LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 190, 25 May 1934, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the first demonstration concert of the CnTistchureh Competitions Society's festival last evening, Miss May Allan (Ruapuna) sang "Moon Maiden.

A. huge sunfish, estimated to •weigh about a ton and a half, was recently stranded on the beach at Waikawa, and created a serious nuisance (states tne "Marlborough Express"). There seemed to be some dispute as to responsibility for removing the carcase, and meantime the residents round about were considering the purchase of gas masks.

Preparations for the planting of a row of trees along the West Street border of the railway reserve between the Wills Street overhead bridge and Walnut Avenue alay© practically been completed aiiu the trees will be planted next week. This work is part ot the Advance Ashburton Associations programme and should effect a marked improvement in the appearance ot the reserve.

During the quarter ended March ot, 1934 the population of the Dominion showed an increase of 2984, compareu with an increase of 3259 during ttie corresponding quarter of 1933. The total population now is estimated at 1,548,909. The total population, of the Dominion, together with the dependencies and mandated territory, is estimated at 1,614,721. The estimated Maori population of the Dominion is 72,883 (69,734 in the North Island and 3149 in the South).

u Broadcasting in New Zealand is making most gratifying and continuous progress," said the Postmaster-General (the. Hon. Adam Hamilton) in opening the Radio Exhibition at the Wellington Town Hall. In 1925, when broadcasting was first instituted as a national service, he said, there were some 3000 listeners. At March 31 last nearly 118,000 receiving licenses were issued. It had been computed, said the Minister, that the number of radio licenses to the population of New Zealand was 75 per 1000, and it was estimated that one house in every three had a radio set installed. It might not be wide of the mark to that in a few years radio sets would Be in practically every house.

"Do you know that a considerable area of the reclaimed portion of Newcastle Harbour (New South Wales) was formed from soil taken from Wellington?" asked Mr E. Rowe, of Wellington, of a "Dominion" reporter. "For many years Wellington, was a very large importer of Newcastle coal for the Gas Company and for private consumption as well*" said Mr Rowe. "It came over in sailing vessels, some of which were owned by Captain "Bully" Williams. In those clays he owned a section of land in Upper Willis Street, which he deepened by excavating the bank at the back. That spoil he used as ballast for his ships. As there was little or no freight back to Newcastle, these vessels had- to be stiffened wiTHi a considerable quantity of ballast, and this spoil was as good as anything for the purpose. At Newcastle it had to be dumped' into'the harbour, so that in time the .spoil -'from Wellington -„ and other vessels made an appreciable contribution to the harbour reclamation works there." The section in Upper Willis Street referred to is that now occupied by the Y.M.C.A. It was presonTed to"that organisation by Mrs Sarah Ann Williams, widow of Captain Williams. It was the same Captain Williams who purchased the whole of Day's Bay, and' Williams Park there takes its name after him. The property descended to his son, the late Mr J. H. Williams, who sold the park area to the Wellington City Council.

The level of Lake Coleridge yesterday was almost exactly the same as it was on the corresponding day last yeat. Yesterday morning's reading showed it to be 1670.420 ft, and last year it was 1670.425 ft. A week age the level oi the lake was 1670.15 ft. The overflow level is 1672 ft. .

At the meeting of the Ashburton District Women's Institute Jhia afternoon the president '(Mrs F. Curtis) notified members that she had received from Mr J. Connolly, M.P., a cheque for £5 to be used as prize-money at the institute's spring.show in September. The prizes" Satf oeen allotted to the competition for bays containing 12 entries put in by the 23 Institutes in the County.

By lifting water from a trough and carrying it in a mass for a. considerable distance, the tornado experienced at New Plymouth last week performed one of its strangest feats. The startling effect was seen by Messrs G. Woods and H. Bishop, farmers living on Egmont Road. Without harming the trough' in any way, the tornado lifted the water out before the astonished eyes of the two farmers. The two also saw a car-shed on Mr R. 0. Busing's property carried for a considerable distance.' Tops of haystacks were whipped off and next day it was found sheets of! iron were driven two feet into the ground by the force of the wind.

