LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 169, 1 May 1935, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At an enthusiastic meeting a Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Crippled Children’s Society was formed, attei addresses pointing out the urgency and scope of the work had been go. en > Sir Louis Barnett and Dr. Renfiew White (says a Press Association telegram). ,

Although it is practically certain that all wholesale and retail premises in Ashburton will lie closed next Monday to celebrate the King’s jubilee, there has as yet been no definite decisiem by a number of firms. The Mayor (Mr W. H. Woods) has requested employers to grant a holiday.

At a meeting in Christchurch yesteidav afternoon of the executive committee .of the . Royal Life-saving Society, over which Mr M, E- Lyons presided, the following award was madelntermediate certificate : Loiiglas Owen Moore, of the Ashburton Higi School (examined by Miss M. Gar butt).

On two occasions recently boys standing below windows in the upper storey of the New Plymouth Boys High School have narrowly escaped injury, reported the principal (Mr \v. H. Moves) to the Board of Governors. He advised the replacement of the steel window frames in the main school block. In some cases the screws holding the sashes in position had completely rushed through, with the result that, when opened, the windows fell out. The matter was referred to the Education Department.

At the ripe old age of 89 Mr John F. Crawford still pursues his trade of a plumber, says the “Auckland Star correspondent at Suva. He saw fighting through the Maori wars, and he was one of the only three survivors of the schooner Tarawera wrecked near Gisborne, New Zealand. He has been jack of all trades in Fiji, including stockman, plantation manager and later as a plumber. He still walks as far as Samabula, four miles from Suva to “do small jobs,’’ as be modestly puts it.

A commencement was made to-day with the decoration of the Ashburton railway station for the King’s jubilee celebrations. The building will be decorated with flags and bunting. Attention will be given to the Post Office later in the week by the officers of the Public Works Department, who are carrying cut the work. The schemes for both buildings will be practically identical with those employed on the occasion of the visit to Ashburton last January of the Duke of Gloucester.

For some days Maoris in the Mangakahja district (Auckland) have been occupied . gathering the' remains of Natives, including a chief, from an ancient cave in the Poroti district and reburying them at Poroti. A large hui was held in connection with the ceremony. The cave in which the remains were buried was explored by a number of Natives who volunteered for the task and it is believed the warriors had been buried for over 100 years. The remains of 25 men were removed and also four large greenstone axes. Among the skeletons removed was one of an abnormally large man, whose skull was approximately 32 inches in circumference, and who had a correspondingly large jaw-bone. The bones of the lower leg were almost, as high as the hip of the present-day well-built youth.

A jumble sale was held by the St. Stephen’s Anglican Ladies’ Guild in the parish hall this afternoon in aid of the funds of the guild. Articles met with a ready sale, and the effort was considered satisfactory. \Mesdames Curtis (president) and H. N. Armstrong were in charge,* and Mrs M. C. Knox was the convener of a cake stall held in conjunction with the sale.

.Dragged for several yards by a motor car which knocked him from his bicycle at the corner of Wakanui Road and Chalmers Avenue about 5.30 o’clock yesterday, Mr Oliver Crum, residing in Bridge Street, suffered a severe scalp wound, bruises and abrasions and shock. He was removed to his home after medical attention had been given. The car was driven by Mr W. Kellahan.

Three men had a narrow escape from death or serious injury when a steam crane weighing 35 to lls overturned while working on the south spit wharf at Wanganui the other morning. The crane was in the act of lifting a .block of shell rock from a when it overturned, and', crashing into the punt, sank in clouds of steam. Two men who were on the punt, Messrs J. and B. Gaskin, dived into the river and swam under the wharf, while the driver of the crane, Mr J. Scott, sprang clear when he felt the crane tilting.

Five breakfasts in one day was the fortunate, or unfortunate, lot of a minister caught in the wave of Easter marriages in Whangarei (states the “New Zealand Herald’’). Four of the breakfasts were wedding breakfasts, and the marriage ceremonies which preceded -them all took place between 11 a .m. andl 2.30 p.m. Altogether 13 marriages were celebrated in Whangarei between April 1 and 24, which is an abnormally large number for any one month. The four which occurred on the same day took place on April 23, the day. after Easter Monday.

There were many interesting things about the island of Rarotonga, Mr G. J. Reed, of Invercargill, who arrived at Wellington by the Maunganui on Monday, stated when interviewed. One of these was the strange custom of burying deceased persons under the verandahs of their homes. He was par- 1 ticularly struck by the headstone over one grave. A native, who was killed in a motor-car accident, was remembered by a neatly-carved stone depicting a car falling over a cliff while an angel stood at the top. ~

“I have escaped the snare of the fowler,” said General Evangeline Booth, International Leader of the Salvation Army, during her address at the Wellington Town Hall, in explaining why she was single. She recalled a newspaper interview when a reporter, told that she was Evangeline Booth, Oommander-in-Chief in America, proceeded to write “Mrs Evangeline Booth.” “No, not Mrs, Miss,” she said. “I added that I had had to do some pretty fast flying on occasions, and that I’m still on the wing.” The General also recalled that once an officer had expressed the opinion that the time had come when she ought to consider the question of marriage. She had replied: “I have. That’s the reason why I’m single.”

