LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 270, 28 August 1935, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The utilisation of the local iron sand was again before the Patea Hai oi Hoard recently, when advice was received that the Anglo-American Steel Company would send an engineer to Patea. Later, it was stated, the machine contractors would send out an expert.

Prizes for the harness of horses in the Ashburton Agricultural and/ Pastoral Association’s Show, ottered uy Mr R. McGaffin, of Methven, were accepted with thanks by the Association yesterday afternoon, this should increase the interest of owners in the trappings and accoutrements of then animals, it was stated.

Thirty guns accounted for no fewer than 364 hares at a drive held at Riverside in aid of the school funds. As the bag indicates, hares were plentiful and those who took part in the drive had a good day’s shooting. They ran out cf ammunition at one stage cf the afternoon and new supplies had to he sent for.

For use in eradicating the rabbit nuisance, phosphorised _ pollard was some years ago available in Ashburton, but Mr S. Orosson stated at the meetiing of the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association yesterday afternoon that this had now to be procured from Christchurch. He recommended that the Ashburton County Council should be asked to keep a small supply on hand. A member pointed out that pollard was only useful in the later part of the season, strychnine being the most effective in the early months. It was decided to ask the County Council to keep a small supply on hand.

Wherever motors are run regularly through New Zealand, mails are also transported. The Postal Department has been a great factor in stimulating the development of motor transport along routes not reached by the rail. It has sent mails regularly to places where never before has the motor run to a time-table, and this regular, usually daily, mail connection has assisted in no small degree in the development and well-being of a great portion of the farming community. Out of approximately 80,0(JD farmers in New Zealand, 23,000 receive and dispatch their mails at their gates by the mail motor every day.

A conference of the Mid-Canterbury branches of the Labour Party was held in Ashburton yesterday. The president of the Party (Mr Walter Nash M.P.) presided. Messrs H. E. Herring, J. J. Phaup and E. W. Wightman gave their evidence of loyalty to the party and agreed to work hard for the final selection which is to he made by the Party. Mr Nash left last evening for Wellington. Air T. H. McCombs, M.iP. for Lyttelton, addressed a meeting at Rakaia on Monday evening, when 140 people attended. A vote of confidence in the Labour Party moved by Mr S. Gardiner, was carried unanimously. Air T. Muckle presided.

Candidates in the Allenton queen carnival were to-day in tire following position:—Blue (western) first, red (eastern) second.

A donation of £lO 10s to the funds of the Auckland Hospital Board was received at its last meeting from Chinese residents of the city. It was stated by the chairman (Mr W. Wallace) that nearly ever year since 1918 the Chinese had made a donation of never less than £lO 10s. Xe>v.members of the Board matte appreciative reference to the donation.

There seems to bp a definite brightening of the property market in Ashburton lately, so far as sales and inquiries are concerned, but prices are said to be keeping at a much lower figure than was the case some years ago. An Ashburton agent told a “Guardian” reporter that he sold three town properties last week. “But the prices o'f the boom period are past,” Jie added. “They will not be experienced again.”

There was an extraordinary incident in an Auckland street the other day, when two- dogs met their fate under the wheels of a car at the same moment. One had started to cross the street and was being pursued by two others, right in rfont of the oncoming vehicle. The first dog was bowled over by the left wheel of the eag and the second by the right rear wheel, death being almost instantaneous. The third deg found itself between the wheel tracks and was unhurt.

Radio license . figures showing the number in force on July 31 demonstrate further substantial increases, particularly in the number of listeners’ licenses. The grand total has reached 166,671, which is 31,715 larger than at the corresponding date a year ago. Receivers’ licenses total 164,411, having increased by 31,550, and there are, in addition, 1046 dealers’, 830 experimental amateur, 3 experimental research, 2 special, 357 free and 22 broadcasting licenses.

A meeting of the general committee of the Ashburton Fanciers’ Society was held last evening, Mr G. H. Nieoll presiding. It was decided to hold a bridge and 500 card evening on Thursday, September 12, in the Tancred Street Hall. Twelve tables were promised at the meeting. Messrs G. H. Nieoll, K. Glenic and the secretary (Mr G. V. Furby) were appointed an executive to complete arrangements.

A Wellington Press Association telegram states that' it is anticipated that his Excellency’s speech at the opening of Parliament to-morrow will he longer and more informative as to the Government’s policy than such speeches have been in recent years. So far as can be ascertained the legislative measures will he largely of an amending nature.

A proposal has been made to estate lisli a penguin island in the sandpit north of the municipal baths at Napier. and Mr N. R. Mclsaac, formerly of Napier, has replied to a request for information sent to him at Invercargill by the Napier Thirty thousand Club, stating that he is making further inquiries into the matter. Mr Mclsaac stated that penguins can be obtained from Stewart Island, but the Kihg penguin only from Campbell and Kermadec Islands, at which places the Government steamer Matai calls periodically. Mr Mclsaac added that to keep penguins at Napier it would be necessary to obtain permission from the Minister for Internal Affairs.