During a lecture on leather, Mr P White (Government Research Chemist) remarked at Wellington that Ins audience—boot-repairers—had no doubt often had to listen to complaints about bad leather. "The average person, he said, "knows little or nothing about leather. For example, how many people know that wet sole leather will not stand a temperature of above 140 degrees without burning? This is much lower than the boiling point oi water yet wet shoes are often placed on hot water pipes, before a fire, or oh a range top at much higher temperatures.*' Dry leather, he added, would stand a much higher temperature than wet leather without burning.

A. Christchurch message states: Further evidence of the presence of mcas many years age oh the hills on the city side of the harbour is given by the discovery'of a number of fossilised moa bones on the property of. Mr W. 1. Scott, Hills Road, Hillsborough Many bones have been discovered in clay deposits between Cashmere and Heathcote. Mr Scott's property was at one time the site of a brick kiln, which was founded many years ago by the late Mr Elijah Gadd. In excavating clay for brick-making the hill has been cut into for a distance of, 50 yards,-and! Mr Scott says that it would be difficult to (calculate how many bones have been unearthed by workmen. To-day, hones of different shapes and 1 sizes are clearly visible, jutting out from the clay banks. They have been uncovered by the ravages of the weather.

In the course of a letter received by a ■Dunedin business man from _an acquaintance in Capetown, the latter writes: "I read with surprise or the low prices obtained for New Zealand butter. When you consider that we pay up to 2s (South African sterling) per lb for first grade butter in retail shops, you wonder why New Zealand exporters have not discovered this market yet. South Africa imports fair quantities of butter every now and then, as there are either droughts or floods, or both, upsetting a regular supply, and even if there are also some exports (under subsidy) from here to England, first-class imported butter ought'to fetch at least Is per lb wholesale. This is quite by the way, but generally speaking there is a mild boom on here, not the least because of the price of gold and a busy building industry. In a small Budget like ours it is a welcome surprise that the Government lias a four million surplus this year, with personal taxation as low as about Is in the £."

The quarterly meeting of the Ashburton United Friendly Societies' Association was held last evening, the president (Mr S. A. Moore) presiding over a full attendance. The president welcomed Messrs H. D. Gunn and W. S. Brady, newly-appointed delegates from the Loyal , Timvald Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F. According to notice, it was resolved that the immediate Past President be ex officio a member of the executive. The hospital account for the last quarter was £391 6s 3d, in respect of 2087 members, an increase of five for the period. The administrative expenses amounted to £ll Is. The matter of holding a Friendly Societies' picnio was, after discussion, deferred indefinitely. In response to an invitation from the Rakaia Friendly Societies' Association to join its excursion, delegates were asked to bring the matter before their respective lodges for the information cf members. It was decided to vote £lO 10s to the fund for the relief of distress.

The difficulty experienced at times in New Zealand in procuring domestic servants appears to have been described by a visitor to the Dominion on his return to Jamaica. A proposal that West Indians would be admirably suited for the work comes in a letter from Kingston. Describing the different grades of domestic help available, the writer places first the type who are refined and accomplished and are> usually accepted 1 as one of the household. 'These apparently can play various musical instruments, and can be relied on to entertain callers on behalf of the family. For these pleasant services the pay apparently ranges from £1 to £5 a week. There are lower grades, it • being stated that domestic help ranges from white, through various shades of brown, to black. Interviewed at Kingston, the visitor stated that while many young men and women in New Zealand were unable to get work, it was extremely difficult to get domestic servants. Unless people were exceedingly wealthy all domestic work had to be done by the family, and even hotels found it hard to get male attendants.

