LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 211, 19 June 1933, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

With the object of bringing about better lighting on the Ashburton traffic bridge, the engineer-secretary to the Power Board is conferring with the County Clerk.

"The qualification of an underwriter is not essentially that he shall be a wealthy man," said counsel in the Auckland Supreme Court during the hearing of a civil.action (reports the "New Zealand Herald"). "No," replied Mr Justice Smith. "They take the risk, and then they either go bankrupt or make a little fortune."

As a result of -the ' annual retiring collections in aid of orphanage work taken up at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church yesterday, a sum of £55 2s 6d was collected and there is still a considerable amount to be received by the treasurer (Mr A. J. Ching). Mr Victor French (superintendent of the Canterbury Presbyterian Social Service, Association) conducted both the morning and evening services. v

Planting for the next strawberry season in Auckland has • been' completed (reports a correspondent), and a total of just oyer 3,000,000 plants has been set out in the growing areas near the city. The number is well up to the average of previous seasons. It is apparent that the Marguerite variety still enjoys the greatest popularity among growers, and it has accounted for more thair 2,000,000 of the plans. The Captain Cook variety is next in favour.

Surprise was expressed at thcv Superme Court, Greymouth, last week, by Mi" Justice Blair, when one of the accused men in the Capleston explosion case stated that some gelignite was used to light the fire at the forge. The man explained that, when the plugs were in a soft state, not frozen, they could be used for fire-lighting purposes. A plug was broken in half, and a match put to it. If the gelignite became frozen, however,' it was dangerous to handle, and would be liable to explode, if dropped. ..,"

There were large congregations at the morning and evening services at .the Ashburton Church of Christ yesterdayC when Pastor W. E. Vickery, the newly-appointed minister of the church, commenced his ministry. At the evening service Mr Vickery -Ceased his remarks on Solomon's advice: "There is a way that seemeth right, but leadeth to destruction." The preacher deplored the steady abolition of the family altar in these modern days, and counselled 'parents to watch with loving -care the # activities of the young people who'stood on the threshold of life. At the conclusion of the service a male candidate was immersed.

The electric tractor invented by Mr H. G. Kemp (engineer-secretary to the Asliburton Power Board) lias been practically perfected and a test on a farm to the east of Asliburton was most satisfactory. I Twenty-six acres of land were ploughed with a double-disc plough at a cosu of. 16s lOd for electric current, 7£d an acre. Further tests are in progress.

A Hamilton resident, who has just returned from a tour of the North Island, states that he has been impressed by the spirit of optimism prevailing everywhere, which is in sharp contrast with the gloomy predictions of a few months ago (states the "Waikato Times")- On his'travels he , met several commercial travellers,. who reported a distinct improvement in business, and were very optimistic regarding the future. .'■

Offering the excuse that they would not work under the foreman, because he had been employed at the Freezing "Works'" during'the period the, freezing workers were on strike, it is reported that a number of men left the unemployed camp on the Brinklands Estate, on Satuday. The men returned to Timaru on Saturday, and, it is stated, applied for assistance for board, but this was declined, as they had. refused to work when work had been provided for them. .

The native swamp hen, or pukako, has 'appeared during the last week or two in the Eiffelton district in fairly large numbers. .The birds have evidently been disturbed from their haunt in the Hinds riverbed by <±he unemployed workers who have been employed near that .part: Small flocks of the birds have been seen near farm houses and are reported to be very tciß* having been fed from the hand. Other uncommon native birds have also been seen lately in this district.

A naturalised New Zealander named P. Anjtemieff. a farmer in North Auckland, returned this week, from the Far East after vainly attempting to reach Vladivostok. He. left Russia in 1912, and until recently received letters from his parents. The letters suddenly ceased, , and, "being anxious, he resolved; to go and find his -parents, but he was blocked by the Japanese at Kobe, who constantly shadowed him, and by the Russian Consul who refused him a. visa. He returnecT'to Shanghai and vainly endeavoured to get: into touch with his parents until a shortage of money forced his return'. Antemieff said the Shanghai Russian community was certain that Russia and Japan would not fight, because Russia was afraid of a revolution.

It is unusual for new potatoes to be dug at this season of the year, but a sample of genuine new potatoes from ■the garden of Mr W. A. McDonald, Northope, was sent to the "Southland Times" Office the other day. In a note accompanyir"- them, Mr McDonald stated: "They are from a "root just taken at random among a couple of' short rows which I planted in January after we had been using other new ones for Christmas. I had about 50 old potatoes left, so I thought I'd see what they would do." I put them where I had just lifted a crop of peas, and took no further notice of them till lately the frosts cut them just at the flowering. No manure was used:"

Thirty-four members of the Canterbury College Tramping Club, including a number of well-known members or th© Christchurch Mountaineering Club, made an ascent of Mount Huti> yesterday m'ideal weather. The party arrived at "Miller's Blackfoot on Saturday evening, and camped for the night in a woolshed. Making a start snortly before 7 o'clock yesterday morning, they reached the summit, which is abotit 6UUOft, at times varying between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. There was net a great deal of snew dri tiie mountain, it was, however, fairly evenly coated te a depth of about 18 inches, enabling several long glissades to be made down into the basin. The climbers returned to Christchurch by special bus at 8.30 last night.

