LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 18, 2 November 1935, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

White, butterflies are on the move again and several have been seen m the town area. One caught in Hawlock Street was brought into tne “Guardian” office this week and otheis have been reported by residents in several parts of the Borough.

Although past their best, the azalea bushes growing around the flag-poles in Baring Square West have been muc i refreshed by the recent rain and are still making a gay show. lhe boshes are small, but when in bloom aie a mass of delicately-tinted flowers.

After a doctor giving evidence in the Supreme Court at Wellington had stated that he was a, specialist in certain branches of medical work, counsel asked him if it was not a fact that he had the highest qualifications for the class of work he did of any practitionei in New Zealand. “Don’t ask him that,” suggested Mr Justice Blair. “It is too embarrassing for the doctor. Ask somebody else the question.” The doctor seemed to be obliged to his Honor.

Bates owing to the Ashburton County Council for the current year and for previous periods are coming to. hand and the position of the accounts yesterday was as follows: For current year— Amount levied, £29,270 11s sd; paid to date, £2,040 4s lOd (9 per cent.) ance outstanding, £26,630 6s 7d (91 per cent). Arrears—Outstanding on April 1, 1935, £1,925; paid to date, £575 (29.7 per cent.); balance outstanding, £lj*&so (70.3 per cent).

A Press Association message from (Dunedin states that as a result of a visit by detectives to premises in Stafford Street last evening a Chinese appeared' before Mr H. Bundle, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, and was fined £l2 10s for smoking prepared opium. When surprised by detectives the man was lying on a bunk in a shed at the rear of the premises. A warm pipe and other smoking paraphernalia were found.

An Auckland Press Association telegram states that the rescue cf a child from drowning off Cheltenham beach on January 31 last is recalled by the award of a silver cross for gallantry, which has been announced by the Governor-General (Viscount Galway) to Charles John Cook, aged 14, a pupil of the Hamilton Technical School. The boy was responsible for saving Bruce Bennie, aged six, son of Boy V. Bennie, of. Taumarunui, who was drowned when a dinghy capsized off the beach.

Two cases of tuberculosis were notified in Ashburton Borough this''week. There were no cases of notifiable disease in Ashburton County.

The Rose Day street collection by the Wellington Returned Soldiers’ Association to-day realised £470, compared with £372 last year (says a Press Association telegram).

The placing of the huge steel girders on the piles of the new railway bridge over the Ashburton River lias been completed. The first of the girders reached Ashburton about two- weeks ago; Half the job had -been completed' last Saturday and a smart piece of work has been carried out in the bolting down of such heavy pieces in so short a time.

The Ashburton branch of the Plunket Society met yesterday afternoon, the president (Mrs F. W. Seldon) presiding over a good attendance. The nurses’ report indicated that 62 visits had been paid to homes in the town and 509 to the rooms. In the country the figures were 78 and 231 respectively. The car mileage totalled 115 miles in the town and 643 miles in the country, a total of 758. The president reported on the recent biennial conference of the society held in Wellington.

A doctor sprang a surprise on the Supreme Court at Wellington on Thursday. He had given evidence about a man’s injury, and 1 was asked by Mr Justice Blair, for the benefit of the jury, to point to what had happened. The doctor, bent down in the witnessbox and produced an attache case. This he unlatched in quick time. “I have a skull here, your Honor,” he said quietly, holding up at the same time the grisly object to full vieiv. The jury had not expected this, and were taken somewhat by surprise.

A tour of New r Zealand to collect material for a short story about life in the Dominion is to be made by the American author, Albert Wetjen, who arrived at Auckland by the Lurline. He was accompanied by Airs Wetjen. After spending a month visiting various parts of the Dominion, Air Wetjen will leave for Australia, where he will remain five weeks collecting material on different aspects of Australian life. His books include “Captains All,” “Way for a Sailor,” “Youth Walks on the Highway,” and “Fiddlers’ Green.” He is a contributor to magazines in England, the United States and Australia.

