LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 192, 28 May 1934, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Re-surfacing of the street running east of Baring Square East was carried out to-day by the Borough Council works staff.

"Tree-planting has not been an asset to us so far; rather has it been a liability, and we must find some method of afforestation that will eliminate gale damage," said Mr J. Carr at Mayheld on Saturday when members of the Ashburton County Council were discussing plantations.

Two motor-cars were slightly damaged when a collision took place at Tinwald yesterday. Turning from Graham's Road into the Main South Road, a car driven by Mr C. Wakelin collided with one owned by Mr A. Adams, which was ; parked on the west side of the road. No one was injured.

The movement to erect a hall at Allenton is making good progress,, and it should not be long before the proposal' to raise a loan for the work is placed before the ratepayers at a poll. The committee of Allenton ratepayer's which is handling the question from the residents' point of view will shortly confer with the County Council's special committee on the question of the appointment of an architect to draw up plans, which must be approved before the Local. Government Loans Board will sanction the taking of a poll. Quality was the first essential of dairy produce, said Mr C. G. C. Dernier, at the annual meeting of the Cheltenham Co-operative Dairy Co. He commented that the dairy industry had dragged along on parochial lines for 50 years, and factories had been competing with one another for supply. This led to depreciation in quality. Factories took poor quality butter rather than divert it to another place. Probably 50 per ecnt. of the factories operating in New Zealand could quite well be abolished. Now was the opportunity, which might never occur again, of placing the industry on a sound basis.

Some (incidental matters to which the Legislature might well direct its attention when approaching a revision of the law relating to compensation for accidents were mentioned by Mr 0. C. Mazengarb in an address to members of the Insurance ■ Institute and Officers' Guild at Wellington. He said that if an injured person was suing: a municipal corporation for negligence he must proceed within six months of the injury. If, however, he had a claim against a harbour board he must give notice of action within two months and commence proceedings within three months of the date of the injury. "Many men," he said, "have lost their rights while lying in bed at the Public Hospital, completely oblivious of the tact that time is running against them.

Some hard thinking was occasioned members of the Ashburton County Council at one stage of their tour on Saturday"when...as they were seated in a bus by the side of the Mam Road, a few miles north of Ashburton, a small motor-car pulled up and a constable got out and approached, looking very businesslike. Momtpre;of the Council began to think h'acK to possible breaches of the by-laws that they had committed. The constable appeared at the door of the bus" and was erected with hilarity, but all ho wanted to know was whether a certain man,was among the passengers in the bus.', He walked back to his car followed by the laughter of the men in the bus, who declared that it was the first time the whole Council had been approached by a constable.

Over £BO .was raised by the Tinwald, Lagmhor and Flemington Presbyterian Churches at the sale of work held in Ashburton a week or two ago.

With the object of obtaining reliable data on which it is hoped to be able to work out a cycle of rainfalls, 12 rain gauges have been located on the farms of Ashburton County farmers in 12 districts. They will be read every day, and checks with standard gauges will be mada et frequent intervals.

A fracture of the lower jaw was sustained by O. H. Davison (Rakaia) in the senior grade Rugby football match between Rakaia and Methven at Methven on Saturday. He was to the Ashburton Public Hospital,' and has since entered the Christchurch Public Hospital for special treatment.

A Press Association telegram states that during the last four years rates levied by the Wellington City Council have been reduced by nearly £30,000. The peak year for rates was £1930-31, when the amount set for collection was £524,175. The rates tms year provide for the collection of £494,952.

In aid of funds to"send a delegate to the Dominion Women's Institute Conference at Wellington, the Hampstead Institute held a euchre party in the hall on Saturday evening. There was a good attendance. Mrs H. P. Arnst won the women's prize, and Mr Sturgeon the men's. , Supper was served at the conclusion.

Although it opened last Monday after the holidays, the Convent School had to be closed again the same day on account of the large number of children absent through the measles epidemic When the scTkiol. re-opened this morff l ing there was still a number of children away, but not sufficient to necessitate a further closing.

So much trouble has been given to the Ashburton County Council in the past in cleaning up plantations which have been let on contract to sawmilling concerns, which have failed to clear away the debris when the contract was completed, that the Council on Saturday decided that henceforth contractors will be held responsible for the condition of the plantations they are working in till they are given a clearance by the Council.

The official, weather bureau in Ashburton County is located at "Rudstone," Mr James Carr's property near the Rakaia Gorge, and for over 25 years Mr Carr, or, in his absence, a" member of his family, has daily taken the readings of thermometers, rain gauge, frost gauge, and barometer, and recorded the general conditions of wind, sunshine and skv. Mr Carr has taken a keen interest in the work of the bureau, and he has accumulated a mass of data which will bo valuable in the future.

"I am not able to discuss how far I can go in. making any recommendation to Cabinet as to whether or to what extent we may meet any portion of x the cut in salaries or effect any relief of taxation," said the- Minister of Finance (the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates) at Christchurch on Saturday when these subjects were referred to him for ibis opinion. "It will be necessary for some little time to pass," he added, "before one pets fi clearer view as to the budgetary position for the current year."

