LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 273, 31 August 1935, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

One case of tuberculosis was reported in the Ashburton Borough this ueekThe County health distuct from infectious diseases.

Inter-club activities between the East Ashburton and Phillipstown (Christchurch) Amateur Swimming Clubs have been extended from swimming to basketball. A team from the northern club visited Ashburton to-day and played a match against members of the local club. The visitors will be entertained at a dance this evening.

A Wellington telegram states that a stiffening of the law relating to certain offences connected with traffic ancl motor vehicles will lie effected by the Government during the session. One o the most important amendments contemplated will be designed to check the practice of conversion or theft of cars, to increase statutory penalties, and to give the courts wider discretion m dealing with such cases.

Observations made at the Wanganui Observatory show that at present the ring around the planet Saturn is on a plane horizontal to the earth. Generally this ring, which many persons suppose to lie the imagined phenomenon of astromers, is at a level above or below the earth, so that the ring is seen from its outside to its inner edge, but at present all that can be seen is a very thin “dot” at each side. This ring is to be seen in this manner only once every five years or so.

It is interesting to note, remarks a report of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, that the parasite introduced several years ago in connection with the council’s activities to deal with gorse appears to he successfully established in the Nelson district and Alexandra. Reports are also tc hand to indicate that it is functioning successfully in an area in the Hutt Valley. It is reasonable to hope that it may prove a factor in preventing gorse from seeding and thus help toward its control. Dr. Miller has left for South America in connection with parasites for grass grub and insects to attempt to control bidi-bidi.

In the course of a day’s business the New Zealand Farmers’ Union often deals with as many subjects as there are colours in a rainbow-. This was reflected by the many pages of minutes which the'Dominion executive, now a considerably reduced body numerically, was called upon to confirm on Wednesday. “There are 42 typewritten pages of minutes,” said the president (Mr W. J. Poison, M.P.). “I take it that you have read them through carefully, gentlemen, and that you are satisfied they are correct.” The executive showed 1 no great interest in the 42 pages. “We are satisfied, if you are, sir,” said Mr H. E. Blyde (Taranaki), and the minutes were confirmed.

Men employed by the Ashburton County Council under the No. 5 relief scheme this week totalled l(j9. In addition eleven are in camp at Mayfield and two rabbiters are working in County plantations.

A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that Amalgamated Wireless (Australia) Ltd., was the successful tenderer for the 60 kilowatt broadcasting station to be erected at Titahi Bay, Wellington, for the New Zealand Broadcasting Board. The single mast will be 700 feet high and the aerial system is to be of the 8.8. C. umbrella type, similar to IYA and the new 4YA. It is expected that the new station will be operating before the end of 1936.

Mrs H. D. Muir (president of the New Zealand Basketball Association) hatl o novel and effective way of calling the delegates to order at the annual conference of affiliated associa.tions at Wellington. When the discussion seemed likely to get out of bounds, she produced a referee’s whistle and blew sharply, with immediate results. “I’m sorry you are having a lot of whistle to-night—you had enough this afternoon,” she remarked later when she had to whittle the delegates to order for a third time.

“Complaints come particuarly of lights of English manufacture.” declared Mr Hutchison (Auckland), when the problem of dazzling headlights and their danger to the travelling public Avas briefly discussed by the annual conference of the North Island Motor Union. There was considerable dazzle, even after adjustment, it was said. When it was reported that the English Transport Ministry required the deflection of lamps of more than six watts so that a person 25 feet away would not be dazzled, the secretary was instructed to obtani further particulars from England.

How such large quantities as 600 b. of sausages and about 500 four-pound loaves of bread were required daily to feed the travelling public at the refreshment rooms of the Central Railway Station, in Sydney, was described in Wellington by Mr L. H. C. Riggs (sub-manager of the refreshment branch of the New South Wales Railways), who is visiting New Zealand. Mr Riggs said there were three pota-to-peeling machines, each with a capacity of eight sacks, working continuously! from. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and there were two dish-washing machines, which put through about 16,000 pieces of crockery an hour.

At the height of a ' recent storm, members of a Dargaville household heard a tapping on the glass on their front door. The tapping continued, and when the door was opened a strange bird, apparently attracted by the light, flew in almost exhausted. It was caught and made comfortable and liberated again the next morning. During the day a strange bird was heard calling in the nearby bush. From the description given—a shiny, black-green coat spotted with blue, a long tail and beak authorities state that it was probably a member of the dotterel species.

