LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 40, 27 November 1934, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The. Ashburton Borough Inspector issued five motor driver’s licenses m tie last fortnight, bringing the. total licensed drivers to 822. A crop of oats which the owner declared will vield up to 100 bushels an acre in the harvest is growing m a field about two miles west of Ralcaia on the road to Methven. Eighty children at the Ashburton East School arc in receipt of a daily ration of milk, and are reported to be benefiting considerably. They will be weighed before the holidays so that their progress since the scheme was instituted may be checked. Four tenders for painting work were received by the Ashburton Borough Council last evening and the unusual position arose ofi two. tenderers submitting the same price. Their names were placed in a hat and that of Mr J. JByrom was drawn. The pi ice was £4 10s. Only six cases of infectious and notifiable diseases were notified in the Canterbury Health District last week, and the West Coast had a clean bill ot health. The cases notified were:— Tuberculosis 1, eclampsia 1,. septic abortion 2, hydatids 1, enteric fever 1. There was one death from tuberculosis and one from eclampsia m Canterbury. This year the Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry will celebrate its seventysixth anniversary. It had been planned to hold a dinner to commemorate the anniversary, but certain difficulties made this plan impracticable Now it has been, decided that the celebrations will take place during the annual camp in April, 1935. Mr A. Briggs lias given permission for the camp to be held on his property, Surrey 3 Hills, Mount Somers, and while the C.Y.C. is under canvas there will lie a sports meeting to celebrate the anniversary. The New Zealand airmen who took part in the London to, Melbourne race last month, finishing fifth and sixth, will pay a visit to Ashburton on Friday, December 14, when it is likely that a, civic reception will be extended to them at the Airport. SquadronLeader M. C. McGregor and Mr H. Walker, who finished in fifth place, will fly in their Miles Hawk, while Squadron-Leader ,T. D. Hewett, IlightLieutenant C. E. Kay and Mr F. Stewart will arrive in their D.H. Dragon Rapid© in which they recently flew tire Tasman Sea. As a result of a petition signed hv 50 residents of Ashburton East, the Ashburton Borough Council last evening authorised the Borough Foreman to prepare a report for next meeting in regard to better access to the bank of the Ashburton River along the track which is the continuation of Trevor’s Road. The petitioners set out that the present state cf the track made it extremely difficult for people, especially mothers with their families, to reach the river bank, which was frequently visited by residents of the locality. A suggestion was made at the meeting of the council that a .new track might he cut through at less cost than repairs to the existing road.

Building permits issued by the, Ashburton Borough Inspector in the past two weeks were as follow :Shed and additions £36; shed £2O; verandah £22.

Mildew has attacked a number of crops of young wheat in the Rakaia district, and farmers are looking for a continuance of the hot dry weather of the past week.

Commenced last Thursday, the tarsealing of the central portion of Moore Street between Trevor’s Road and: East Street was completed at 2 o’clock yesterday. The sides of the road are now receiving attention.

Hospital Day, when collections are made in the streets of Ashburton to raise funds for special Christmas fare for patients in the Public Hospital, and toys for the children, will be held on Friday, /December 14. Permission to take up street collections was last evening granted by the Borough Council.

It was reported: at the meeting of the Ashburton East School Committee last that approximately 150 scholars in Standards 111. to VI. and two teachers from the school would take part in the public function in the Ashburton Domain on the occasion of thf? visit of the Duke of Gloucester in January. At the meeting of the Waimate County Council yesterday a circular letter was received from the Ashburton County Council, recommending that suitable areas of land, such as gravel reserves, should be set aside as camping grounds for travelling stock where no other paddocks wore available in the locality. It was decided to reply stating that facilities were already available throughout the County.

The recent news of the capture of two sharks, one 10ft. Gin. in length, at Napier, and the other 23ft. long, at Gisborne, indicates that there are a number of these monsters cruising about the east coast. Last Thursday in the roadstead at Napier a member of the Rangitiki’s crew saw a 7ft. shark gnawing at the rope attached to the passengers’ stairway. He threw it a large lump of meat, which _ the shark snapped, up without hesitation.'

Because of special circumstances due to the visit of the Duke of Gloucester, the Timaru United Friendly Societies have had to postpone their annual picnic which this summer had been fixed for January 26, at the Ashburton Domain. The picnic committee wrote toi the Ashburton Domain Board last evening asking permission to hold the picnic on the Oval on February 2. This date was granted.

A decision to contest all City Council seats at the next municipal elections has been made by the Labour Representation Committee in Wellington (says a Press Association telegram). At the last election Labour put up candidates for all seats except one, which was contested by a Communist aspirant. The question of a candidate for the Mayoralty to oppose Mr T. C. A. Hislop (the present Mayor) is under consideration. Labour proposes also to nominate candidates for all seats on the Harbour Board and Hospital Board.

Reference to the approaching jubilee of the formation of the Ashburton East School as a main school was made at a meeting of the committee last evening. Suggestions for a function early in 1936 were made by members, and, while nothing definite was decided upon, it was agreed that an effort should be made to have a. reunion of old pupils. The proposal that the function take the form of a jubilee bazaar was well received, it being mentioned that a sum of £IOO to £2OO could be raised in this manner if ample preparations were made.