A man who obviously appreciates comfort above all things—above even the embarrassment of feeling the amused interest of his fiellow-passen-gers_entered a Wellington-Auckland express carriage on a recent night and began to busy himself with some planks and a parcel he had brought with him. Neatly and with the greatest aplomb he arranged the planks between a pair of unoccupied seats, briskly he opened the parcel, and gravely he began to blow through a rubber tube. The blowing process continued for many minutes before the nearby passengers discovered that a large “lilo” bathing mat was being inflated. When it was ready the man placed it on the boards, went through' the usual train toilet, and curled up on his bed under some rugs. It was unfortunate that at the first sharp turn made by the train he and his bed shot off into the aisle, but he took this calmly, rearranged Ins hod safely, and quickly went to sleep.

Sunday was the anniversary of the mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty, which occurred in the Pacific 146 years ago. Late in 1787 Lieutenant William Bligh was sent to the Pacific in charge of the Bounty, and his severity toward his crew led to a mutiny on the vessel on April 28, 1789. The erevy secured command of the. vessel and set the lieutenant and 18 loyal sailors adrift in an open boat. , After a voyage of 4000 miles, probably the longest ever undertaken in an open boat, the lieutenant and his men reached Batavia, having suffered terrible hardships on the way. The mutineers took the Bounty to Tahiti, where some of their number were later captured. The remainder, accompanied by several native women and three men, sailed to Pitcairn Island, where they scuttled the ship and settled down ashore. They failed to agree, and by 1808, when they were discovered there, only one—John Adams—remained, the others having died or been lulled off in quarrels that had taken place over the possession of the native women. John Adams had repented of his former mode of life and was ruling the island and inculcating Christian principles into the minds of the mutineers’ descendants. He died in 1829, but his teachings were remembered and the islanders have lived a peaceful and intensely Christian life until the present day. At one time the islanders left the island in a body and migrated to Norfolk Island, but many of them returned a few years later.

A healthy revival in the jewellery trade was reported by Mr J. Preedy, a Birmingham manufacturing jeweller, who .arrived at Auckland by the Mataroa, in the course of a round trip on that vessel. Mr Preedy, who has been in the trade for 51 years, attributed the recent falling off in the demand for jewellery to the coming of the lowpriced motor car. This naturally appealed to the younger generation. “Women still love jewellery,” Air Preedy said, “and I have yet to meet the one who objects to wearing it. For this rsaeon there will always be a demand for it, and the slightest improvement in conditions is reflected in this class of business. People are getting back to the attitude of their forefathers and regarding gems as heirlooms.” Discussing the modern trend in precious stones, Mr Preedy said that the diamond still retained its popularity, especially in .the solitaire ling for both engagements and dress occasions. The emerald was popularised by Princess Mary, and high quality gems were still sought after. Princess Marina had been responsible for a sapphire fashion, her betrothal gem with its huge stone set in four claws being a masterpiece of the jeweller’s art. Another precious stone that owed its popularity to the Royal Family was the ruby, the favourite stone of the Queen. The opal was also enjoying an increasing vogue, with a dying of the old superstitions connected with it.

Six nominations have been received for four vacancies on the council of the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society. The election will be by ballot, and the result will he announced at the annual meeting of the society on May 21. Messrs J. Donn, G. Kelly and D. Lynch, who retired by rotation, . are eligible for re-election, and three new candidates are Messrs H. G. Kemp, H. R. C. MeElrea and William Thomas.

• An Invercargill visitor to Stewart Island, hoping for a supply of fish, for the household, set a net in Paterson Inlet, and on returning to take it up was astonished to find what appeared to he a large fish struggling violently in the slender meshes. Fortunately, assistance was at hand, and a neighbour appearing with a rifle soon dispatched the unwelcome visitor. It was towed ashore, and! upon examination proved to be a cowfish about 10ft in length.

A “Mariawatu Times” reporter visiting an aviary was interested to learn that the bird fancier bred his own meal worms. The grubs had been obtained in a small quantity, and kept in a kerosene box with bran, pollard, a little apple for moisture, and flannel or sacking for warmth. The grubs, which multiply rapidly, were over half an inch long, and clung to the sacking when it was held up to the light, wriggling with indignation. Meal worms are used to feed soft-hill birds, and iii Europe are bred commercially and sent bv aeroplane to Britain. They are sold by weight.

Pausing durjng her reply to the welcome at the Town Hall, Wellington, General Evangeline Booth said: “What a splendid Mayor you have got. And how much magnificence you have in your Governor-General, in appearance,’ character and gifts. I don’t think we can let him off without saying a few words this afternoon.” (Applause.) Later, when relieving her throat, which was showing the signs of her 78 addresses in just over a month in Australia, with a glass of water, General Booth turned to Mr Hislop and drank a health to him. This his Worship smilingly acknowledged.

Under tlie will of Mr William Henry Burroughs, who died at Onehunga in March, the Wha’ngarei District Hospital will; benefit by an endowment in perpetuity-to the extent of £IOOO. The bequest is subject to a life interest. It is directed in the will that after the expiration of, the life interest the money shall be invested and the interest paid to the Whangarei Hospital Board, to be used for general purposes pr any particular work associated with the institution. Mr Burroughs was for many years in the butchery business at Kamo.

. A regular visitation by friendly sparrows is one of the events of the day for patients in the verandah wards at the Auckland Hospital. It is against the 'official rules, but the cheeky little birds know nothing of that. Regularly at 8 o’clock in the morning and 5 o’clock in the ’ evening the sparrows perch perkily at the foot of the bed, and as soon as a few crumbs are forthcoming hop confidently along the counterpane to within a couple of feet of the generous humans. Sometimes as many as half a dozen are perched on the one Tied, and patients find it difficult to deny the little birds’ insistent demands.