The Wellington Boys’ College hopes to become an experimental centre for visual instruction and to have an up-to-date and fully-equipped cinemaroom, according to a report from the principal received at a meeting of the Board of Governors. Mr Armour added in his report that there were several rooms which could be converted to. this purpose without any difficulty. New Zealand, he said, was behind other countries, even Australia, in the matter of visual instruction by the cinema. His request will be passed on to the Minister of Education, backed with the board’s endorsement, Colonel G. Mitchell, the chairman, saying that he believed the cinema was destined to play a very'big part in education in the future

A sharp rebuke was administered by Mr Justice Kennedy in the Supreme Court at Dunedin to counsel for one of the prisoners who came up for sentence. Learned counsel was enlarging on the reasons why leniency should, he extended to a client who was facing four charges of breaking and entering and theft, and he included in his plea that the prisoner was a member of a First Grade football team, and a very .promising youth who would some day be a representative player. “In fact,” said counsel, “The president of his club has written to me . . but he got no further. His Honor interrupted forcibly to the effect that he had no wish to hear such matter. “I do not care whether the prisoner is a sportsman or not,” he declared. “The man has been breaking the laws of his country and whatever he may be, he has no right to do that.”

Californian quail apparently do not breed well in captivity, but increase rapidly in suitable surroundings if unmolested. Attempts have been made at the Wellington Acclimatisation Society’s game farm at Paraparaumu to breed these little sporting birds, but they were not a success. On the other hand, quail which were not molested in this sanctuary formed 1 the habit of coming to the back door of the curator’s house for what they could pick up. This covey has increased considerably. Quail, like many native birds, soon know whether people are friendly or otherwise. During the early summer last year a pair took up their quarters in rough cover near an Upper Hutt garden and when a well-known pinkflowered rambling weed was seeding, lived more in the garden than elsewhere, sunning themselves with full ci'ops on the rubbish heap only a few yards away from the industrious gardener, and not showing the slightest signs of alarm.

The Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union passed a remit urging the Government to make a boarding or travelling allowance available for children attending secondary schools in districts where free railway conveyance does not operate j further that the Government be urged to reinstate the boarding allowance for children from outlying areas attending the secondary departments of district high schools. Opinion was divided an another remit contending that there be a reversion to five years for the school admission age. Captain H. M. Rushworth, M.P., said that, discarding the saving made by the Government, stated to be £BO,OOO, as a result of the operation of the new rule, and the interest of the New Zealand Educational Institute in the matter, and looking at the matter from the point of view of the country children, he was of opinion that the rule was disadvantageous Hte said he had not the slightest doubt of that. School rolls fell, and that meant that the schools were dr-graded and a. teacher with less experience was appointed. Mr H. E. Blyde, the mover of the remit, said that all that was asked for was’ that the right to send children to school when they are five years of age should be permissive. The remit was adopted.

A small grass fire broke out at the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s grounds yesterday, but was extinguished before any damage was done. The south-west wind at midday fanned some embers where men had been engaged cutting wood, and the flames spread to dry grass under the trees. The County Inspector (Mr E. N. Johnson) was called out but there were sufficient men on the scene to put the fire out without the use of the Council’s trailer file pump.

Five hundred and four opossums have been taken by two trappers in the district at the head of the Rakaia River during the current season which closes at noon to-morrow. Only these two licenses were issued by the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society for the season which was originally of two months’ duration but was extended for a month on account of the' bad weather experienced Tin the early part. A similar difficulty has apparently been experienced elsewhere for the Gazette notifies the extension for a month of the season in the Stratford district and for 14 days in each of the Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, and Feeding districts.

New Zealand was described as “three curious lonely-looking islands'” by Sii; Alexander Herdman in the course of an address to members of the junior division of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon. Sir Alexander was referring to New Zealand’s triumph in the face of her isolation from her chief markets. “Look at the map and] cast your eye toward the south down in the direction of the Antarctic,” he said. “There you will see three curious lonely-looking islands. The most northerly one is not unlike a leg of mutton, the South Island reminds one of a side of bacon, and Stewart Island is not unlike a kidney. Yet small though these islands be, remote as is their situation, they have during the past 80 years had a history which reads like fiction.”

Post office Revenue which so closely follows the fluctuation in business, provides in July additional evidence of the growing strength in the movement toward business, recovery. One of the most important items is that of postages—£lo6,67B for July, compared with £93,188 for the corresponding month of 1934, while the receipts from this section of the Department’s business during the four months of the current financial year show an improvement of £41,000. Toll revenue and receipts from telephone exchanges show an £B,OOO improvement for July, ana a rise of during-ihe current financial year. The gross ordinary revenue of the post office for the four months —£1,209,678 —is £72,808 higher than for the corresponding period of the previous year. It is impossible to present a complete income and expenditure statement based upon four months’ figures, but reference to the expenditure shows that the growing turn-over is more than sufficient to meet increases in expenditure.