LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 299, 1 October 1935, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Throe building permits for structures estimated to cost, in the aggregate, £5668 were issued by the Ashburton Borough Inspector in the past two weeks. They were as follow: Shop £4lO, dwelling £OSO, dwelling £6OO.

A (Press Association telegram states that, playing to a packed house at Stratford, the Auckland University College department of English won the British Drama. League Mest Coast elimination semi-final. Ihe play “Sordid Story,” by J. A. S. Coppard, was produced by; Professor W. A. Sewell.

A meeting of the Catholic Club was held last evening when the president (Mr V. O’Donoghue) presided over a large, attendance. Arrangements were finalised for a debate and a ping-pong match with St. Stephen's Men’s Club. At the close of the meeting the club s annual banquet was held, and a comprehensive list of toasts was honoured.

“Complaint has been made in some quarters regarding doctors’ fees, but we are tremendously grateful for the kindness of Auckland doctors,” said Mother Hannah at the annual meeting in Auckland of the Order of the Good Shepherd. She said there were four doctors to whom the Order could send poor people, who would receive just the same attention as other patients.

Advice has been received by the president of the Ashburton District Women’s Institute (Mrs F. Curtis) jdiat the band! of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind, which is making a tour of the Dominion, will pay a visit to Ashburton on October 21. The band, which comprises 20 young men and boys, was formed in 1927, and has attained a high musical standard, its perfoinances being a wonderful demonstration of what can be done through modern methods of training the blind.

Disused railway carriages are popular as residences in parts of the Waitemata County, Auckland. On a tour of the county, a resident saw seven of them from the road, and they appeared: quite atractive residences. With minor alterations, the addition of curtains and surrounding gardens, several of them had a picturesque appearance. Ingenuity' has given to three of them — utilised by a resident near Albany—a substantial cottage air. ■ One offering a broad face to the road, has porches at either end, replacing the old platform, and end-011 to these porches the two other carriages form roomy wings.

Jewellery, clothes, books, and a hun-dred-and-one other articles which in the last few years have lain unclaimed in the backwater of the New Zealand dead-letter office were sold by auction in Wellington for the Post and Telegraph Department the other day'. Most of the jewellery' was sold in single lots, hut the other articles were sold wraplied curiously assorted in parcels with the principal contents announced briefly. "Where there was an element of mystery, the bidding was all the keener, and the parcels sold for between 10, and £l. Jewellery' which is undeliverable and unclaimed is usually kept by the dead-letter office for many years before it is sold by the Department, hut the other articles, which in time might perish, are kept for a minimum of onlv 12 months.

A Press Association telegram from Invercargill states that a seven-roomed wooden house at Waikiwi, owned and occupied by Mr Alexander Fraser, was destroyed by fire last night. Practically nothing was saved.

The rainfall in Dunedin for September was one inch, this being 1.93 inches less than the fall for September last year. Rain fell on seven days last month, the heaviest fall being .75 inches on September 8. The total sunshine for September was 207 hours 40 minutes, compared with 138 hours 35 minutes in August and 133 hours 30 minutes in September last year. There were only two days last month on which no sunshine was recorded.

Protesting against what it terms the joy-riding of New Zealand swimmers who journey overseas at the expense of New Zealand swimming centres when they have little prospect of winning international events, the Hawke’s Bay centre has suggested to the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association that the overseas representation fund should be used rather to import overseas swimmers until such time as the standard of swimming in New Zealand has become appreciably nearer international standard.

As a result of the barbed wire fence having been cut in the four corners of a large paddock, cattle owned by Mr F. Mack (ex-chairman of the Learnington Town Board, Cambridge) were liberated one night last week. Mr Mack stated that he could only assume that the act was one of spite, because of the attitude he had taken recently when chairman of the board toward ratepayers who had not paid their water rates. He had been threatened previously. The damage to the fencing was so extensive as to require the services of two men for a full day to effect repairs.

The ingenuity and determined motive power, of rats was shown jn a Whangarei factory recently. A parcel containing two pounds of sugar was left on a platform on Saturday afternoon. When the operative to whom the parcel belonged arrived at work on the following Monday morning he found a trail of grains leading from the platform to a fairly large liple in the floor, and into which the marauders had disappeared with their booty. To reach their lair, the rodents had to manoeuvre round pieces of heavy machinery, which made their portage of such a bulk even more remarkable.

A photographic reproduction of a copy of the portrait of Lord Rutherford, of Nelson, painted by the English artist Oswald Birley, R.A V to the order of the Royal Society, has been presented by Mr S. P. Andrew to the Havelock primary school through the Picton branch of the Navy League. Mr Birley painted a copy of the portrait for Lord Bkdisloe, which he presented to the New Zealand National Art Gallery, and it is from this copy that the photographic reproduction has been made. Lord Rutherford received his primary education at Havelock, where he won a scholarship that took him to Nelson College in 1886.

