LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 207, 14 June 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Dunedin telegram .states that although the sum of .€BOO was involved in the Operatic Society’s production, “Miss Hook of Holland,” a net profit of £IOO was shown.

An Auckland telegram states that 28 Chinese arrived by the Marnma yesterday to man the steamer AVaitomo which has been sold to Eastern buyers. The men are in tne charge of Captain B. Schreiber, who will command the vessel. Her sailing date is indefinite.

An example of the economy which seems to be so widely practised nowadays has come before the notice oi a Dunedin business firm, which recently received an order from a country client. The paper of which the envelope was constructed appeared to be rougher than usual, and a close examination showed that there was another address on the inside. The envelope was a used one, which had been turned inside out.

Referring to his reported remarks regarding work in the Ashburton Domain'on Monday evening, Mr E. Buchanan to-day stated .that as it appeared that the present staff at the Domain was inadequate to deal with all the work that should bo carried out, he had suggested to the board that an expart should be placed in charge of a (rang of unemployed men to attend to as much of the work recommended by Mr James Young as the board thought fit from time to time.

The St. Stephen’s Literary and Social Club held a very pleasant evening the Parish Hall last night, the president (Air S. M. Cassidy) occupying the chair. There was a record attendance. Final arrangements were made for the mock wedding on Tuesday, members of the Girls’ Club and Sunday School teachers being invited. It was decided to hold a dance and social after the wedding. One new member was admitted to the Club. M.i H. E. Herring gave a very interesting and instructive lecture on “The Thames.” He was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. Games concluded the evening.

Explaining his advocacy of the engagement of unemployed labour for the work in connection with the water supply extension, Mr J. T. Pratley, a member of the Ashburton Borough Council, stated to-day that he did not wish it to he thought that lie was advocating cheap labour. His idea was that when .the workmen were selected they should he drawn from the tanks of the unemployed, which included many Excellent tradesmen, gs well as from those tradesmen who are already engaged by firms on either a full or part-time basis. There should be a fair distribution of the work, paid for at award rates and for as full a time ns it was possible to give. He considered that because a tradesman was registered as unemployed’he should not he debarred from obtaining work under the Council, because by so doing lie would 1 prejudice his chances of further immediate work upder the relief schemes. This should lie a question for adjustment with the Unemployment Committee: It was an important point in view of extensive works soon to be undertaken in the east side of the Borough.

As a result of a defective pipe connection on tne postal van attached to the first express train for the south at Christchurch this morning, the departure of the train was delayed for a time to allow th van to be changed. The train arrived at Ashburton about 25 minutes late.

The French warship Savorgnan, de Brazza sailed from Auckland yesterday morning for Noumea, New Caledonia, exchanging courtesies with the naval authorities at the Devonport base as she left. Her second in command, who is in hospital, will, upon recovery, leave for Saigon by a steamer.

To see a man get married one week, to know that lie had been away on a honeymoon, and to hear at the meeting of the Stratford Unemployment Committee that the same man was applying for work surprised a member. “1 think it is unfair that these men should be able to go on a grand spree and then look to us to be kept,” remarked another member.

An application from the Ashburton Rugby Union for the broadcasting of the Ashburton-Oanterlmry match for the Ranfurly Shield, to be played at Christchurch on Wednesday, August 2, was refused by the Canterbury Union last evening. , The matter was discussed in committee last evening and on resuming in open meeting the chairman (Mr A. E. McPbail) said the request could not be granted.

At a recent meeting of the Southland Farmers’ Union it was decided to request the Wheat Purchase Board to make earlier payments for wheat consigned by Southland farmers. A reply has been received from the manager of the board to the effect that certain brokers misunderstood their instructions regarding payments and paid the proceeds of sales into the Public Account instead of to the Wheat Purchase Board. Arrangements were being made for the transfer of the money to the board, and until that was done payment to growers could not be made.

Offers of assistance in supplying distressed families with food have been received frojn many quarters by the Ashburton Hospital Board. The latest offer involves the gift of a case of rabbits every week during the winter. This came from Mr J. C. Guinness, of Ealing, who, writing on behalf of Mr J. Byron, who is rabbiting on his property, stated 1 that Mr Byron had suggested that he could assist some distressed familiies by sending the rabbits. The offer has been accepted and the first consignment will reach Ashburton this week.

A letter received by the Auckland Education Board from the Bay of Plenty School Committees’ Association at a meeting last week asked whether a head teacher had the right to withhold from a parent or a school committee details of marks gained by a pupil in any or all subjects for the proficiency examination. The chairman (Mr T. U. Wells) said that lie thought the information should be supplied. A parent had the right to know how his child had fared at the examination, although, of course, that right applied only to his own child. Other members of the Board agreed with the chairman, and it was decided to inform the Association accordingly'.