The other day a young man of presentable appearance called upon a resident or JLtoslyn and introduced himself as a friend of relatives of the latter in the North, Island. He explained that ha -was unfortunately short of money to pay his hotel bill here, and succeeded, on the strength of a well-told tale and his genuine knowledge of the North Island family with which he friendship,, in borrowing a sum of money. Becoming suspicions a day or two later, the victim rang the hotel at which his visitor had claimed to be staying and was told that no one of that name was known there. He is now regretting his generosity, and is determined that the next borrower who comes to him will receive a less hospitable reception. ,

Prosecutions from time to time have revealed how remote are the prospects of the public being successful in some of the so-called "contests of skill" conducted by sideshowmen, but one of the most glaring instances of the lengths to which some showmen will go to ensure their own enrichment has just been revealed to the police in Gisborne. Among the equipment confiscated from a showman some time ago was the familiar red, white, and blue dart board, which is generally regarded as a fair game and is not objected to by the police. Even .this, however, had been adapted to the "heads 1 win, tails you lose" principle. In destroying the board tne police discovered tiiat the red and blue sections were ba'cked wtih tin, only the white being left to hold the darts. In this game the proprietor offers' three toone on tie red, and two to one on the blue, but since the dart cannot penetrate the tin lining of these colours he has no chance of losing his money, and a player who has been inveigled into trying his "skill" has no chance whatever .of winning, or even of-, getting his money back.

An unusual case came before Mr T. E. Maunsell, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court at Blenheim the other afternoon, when Olive Florence Gardiner pleaded guilty to a charge, i laid: by Traffic Inspector j. A. • Laird, that, while she did not possess a driver's license, she drove a motor car. The defendant made a lengthy explanation, the substance of which was that the inspector diad refused her a license, whereupon she consulted a doctor, who informed her that she was lit to drive. He did; not give her a certificate to that effect, however, but simply told her to tell the inspector, as his "word was as good as his writing" in that quarter. Still the inspector refused to pass her, and as the dector had told her she was capable of driving she had done so. MDo you intend to issue a license?" asked the magistrate The inspector: "No, sir." The magistrate informed the defendant that that settled the matter, and she must not drive again. He would not impose a fine, but she must not offend any more. "You understand it is a bargain—no fine and no car driving," he said. The defendant promised to abide by the undertaking.

A fracture of the fright leg was sustained by Mr Herbert Pithie, aged 51, of Tinwald, when he fell from his motor-cycle at Coldstream yesterday afternoon. H e was admitted to the Asliburton Public Hospital where his condition was reported to-day as satisfactory.

The unusual experience of flying through a circular rainbow was imported by Flying-Officer J. M. Buckeridge, and Mr J. H. Preston, pilotinstructor and ground engineer respectively of the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club, when they returned to the Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, the other afternoon, from Palmerston North. This peculiar phenomenon, 'which appeared to be. about 300 yards in diameter, was met with near Miki Miki, a few miles from Masterton.

The case of a farmer who had lost his property through stress of times, yet who had' since paid his overdue rates, was reported to the Marlborough County Council following the receipt of a request that the penalty incurred on the overdue rates be refunded. Councillors A. H. Nees and F. -E. Fairweather Were in favour of a refund, in view of the circumstances, but other councillors were avei;se to the Council's policy being departed from and it. was decided that the request be refused.

"One way of getting back to better times is by trying to be'more cheerful," said Colonel Hi Holderness, president ,of the Hastings, Returned Soldiers' Association, at the quarterly reunion of ex-servicemen. "I am sure," added the colonel, "that though for some of us it may be difficult to look on the bright side,'we can all jdo a great deal to help ourselves and our friends along by being more cheery' about However bad they are, we should remember that they could always be worse, and that in some countries they are decidedly worse than they are*here "

"The more I see of British gardens and gardeners, the more I learn to prize our New Zealand plants/' writes Mr J. G. ,C. MacKenzie, of Wellington, who is studying in Kew Gardens, London, to Dr. h. Cockayne, the eminent botanist. "At a recent lecture in Kew on choice trees and shrubs," writes Mr MacKenzie, "I was surprised at the number of i New Zealand plants mentioned. At!this meeting I heard that Pachystegia insignis was one of the two plants especially admired by her Majesty Queen Mary while on a visit to one of the large private, gardens in the south of England. New Zealand plants played a large part in attracing attenion to the British exhibit at the Ghent Quinquennial Exhibition. Nothofagus fusca, Pseuddpanax ferox, Leptospermum scoparium Nicholsii, and several species of Pittosporums and Olearias were staged."