Complaints have recently been made by motorists regarding the overhanging of loads on lorries crossing the Rakaia railway bridge. These have been chiefly in connection with lorries laden with firewood. The bodies of several cars have been badly damaged through coming in contact with projecting pieces of timber, and in several cases the dents in the bodywork have involved the car owners in some expense in effecting repairs.

The recent proposal to make permanent the observance of Anzac Day on a Sunday was condemned at a large gathering of returned soldiers at Hunterville on Wednesday evening. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. G. Cobbej in_an address made reference to the matter. He encouraged the returned soldiers to resist to a man the making of Anzac Day observance on a Sunday. The.day, he said, must not be changed; it must be kept distinct from any other day observed by the people. Other speakers expressed the opinion that any interference with Anzac Day observance would! create a storm of protest among returned soldiers from one end of the Dominion to the other, and that no Parliament would ever countenance such a proposal.

The worK of building the 110,000 volt-line across the difficult hilly country from Stratford to Arapuni power station on the Waikato River has been completed. Tests have been in. progress, and the Manawatu district has on several occasions been supplied from Arapuni for short periods. Tims all the three large Government trio generating stations in the North Island—Mangahao, Waikaremoana, and Arapuni—are linked up. It is understood (says the "Manawatu Standard") that further switches are required at Stratford before the supply will be tied in permanently, but at the present juncture, in the event of failure at Mangahao, the supply from Arapuni can be switched, down to the southern end of the Island ini a few minutes.

A gap of nearly six years between present-day Pukekura Park and its foundation was bridged (says the "Taranaki Herald") by the finding at Eltham of the ceremonial spade with which, the first tree was planted. Strangely enough the discoverer was Mr F. Amoore, an early member of the Park Board, avlio stood under the selfsame tree in 1929, 53 years after it was planted, when the park was handed over to the New Plymouth Borough Council. Mr Amoore is at present a member of the Pukekura Park Board. The spade bears the inscription: "Presented to Miss Carrington on the occasion of her'planting the first tree in the Recreation Ground, New Plymouth, May 24, 1876." It is sturdily made, the blade being of cast steel and not much corroded. The hickory handle is in fine condition for wood 60 years old.

It was impossible to catch a cold in the southern polar regions said Mr K, A Falla (ornithologist at the Auckland War Memorial Museum), m an address in Auckland. Mr Falla, who Avas associated with the Mawson Expedition to the Antarctic, said that there was no disease in those regions, and every morning one woke feeling absolutely fit. Modern expeditions were much better equipped than those of Scott, for instance. Though Scott's men had had food prepared for them in accordance with the latest information available, it had been "deficient, Mawson's expedition, on the other hand, had been given food which lacked nothing in nutritive elements. It had been found that a greater quantity of fats and sugars was absorbed than would have been possible in civilisation. In fact. the- amount of sugar which was taken would have meant acute diabetes in normal life.

The weekly unemployment allocations for the Ashburton Centre are:— A Class, 28 men, two days; B Class, 224 men, two and 2J days; C Class, 128 men, 3-s and four days.

Though winter is well advanced, farms in Ashburton County are in much better condition than is usually associated with them at this time of the year. There is ample feed in evidence and stock are looking well. Members of the Ashburron County Council who made a tour of several districts on Saturday, expressed surprise at the general appearance of the country.

A resident of Auckland has drawn attention to a splendid record for longevity established by his mother and her brothers and sisters. His mother is now 82 years of age, and she has twoelder sisters aged 84 and 86, and three brothers and two sisters younger with ages varying from 68 to 80 years. None of her brothers or sisters has died, their combined ages totalling 624 years.

A sports service at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church last evening was well attended by representatives of St. Andrew's Basketball, Hockey and Physical Training Clubs. The Rev. R. S. Watson, who spoke on "The Game of Life —making a start," saicl he' welcomed the formation of new bodies (the basketball and physical training clubs) as they made for a better spirit of fellowship and unity among the young people of the church, as well as providing them with healthy recreation.

"I was yeryi pleased with what 1 saw of irrigation in Central Otago," said the Minister of Finance (Mr J. G. Coates), on his arrival in Duneclin last week. "It was a great sight to see the stock scattered so thickly on land that was previously barren." Mr Coates added that water rates were now coming in better, and he thought that a very encouraging sign. He had been discouraged by the position last vear, but he was now much more hopeful. ■ ~

Instructions in agriculture at the various schools in tne Hawke's Bay province are to take steps to acquaint teachers and pupils with the appearance and clangers of ragwbrt, so that it may be more-rapidly observed and reported to the farming community. The subject arose at the meeting oi : tne Hawke's Bay Education Board, at which the precis oi • a circular from the Education Department was read, saying it was recently approached upon the need for the instruction of children m the identification of ragwort, particularly in areas at present free from this pest.

Criticism of the custom of some farmers who, having an animal on exhibition at a show, displayed ribbons and tickets which were won by the animal at other shows, was made at the annual conference of the Auckland Provincial Council of Agricultural and Pastoral Associations. After the view had been expressed that the custom might influence the judging of stock at shows, the following resolution was passed;—"That the secretary inform all societies affiliated with the council that no tickets or ribbons other than those iwon. at the particular show at which the animals concerned are competing should be displayed."