“The unfortunate thing is that almost the only really modern ships at the naval review, namely the 10.0C0ton Washington cruisers, are little more than glorified sardine tins, having no armour and so being extremely vulnerable,” remarks a retired English naval officer (Admiral Sir Richard Webb), in a letter received recently by his brother (Mr Franklin Webb, of Morrinsville) (says the Auckland “Star”). Admiral Webb was an interested spectator at the naval review this year. The trouble was, he added, that the Americans would not give up big warships, and the 'French would not give up submarines, so Britain had to build both—although both were, he considered, useless from the point of view of Britain’s security. “It is all so mail and; so stupid,” he adds, “and it is impossible to see the end of this coming naval race in armaments.”

The consignment of 10,000 rainbow trout ova dispatched to Batavia from the Department of Internal Affairs’ hatchery at Tokaanu, Auckland, reached its destination in good condition, according to advice received! by Mr A. Kean, conservator of fish and game at Rotorua, from the consignee, Mr G. M. Miesegaes. The ova were carried in specially constructed containers at regulated temperatures to delay hatching. At Batavia about 8000 fry hatched from the consignment. This was the first shipment of trout ova from New Zealand to Java, and the success of the experiment has caused considerable satisfaction, especially as the ova were transhipped through Sydney.

The final meeting of those who promoted the Allenton carnival, and queen carnival was held last evening, Mr E. C. Bathurst presiding over a large attendance. The financial statement fshoaved tihat the functions had produced a. profit of £407 19s 9d. The chairman expressed thanks to all those who had assisted, and on behalf cf the committee made a presentation to Mrs J. IParkes (caretaker of the school) for the work she had done in connection with the carnival. Special mention was made of the work of the secretary (Mr O. H. Hardy), and of Mr J. Hunter who was assistant secretary in the later stages. At the close of the meeting a social was held, and community singing was indulged in. Items were given by Mesdames A. Black and J. Childs, and Misses Maisie Wilson, Shirley James and Betty Fowke. Miss J. Dunbier was aecompaniste. Supper was served, and the function ended with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.

A meeting in connection with the Hampstead School' Jubilee was held last evening, Mr F. Pritchard presiding. Mrs M. Keeley reported, that the School Committee had held several functions and was obtaining finance to assist the celebrations. Miss Hardy, on behalf of the Publicity Committee, stated that circulars would be sent out shortly to those old 1 pupils whose addresses had been obtained, asking for the names of old pupils. The secretary Qlr G . V. Fin by) stated that advertisements had been inserted in the principal papers in the Dominion and several replies had been received. The fact of the holding of the jubilee had been broadcast. The following suggested programme was drawn up:— Easter Saturday, 1 p.m., roll-call at the school; addresses, photographs; afternoon tea and cutting of jubilee cake; banquet. Easter Sunday, jubilee service in afternoon. Eiaster Monday, motor run round the district; sports at Domain in afternoon; dance in evening. Upon receipt of donations from old pupils a badge will be issued with the decade in which they attended the school. It was agreed to have the history of the school written up and an official programme included, with the names of former headasters and headmistresses.

The appearance of a pure white weka on the river bank in Waipu (says the “Northern Advocate”) has caused much interest in the district. This unusual bird appears to be quite at home and an effort is !>eing made to secure it as an interesting specimen for the Auckland Zoo.

Radio set owners in the Napier district have doubled in number during the past two years, according to figures supplied by the telegraph engineer at Napier. In 1933 the total number of radio licenses issued was 1130, and during the 12 months following the number increased to 1752. This year the figure has jumped to approximately 2400.

Arrangements are well in hand for the construction of the swimming bath at the Allenton School. A sum of £467 19s 9s has been raised as a result of a scries of functions held in the district, and it is anticipated that tenders for the work will be called this month. The excavation will probably be started this week. The bath will 33 1-3 yards long and 12 £ yards wide, Bft. 6ins at deep end, and 3ft. Gins at the shallow end.

The Ashburton County Ministers’ Fraternal met yesterday, when the president (the Ven. Archdeacon A. J. Petrie) presided. An interesting address on present-day paganism and its allied subjects was given by the president. There was a general discussion of no-license matters, and on Sunday observance. Resolutions on the latter subject were referred to the several churches.

A peace-time gas attack was carried out near 'Wanganui last week ? but no gas masks were used. The victims were rabbits, and their burrows, not being gas-proof, afforded them no shelter. Under the direction of the Department of Agriculture, a demonstration of the latest methods of warfare against rabbits was given. A special machine was used to pump the fumes of lignite coal into the rabbit warrens, all openings of which were blocked. The effectiveness of this method of destruction was shown when two rabbits, seeking one of the exits, were dead before they could reach the opening. This form of rabbit extermination is a cheap one, and is of value where the rodents burrow extensively.