A meeting of the Ashburtcn East Dental Clinic Committee was held last evening. Mr J. H. Harper (Timvald) occupied the chair, the following being present: Nurse M. Campbell, Messrs A. C. Wnkelin (Timvald), W. S. Kerr, E. H. Childs (Ashburton East), H. C. Patterson (Eiffelton), B. T. Clothier (Willowby), L. A. y Noble and N. Macintosh (Lynnford)," and H. Driscoll (Seafiekl). The chairman welcomed the delegates from the school committees, and stated that the meeting had been called to discuss the questions of allocating the working costs of the clinic and of representation on the committee. • It was finally decided that the annual charge for treatment should be 2s. a child, and that a pro rata .charge should be levied oh the school committees to coyer working costs. It was agreed that in the event cf, the application of the Flemington School to join up being received in time, the nurse should treat the Flemington pupils before she left the Timvald sub-base. It was resolved that delegates from all the schools being treated at the clinic could attend the monthly meetings of the committee, if they so wished. |

Having been closed for a further week on account of sickness, the Tmwald School will re-open for the second term on Monday.

A large pig left Auckland by the express for the South the other, afternoon. The animal, which was on its way to a Hawke's Bay farm, was accommodated in the guard's van. It is not very usual for animals to travel on express trains, but in this instance a speedy passage Avas required.

The ignorance of many "parents in failing to take advantage of the facilities offered to children not yet of school age by the. schools' dental service was mentioned by members of the Hamilton Schools' Dental Clinics Committee. Treatment is available for children who' are not yet attending school, and a great deal of dental trouble can be averted in later years if parents take advantage of the offer.

A Press" Association telegram from Wellington states that regulations under the Poultry Runs Registration Act-gazetted last night provide for keeping a register of runs by the secretary of the New Zealand Poultry Eoard. Provision is also made for fees and travelling allowances of members of the board and remuneration allowable to the chairman. This is not to exceed £SO per annum.

Fortnightly concerts for the unemployed will be held in the Ashburton Salvation Army Citadel during the winter. There was a good attendance at the first one of the series last evening, when items were contributed by the following:—Songs, Mrs E. Smith (Christchurch); euphonium solos, _Mr J, Ory (Christchurch) ; ventriloquism, Mr E. Smith (Christchurch); pianoforte solos, Mr R. Dabourn; instrumental quartette, Ashburton bandsmen.; humorous sketch, Christchurch party, "The Doctor's Mistake"; songster 'brigade; selections. "Ashburton," "Moments with Tchaikovsky," "The Little Ship/" Ashburton Salvation Army Band. The accompaniments were played by Mr H. Hay ward. Supper was served at the conclusion.

Nervously reacting to the simultaneous flash of an electric torch and' report of a toy pistol; which came from a stationary car as he passed on Friday morning throught the township of Manaku, a south-bound motorist stepped hard on the "gas," and made all speed to Otaki, about seven miles distant, there to report to the pblice that he had been the victim of an attempted but unsuccessful "hold-up" in broad daylight. The motorist, accompanied by "a police officer —both protectively equipped for eventualities—returned in haste to the scene of the alleged outrage, only to discover that the incident was due to nothing more than the experiments of a couple of youths with flash-light and a comparatively harmless weapon primed with gunpowder caps.

"I am afraid that the adolescents are having a bad time at present, although, superficially, they may seem to be having a good time," said Professor Shelley, in the course of an address to the Otago branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute. There seemed to be no aim in life; they could not see what life was about; there was no constructive idea for them to grasp. ' In Russia there was Communism, and in Germany Hitlerism, which gave centres of, interest. At present the mentality of the world was so hopeless that people would seize, on anything that would give a direction to their efforts —even Hitlerismi That was why all these "isms", were having such a good run. Man must have something to worship. It was of no use holding out'to young people vagus and abstract moralities. If they had only a uniform with which to identify themselves, with a cause, that would' give them a spur. It was the duty of education to supply the ideal, but the question how to find something creative to which children's efforts should be directed was difficult to answer. W T hen it was necessary to tell those who had just left school that they were an unwanted generation the situation was pretty desperate.