatu. citizen last' week, and, despite the fact that he searched the house with the aid of a torch, the . noises recornmenced each time lie returned to bed. The noises were a mixture of .creaking boards, rustling paper, and a, distinct pitter-patter on the floor. In the morning his mystification was increased when he found _ a small aluminium saucepan upset in the middle of the floor. Another search of the house was made, this time in daylight, without anything unusual being found. Next night the occupant’s rest was again disturbed, and though several investigatory trips were made they were fruitless. In the morning the. saucepan was again on the floor, hut this time a teapot also was upset, and the tea spilled all over the doth. After three or four nights of similar happenings, a flutter above his head caused him suddenly to look up. and there, to his surnri.se and great relief, he saw a blackbird. The upset dishes were the result of the starving bird’s efforts to get food, and the pitterpatter its progress round the room.

A slight rise in the level of Lake Coleridge was recorded in the past week. The level yesterday morning was 1668 ft, compared with 1667.95 ft a week ago. The overflow level of the lake is 1672 ft, and at the corresponding date last year the level of the water was approximately 1669.5 ft. The district electors supplementary roll has been closed with a total of 240 names. Two years ago there were 121 names on the supplementary list. The number of electors entitled to vote at the local body elections on May 3 is 2891. Nominations of candidates will close at noon on Thursday, April 20. Eighteen driver’s licenses were issued by the Ashburton County (Inspector (Mr E. N. Johnson) during the month of March, making the total number for the year 2875. In his report to the Ashburton County Council to-day, the inspector stated that eight new drivers had been examined and licenses granted. Th© staff of the Ashburton Domain was engaged to-day in top-dressing the northern croquet green and several of the grass tennis courts in tho Domain. The Ashburton Croquet Club’s season concludes to-morrow, as do most of the tennis clubs’ seasons. Th© .top-dressing of the croquet lawn will ensure that the greens will be in the best possible conditions for the New Zealand championships, which will be played in Ashburton next season. The committee set up to arrange a chrysanthemum show in aid of the Hampstead Memorial Hall funds met on Wednesday evening, the chairman (Mr W. S. Kerr) presiding over a good attendance. It was decided to hold the show on Saturday, May 6. The various stallholders all reported that good progress was being made. Final .arrangements will be made at a further meeting to bo held shortly. “Are there aqy moratorium eases?” asked his Honor Mr Justice Blair ,at the opening of the Nelson session of the Supreme Court, when the list of cases was being arranged. The Register replied that possibly there would be one. “Nelson is one of the places where I am singularly free from moratorium cases,” said his Honor. “It is most remarkable, and quite different from other places. In other places the great bulk of cases are moratorium applications.” An experiment of interest to fruit growers and of possible value to New Zealand is being made from the Teviot district (says a Press Association telegram from Dunedin). On "Wednesday Air W. J. Manuel, of Coal Creek Flat, dispatched on its journey to England the first consignment of peaches from Roxburgh, air Mamiel believes that the consignment will arrive in good condition, as he has made successful trials of keeping fruit Gver a period of greater length than the time, occupied by the voyage to England. If the consignment arrives in first-class condition, there is no reason why large quantities of peaches should not “be exported from Otago as welt as from the fruit-grow-ing districts of the Dominion. The pleasure enjoyed by a disgruntled voter in crossing out the name of a candidate of whom he does not approve was mentioned at a meeting of the Auckland Electric Power Board when the question of voting at local body elections by marking with a cross or by striking out names was under consideration (states the “New Zealand Herald”). “Personally, when I see the name of a man whom I do not like, ( feel like doing this,” remarked Mr T. Bloodworih, who scratched vigorously on his order paper as an illustration. “Only the other day a man told me that when he had finished striking out the name of a man with whom he had differed, you could not recognise it,” added the chairman (Mr W' J. Holdsworth). “He seemed pleased at the thought.” Daily deaths on the highways of so many young men on motor-cycles prodded disquieting food for discussion at a, full meeting of the South Taranaki Automobile Association at Hawera. Pillion-riding, too great a speed, and cutting corners were the factors -said to he responsible for the large number of recent casualties, reKrts the “Taranaki Daily News.” e further fact that most of the victims were young men just becoming useful in society was still more alarming. The Stratford committee suggested that tho Government be asked to make new speed regulations for motorcyclists, but on Mr W. A. Spragg’s motion it was decided that the matter could be best dealt with by circularising local bodies and urging stricter supervision over the issue of licenses to youthful cyclists.