The bell tower at the Ashburton Fire Station is in a somewhat dangerous state due to the decaying of the timbers, which are about 50 years old, and as the state of the tower does not warrant the expenditure of any of the public funds upon it at the present time, the Borough Council will make other provision for training i'Sr the firemen and for the drying out of hoses, pending the erection of a new tower in the near future, provision for the new structure will be made in the estimates next year. A report to this effect was presented to the Council last evening by Mr W. H. Robinson (chairman of the Fire Brigade Committee), who stated that he had authorised certain temporary repairs to be carried out.

The half-yearly meeting of the Success of Ashburton Lodge, U.A.O.D.,was held last evening, the A.D. (Sister B. Wallis) presiding over a large attendance. Visitors included P.G.P. Bro. Ives and brothers of the Star of Ashburton Lodge. The bards’ report was received, and sick pay was passed for payment. An invitation was received from the Star of Ashburton Lodge to attend its installation ceremony next Monday. Advice was received that P.A. Bro. A. I. Garriock had been nominated for th e position of District President of the No. 8 District. Bro. Parkin reported on the quarterly meeting of the Council of the United Friendly Societies’ Association. The election' of officers resulted: —A.D 1 ., Sister A. Ward; V.A., Sister A. Hawkes; secretary, Sister R. Crum; treasurer, Sister Eyles; minute secretary, Sister E'. Rountree ; A.D. Bards, Sisters Rountree and Sutton; 1.G., Sister B. Montgomedy; 0.G., Sister F. Rountree; V.A. Bards, Sisters F. Collett and F. Glossop. It was decided to invite the brothers to attend the installation on Monday, December 10. A .report has been submitted by Mr E. T. Frost, a representative of the Native Bird and Forest Protection Society in North Auckland, on the havoc wrought bv cats among native birds in that district. Speaking of the desertion of worked-out gum areas and the departure of the diggers, Mr Frost savs that almost every digger had a cat, and in many cases these were left behind, and have bred, and multiplied, so that they now constitute a great menace to bird life. Travelling along almost any track in the scrub, especially just about dusk, one may see the stealthy form of the marauding cat. Many of them are large, fierce animals, and it is a bold dog that will tackle one. “Recently, while riding over some sandhills, where dotterel nest,” savs Mr Frost. “I flushed a wild cat, and a young dog I had bailed it up in a flax hush. I got up just in time to see the cat lying on its back, its four feet and claws extended, waitfor the attack. The pup rushed nr, and oot it. and in a/ trice was retreating as fast as its less would carry it. while the spitting, scratching cat had made good its retreat. Thousands of young birds must fall a prov every year "and one wonders what the result will be. The country. is as yet so sparsely settled in many parts that it will ho manv years before the wild eat will be reduced in numbers, and meanwhile our larks, dotterel, and fernbirds, as well as tree-nesting birds, will suffer,”

Permission to the Doric School to hold its annual picnic in the Ashburton Domain was last evening granted by the Domain Board.

A family of about 12 young weasels seen on the cliffs at the mouth cf the Ashburton River on Sunday attracted considerable attention among the anglers who were at the resort.

Among tile accounts passed for payment at the meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council last evening was an amount of £432 17s 2d, the Borough’s final payment of its share of the cost of the Ashburton traffic bridge.

In view of the long grass in all parts of the County constituting a fire danger during the dry weather, the Ashburton County Council is taking precautions to protect its plantations. Many of the drums used to store water where it is likely to be required in case of fire were filled yesterday.

An application by the Ashburton branch of the Labour Party for permission to conduct a political meeting in His Majesty’s Theatre on the evening of Sunday, December 9, when Mr R. Semple, M.P., will be the chief speaker, was received by the Borough Council and granted last evening.

A programme, that will prove more attractive to patrons and competitors by the inclusion of character sketches, ballet dancing, and perhaps a set speech, is being sought by the. Ashburton Competitions Society, members of which discussed for some time at the annual meeting last evening suggestions for the promotion of a brighter schedule. More popular songs among the vocal classes were advocated.

For want of water during the dry weather in the summer holidays, vegetables growing in the agricultural plots at the Ashburton East School died last year, and the work done by scholars in the third term went for naught. In order that the present experiments may be continued next year, the school committee last evening decided to make arrangements for watering the plots during the coming holidays.

The Wanganui Hospital Board this week declined the offer of a firm selling ‘‘pest-exterminator” to treat the limbers of the Jubilee Home for borer (reports the “Herald”). The Board’s architect said that such preparations were useful only in the case 'of new timber. Something would have to be done in Wanganui shortly to combat the two-tootli borer which was getting into wooden buildings. This insect made a hole one-eiglith of an inch in diameter, he said.

Attention, to the fact that the pavilion at the Domain Oval is in need of a coat of paint was drawn by Mr"E. H. Orr (chairman of the Reserves Committee) at the Borough Council meeting last night. He suggested that this work should be put in hand before the Duke of Gloucester visited Ashburton. It was agreed to. leave the question in the. hands of the Reserves Committee with power to act, and it was also agreed that the band rotunda, should be given a. coat of paint.

Some idea of the height of the new IYA transmitting mast near Henderson (Auckland) may be gauged from the fact that a: 2ft. wrench, dropped from near the top of the structure a few days ago, lias not yet been recovered. Intensive*searches have failed to reveal the whereabouts of the wrench, which, it is presumed, has become embedded below the surface of the soft clayey ground. A hammer, dropped from the mast a few days, previously, was discovered with only about an inch of the handle protruding from the earth.