LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 95, 1 February 1934, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Charged with having been found drunk in Cameron Street yesterday, a first offender appeared in the Ashburton Felice Court this morning before Mr G. Kelly,'J.P.. and was convicted and ordered to pay Is 6d car hire.

The express train .service in > operation prior to the Christmas holidays was reverted to to-day. From now oil there will be one express for the north and one for the south each day except on Wednesdays and Fridays, when two trains will run each way. As the schools resume next week, however, it is anticipated that traffic will be .heavy this week-end and two express trams will run each Avay on Saturday.

Daphne Rebekah Lodge, 1.0.0. F., met last evening, the N.G. (Sister D. Bolton) presiding over a good attendance. Five members were reported sick and a ballot on two candidates proved satisfactory. It was decided to held an initiation 'on February 28. The N.G. reported that the Washington and Naomi Lodges (Christchurch) would visit the Hakaterc and Daphne Lodges on Saturday. Supper was then served.

A novel method of recapturing an escaped hapuku weighing probably 501 b. was ad6pted by the occupant of a launch off New Plymouth the other day. In accordance with its habit, the fish, with others, came to the surface after the. fight had gone out of it. It became unhooked, however, and it seemed that it would be lost, for it was too fay' away to reach from the launch. It was then that one of the men jumped overboard with a handline. ' Swimming up to the exhausted fish he rehooked it.

The Hampstead War Memorial Hall Committee met last evening, the chairman (Mr W. Thompson) presiding over a good attendance. The .secretary (Mr W. J. Miller) reported that the fences surrounding the baths had been , repaired and were in good order. He also stated that the East Ashburton Amateur Swimming Club had carried out some improvements, having erected extra seating accommodation. The secretary was'instructed to write to the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. J. A. Young) requesting a share of the proceeds of an art union for the committee's funds.

Sales on account of Ashburton County clients ,'it the Addington stock market yesterday were as follow: Fat cattle —On account of R. and J. Little (Scaview), 12 steers at £7 17s 6d to £9 12s 6d, 1 heifer at £6 17s 6d. Fat ewes—Oil account of A. F. Marr '(Methven), 29 at 20s lOd to 24s Id ; R. A. Oakley (Rakaia). 14 at 13s 7d to 21s Id; A. Weaver (Rakaia), 12 at 15s Id; (I). C. Dolan (Rakaia), 60 at 12s lOd to 14s Id. Fat lambs—On account of Stewart's Estate (Rakaia), 70 at 2Ls 4d to 23s lOd ;.J. A. Kelso (Rakaia), 37 at 23s 4d; R. Breading (Rakaia), 80 at 20s lOd to 22s Ibd ; A. Weaver (Rakaia), 35 at 22s 4d; S. Breading (Rakaia), 23 at 19s lOd to 20s lOd; 0. M. Tottv (Staveley), 10 ntf 19s 4d.

Primary schools in the Ashburton County will re-open next Tuesday after the Cnristmas vacation. The Asliburton Technical School will re-open on Monday, but the Ashburton High School does not resume Until Tuesday, when St. Joseph's School and the Sacred Heart High School also take up again.

The King has given his approval to regimental alliances involving units in Canada, the United Kinsrdcm and New Zealand. The Winnipeg Grenadiers have established an alliance with the Scots Guards, while the Lincoln and Welland Regiment has allied itself with the Hawlve's Bay Regiment of the New Zealand forces.

The programme to be rendered by •the Ashburton Silver Band in the Domain this evening is as follows:—"Old Comrades," march; "The Mock Doctor," selection; "Thoughts," waltz; "Tosselli's Serenata," baritone- solo, Bandsman L. (Porter; "Three Blind Mice," humorous; "Sailor's Life," fantasia; "At Dawning," cornet »solo, Bandsman T. Lee; "Locarno," march.

An inspiring New Plymouth angler had a curious experience while fishing from the Moturoa Wharf a, few days ago. Using a light rod; he hooked an octopus measuring about sft. across. The fish was brought to the, surface and played for a time, but eventually the line gave ,way and the octopus was lost. The fisherman stated that it was the second time within a few days that he had hooked an octopus, losing it on the surface each time.

After inspecting the school classrooms last evening, members of the Ashburton Borough School Committee complimented the caretaker (Mr H. S. Harper), on his work. Each room had been very thoroughly scrubbed out and ■all the windows cleaned in preparation for the re-opening of the school. Referring to the caretaker's work, the headmaster (Mr T. B. Haydon) said the whole school had received careful attention and was in a very clean, condition throughout.

A new idea for weddings! A recent bride-to-be, with her wedding very close at hand, was feted in the usual way with and afternoons. Hhe lived in a seaside home, and invited all her friends—including the minister (for she was a church worker) —to a moonlight picnic at her beach house. All came looking forward to a jolly evening on the sands;and maybe a little romance. They "ot'the romance, for when they were all assembled the hostess and fiance appeared in full bridal robes, with her maids in attendance, and they were married on the spot by her frier.d the minister.