A “shipside post office” which was available on Prince’s Wharf, Auckland, for the iirst time to receive letter mail for dispatch by the Marama for (Sydney', was well patronised. About 1000 letters were posted at it and a few stamps were sold. The fact that the stamps on the letters posted were cancelled with the line “Shipside post office, Auckland, New Zealand,” was responsible for a considerable number of letters being posted by stamp collectors in order to have the envelopes returned by friends The “post-office” consisted" of an ordinary covered postal van with removable fittings. Before being placed on the Marama from the van the mail was all stamped and sorted.

A novel means of liberating pheasants bred at its Para pa ran mu Game Farm is to be tried by the Wellington Acclimatisation Society. The practice has been to liberate the birds on tiie farms of sympathetic owners where there are suitable areas which provide shelter and food. An innovation will be introduced if tests which the society intends to make are successful, and the birds will be released from an aeroplane, at a suitable height, the idea being that the pheasants will be able, from the panorama below, to select their future home. With an autogiro, it is considered, there would be no difficulties, but whether the birds would satisfactorily clear an aeroplane, and would not- suffer damage from the sudden shock of the artificial gale remains to be ascertained.

Appreciation of the export of New Zealand apples to Finland is contained in a letter that has been received by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce from a Finnish importing organisation. “You are probably aware that the export of apples from New Zealand to Finland has been increasing from year to year, and that this year’s crop especially was greatly appreciated by our importers,” the writer states. “Up to the present our importers have received your products chiefly from the European markets, that is, Hamburg, London, and partly Rotterdam. There is a tendency, however, to come in direct contact with the land of origin. This fact induces me to ask you whether there is any possibility of our coming in direct contact with your fruit exporting organisations.’” The letter has been forwarded by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to the Fruit Export Control Board.

■Overcome by fumes from a petrol stove which exploded, Mr C. Walrond, from asphyxiation while on his motorlaunch on the Wade River, states the “New Zealand Herald.” Serious consequences were averted bv the prompt action of Miss Wilson, Mr Walrond’s housekeeper, who pulled her employer clear and extinguished* the flames. The stove exploded when Mr Walrond went to light it. Ho used a fire extinguisher that was on the launch, but was unable t>o quell the flames completely, and the pungent fumes brought him to the verge of collapse. The smoke that followed the explosion fortunately attracted the attention of Miss Wilson, who was at the house, and she hurried to the launch, which was at the river hank, with another extinguisher. After dragging Mr Walrond clear she quickly put out the fire. Mr Walrond, who is the father of Miss Violet Waliond, a well-known New Zealand swimmer and an Olympic Games representative in 1920, revived quickly, although he suffered for some time from the effects of the fumes.

Evidence of the warmth of last autumn and of the mildness of the winter is contained in the early appearance of ripe strawberries in the garden of an Alcaroa resident. The garden faces east and is well sheltered j but it is rare, if not unprecedented, for ripe strawberries to be grown so early in Akaroa.

Recently the Auckland Hospital Board advertised for a fees collector, to make a total of three such officers on the hoard’s staff. Applications showered in on the secretary day after day (says the “Star”), and when they closed a total of 210 had been received. The applications arc to be considered by the Fees Committee, which will make a recommendation to the board at its next meeting.

“This is the second year in succession that the report and balance sheet has been adopted without a single question being asked,” commented the chairman of directors (Mr N. Campbell), at the annual meeting of shareholders and suppliers or the Awahuri Dairy Company, last week. The chairman commented that it must be a record for a New Zealand dairy company to be free from interrogation for so long a period. It indicated satisfaction on the part of the suppliers, of whom 50 were present at the meeting.

After a lapse of some years on account of the existing conditions, the Colonial Office is again resuming its recruitment of men from the Dominion for service in one or other of the colonies under its control. The recruiting is done among graduates Qf the New Zealand University by special committees set up in each of the university, colleges, and finally by a central committee in Wellington, over which the Governor-General presides. The registrar of the Auckland University College (Mr M. R. O’Shea) acts as liaison officer on behalf of the Colonial Office. Graduates who desire to devote themselves to the civil service in one of the colonies obtain interviews with the local committees, and the most promising are recommended to the Central Committee, which in turn makes final recommendations to the Colonial Office. The number required depends upon the vacancies occurring in the colonies.

An unwanted aspidistra was the cause of some amusement in an Auckland auction room last week, but in the end it was responsible for the sum of 16s 6d. being raised for the Community Sunshine Association. The plant had been thrown in as extra value when a palm stand was being sold, but Avlien the purchaser declared that the did not want it the auctioneer, Mr L. J. Coakley, offered to sell, it, the buyer to nominate the charity to which the money should be paid. The first buyer, on getting the plant for 2s 6d, instructed the auctioneer to put it up again. This was done several times until the total stood at 16s 6d, and the last purchaser expressed a desire that the money should go to the Community (Sunshine Association .'He, too, refused to become the owner of the aspidistra, and solved his own problem by directing the auctioneer to give it to the first purchaser, the buyer of the palm stand.