In a judgment at the New Plymouth Supreme Court. Mr Justice Reed held that the holder of a renewal receipt for insurance was entitled to the insurance, even though the renewal premium had not been paid. Opinion in insurance circles (says an exchange) seems to indicate that this decision will not affect the custom by insurance companies of sending renewal receipts to approved clients a few days before the due date of the premium. Where the payment of the premium is delayed after a later reminder the custom is to cancel the policy by registered letter.

Interest in the affairs of a. Chinese fruiterer, Harry Bow son, who has filed a petition in bankruptcy in Napier, took a new turn when, at a meeting of his creditors last week, the fact that Chinese in New Zealand had con " tributed to the military expenses of the war lords who had been fighting the Japanese was mentioned. “I am president of the Chinese Society in Hawke’s Bay, and as suc-h have had to send some money,” said the debtor, in repiv to a question by a creditor, who asked whether bankrupt had sent any money away to assist the war in China. The debtor added that all the Chinese in the district had had to send something to help the war lords. “Some send £SO and’some send £l,” he added.

Following a suggestion made at a meeting of the Board of Governors of Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, yesterday, it is possible that the college may establish a transmitting broadcasting station. In the meantime the chairman of the hoard (Dr. H. G. Denham) will consult with some members of tiie tf&iege staff. The assistantlecturer in chemistry. Mr K. W. Hullett, has stated that he is willing to organise the establishment of a transmitting station and lie asked permission of the board to continue with that work. The director (Professor R. E. Alexander) explained during the discussion that with a transmitting station members of the college staff would bo able to give lectures of interest '.o farmers at specified times eacJi week. The meeting decided that full information should be obtained ox the possibilities of the suggestion made and the question will be discussed again next month.

A remarkable illustration of the power of music to sway an audience, particularly an impressionable one, was afforded in a Dunedin school tlie other day. For the purpose of endeavouring to instil into his class, composed of children from about nine to 12 years of age, an appreciation of music, the teacher had decided to "ive a number of lessons based on gramophone records, and in this instance he had chosen a rendering of Schubert s well-known song, “The Erl King,” by a baritone singer. He explained the various points which are to be noted in the song, and after lie had played the record over twice he was surprised to see one of his girl pupils rush from her seat sobbing, clutch him round the bodv, and implore him not' to nlay it again. Notwithstanding this urgent request the teacher decided to play the record once more, and as it commenced another of the girls ran from her seat crying, also asking that the should not he heard again. By the time the record was finished more than half of the girls in the class were in tears. The action of the first two girls was spontaneous, and although some of the others might have been influenced to some extent by the former, there was no doubt of the tremendous power over the children this fascinating song with its tragically dramatic climax. It was also evident on this occasion that the, girls of the class were influenced hv the music to a much greater extent than were the boys, although the latter might possiblv have been restrained from such a display of emotion by motives of pride not uncommon to lads of their age.

Advice that the Police Department will sympathetically consider belated applications for the registration of firearms and will not make it an arbitrary rule to prosecute in every case that comes under its notice lias been received from the Auckland provincial branch of the Farmers’ Union from the Minister in Charge of the Police Department (Mr J- G. Cobbe). Representations had been made to the Minister that owners of unregistered arms should be permitted to rectify their omission without fear of prosecution.

A Maori motorist, who was stopped by a traffic inspector at .Gisborne the other day, was lined because he had no licence, < and, in addition, was barred from obtaining a licence within the next six months. It was found that the defendant had no licence, and that none of the brakes on the car was in working order-. “He had eight adults and three children all jammed into the car,” said the inspector. “It is not him that I am worrying about so much as other users of the road,'and I think I am right in asking that no licence should be granted to him for six months. A car on the highway without brakes is a most serious matter—it’s suicide.”

In a net set for flounder off Whenuapai last week, two fishermen, Messrs G. Barclay and A. Solheim, caught a giant stingray weighing only 3lb less than 4cwt. When they discovered the fish in their net (says thefc “Auckland Star”) they attacked it with their oars, but finding it too big to land they rowed ashore and left it to he stranded at high tide. They then killed it and floated it ashore on the next tide. It was 7ft. 2in. long and over sft. across the wings. It was of the blackbacked variety with stings in the top of its tail, the largest being 20in. long. This is the most dangerous ox all the stingrays, as the posit 'on of its spines enables" it to use them in any position. In its stomach were a large kahawai, two eels, a mullet, and a lot of pipis.

Because he was stranded and starving in New Zealand, a young English seaman, William Martin, stowed away on the steamer Gabriella, which arrived at Sydney recently from Greymouth. Martin said that his wife and family lived in Port Pirie (South Australia;. He took a job on the steamer Port Darwin and went to London, wlieie lie was transferred to the Port Gisborne, which came to New Zealand on her last trip. In New Zealand, however, he missed the ship, and was left almost penniless. “I could not get work or another ship, and I was absolutely destitute,” he said in Sydney. Hungry and desperate, I crept on board the Gabriella at Greymouth and hid m the coal bunkers. A day out, I gave myself up to the officers.” Martin was allowed to land, hut still had to solve the problem of getting back to his wire and family at Port Pirie.