There is danger.even in boiling the apparently harmless picnic billy. What nearly became a serious accident was narrowly averted recently by a resident of Invercargiil, who, with his family, was picnicking at Lee Bay, Stewart Island (says the "Southland Daily News"). He "had set the billy to boil over a hot fire. The lid was rather tight, and no-'steam escaped to show that it was boiling. Thinking the billy would not boil for a few moments the picnicker moved oyer to get the tea. He was almost half-way back when a loud explosion roared above the wind and surf, and the billy lid was hurled into the air amidst a cloud of steam and boiling water, where but a few seconds before lie had been hen ding over the fire.

When, wool prices go up sheep farmers are quick to restock their supplies of woollen garments and articles before the retail prices increase proportionately. A Stratford .retailer, commenting on the advanced quotations for many woollen jgoods of New Zealand manufacture, stated that sheep farmers invariably bought up big supplies of woollen requirements when the market hardened (reports the "Stratford Evening Post"). They were the first to take advantage of the fact that soon, prices would increase accordingly. As proof of his statement the retailer quoted figures showing that in the past few weeks he had sold approximately five times as many blankets and other woollen garments than for | the corresponding period last year.

The strange disappearance of a dead rat and the trap in which it was caught caused tsomo interest in a. Wanganui house recently. It had been noticed that there had been a visitation of rats in various parts ©ft the building, and on several, occasions rats had been found in the trap, being caught over night. On this particular night the trap snapped 'while one of the members of the household was going to bed, and examination showed a dead rat. As the hour was rather late the spring was not reset. During the night members of the household heard noises coming from the direction of the trap, but no notice was taken until the following morning. Then it was found that there was not a trace of the rodent nor the trap. It is thought that the remaining, rats may have come for their dead companion and removed him together with the trap. . '

Holland's attitude to both Britain, and Germany, said Air H. Spear, of Wellington, . who has returned from a tour of Europe, seemed to be one of indifference, while the Belgian people, if the war were discussed, seemed to be inclined to retort that England l had not heen entirely disinterested, but was helping and defending herself in anv case, rather than making any special effort on behalf of Belgium." Everywhere on the Continent, especially in France, Mr Spear noticed a general grasping desire to make money out. of the visitor, and if money were not in sight, the people were not in the least interested in the visitor. This expensiveness of travel on the Continent, he said, was inducing a number of foreigners to visit England, where the cheap rail fares and the relative moderateness of were becoming appreciated.

j The laws of,' Moses anathematise I those who remove their neighbours' landmarks, and in these modern days owners of cattle must have anything but kindly feelings for people who remove, their fences. Two persons were charged in the Wellington Magistrate's Oourt with allowing stock to wander. One said that a neighbour had burned a post-and-rail fence for firewood and turned his (defendant's) stock on to the road. Several other fences had been burned by the neighbour, and the defendant said he would have taken action but for the fact'that the man was a relief worker. The City Council ranger said it had come to his knowledge that fence posts had been stoletv-and the Magistrate thereupon entered i\ conviction and an order to pay costs respect of each of two charges. The "other man, who appeared on two charges.Sutpribed one'offence to the carelessness of hikers in leaving a gate open and the other to the fact that a gate had ■ been lifted . off its hinges by people who were celebrating the advent of the New Year. He was ordered to pay costs on, \pne charge and was fined 10s on the other.

Cold medals for the dux girl and dux boy at the Ashburton Borough School tiiis year have already been donated. At the meeting of the committee last evening, Mr T. B. Haydoii (headmaster) said that Mr F. B. Robilliard, of Ashburton, had given two medals for this purpose. The committee decided to/send a letter of thanks to Mr Robilliard.

There are 374 men on the unemployed register in Ashburton this week and the tentative allocation for next week (ending February 10) is two, two and three days for the A» B and 0 classes respectively. Following the decision arrived at by the Ashburton Local Unemployment Committee last Thursday alternoon, .there was no meeting to-day and the committee will not meet again until other business necessitates it.

Some Aucklanders are evidently suspicious of unusual designs in coins, probably because of the. number of foreign coins which have, been in circulation. A tram conductor who was tendered one .of the new sixpences for faro had obviously not become acquainted with the design, although the coins have been in circulation for several days, and he was on the point of questioning its genuineness when he noticed the words "New Zealand" upon it.

An increase of 100 per cent, in the value of building permits issued in One Tree Hill during 1933, compared with the corresponding period in 1932, was reported to the "Borough Council last iVlohday by the building inspector, Mr P. H. Hollingsworth. Fcr the year ended Deceaier 31, 1933. 107 building permits had been issued .to the value of £20.339, which was double the value of permits issued in the previous year. Since January 3 f/mr building permits had been issued, involving a total of £144. *