Residents in Ashburton eligible to vote at the forthcoming General Election, but who are not yet on the electoral roll, will have their final opportunity to enrol on Monday. The main roll for the Mid-Canterbury electorate closed some time ago with 9365 names, and up to noon to-day there were 1700 names on the supplementary list, Avhich will close at 6 p.m. on Monday. Residents who have fulfilled, or will fulfil on Alonday, the residential qualification of three months, or who have reached the age of 21 by Alonday, are eligible for enrolment. The supplementary list at the last" election contained 884 names:

Little interest was shown by members of the Southland Proyincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union yesterday in Air W. Hinchey’s suggestion that the executive might discuss the advisability of having two Parliaments in New Zealand, one in the North Island and one in the South, thus providing more equitable treatment for this part of the Dominion (says a Press Association message from Invercargill). “I think we should leave Air Hinchey to fight his own battles. There is far too much politics in this for the union,” said one member. “Now that Mr Hinchey is a candidate for Parliamentary honours it alters matters,” said Air J. Lynch, and the question was given no further consideration.

Yesterday marked the festival of All Saints, which has been observed in the Western Church on November 1 ever (since Pope Gregory the Great fixed the date in the eighth century. In the Middle Ages the feast was known as All Hallows, or Hallowmas. The eve or vigil of Hallowmas was supposed to be the one night of the year on which ghosts and witches were free to wander —doubtless an inheritance from the Celtic or Druidical festival which the Christian feast supplanted. It was regarded as a night of jollity, and was celebrated with fireside revels. The observance has survived best in Scotland, and Burns gives a picturesque description of “bobbing for apples” and other Hallowe’en games.

The remarks by Mr A. E. Hefford (Government inspector of fisheries) about the commercial value of eel skins for tanning were commented upon by a Kaikoura resident, who displayed to a “Marlborough Express” representative a piece of conger eel skin wliich he had prepared. The sample was about 2ft long and lOin wide, and the under side was white, the outside of the skin being a. light blue. The skin was exceedingly strong and durable, and the opinion was expressed that the skins properly treated would 1 be suitable for manufacture of women’s light shoes, purses and similar articles. The deepsea conger eel, which grows to a great size, is plentiful in Kaikoura waters, and the skin would make a gcod-sized pelt. The fish are caught during the summer off the rocks by persons fishing for butter fish.

The remarks made by Mr R. Holland, a member of the Wellington Hospital Board, at a meeting in reference to the resignation of Dr. T. F. Corkill from the honorary staff of the hospital, have drawn a protest from the honorary staff generally. Mr Holland referred to what he described as “the impertinent way in which Dr. Corkill has dared to criticise the board,” and added that “because Dr. Corkill disagrees with the board lie proposes to let sick and injured children suffer by of his services.” At a meeting of the honorary staff held yesterday, 34 members attending, it was unanimously resolved to forward the following memorandum to the board: —'“The members of the visiting staff of the Wellington Hospital wish to record their most emphatic pretest and resentment at the published remarks of a member of the board in dealing with the resignation of Dr. T. F. Corkill. The staff has the utmost confidence that the action taken by Dr. Corkill was based on the highest and most honourable motives and a strict sense of duty. That he should be charged with petty meanness, self-seek-ing and a breach of professional ethics is an. affront to the' whole staff. Such remarks made in reference td a physician so highly respected by the laity and by the medical profession throughout the Dominion do no credit to whoever makes them. In addition the staff is of the opinion that there were considerable valid grounds for Dr. Corkill’s criticism of certain recent actions of members of the board.”

On account of race week in Christchurch the following week, a “double” stock market will be held at the Ashburton saleyards on Tuesday. The next market will take place at the Tinwald yards on November 19. '

New Zealand University degree examinations commenced in- ’Ashburton yesterday, and will continue until November 21. They are being held in Miss AlcKee’s Schoolroom, and a number of Ashburton candidates are sitting for the various subjects. Miss J. Coward is the supervisor.

The lake-bed at Tangoio (Hawke’s Bay), which was raised in the 1931 earthquake and has since been drying out, is this year being ploughed and cropped. The most of the land is in the hands of the Maoris, who are just now very busy planting maize, kumeras and potatoes. Altogether about 150 acres was made available by the earthquake, and about half of this area is being cropped this year. A “Hawke’s Bay Herald” reporter was told that the Alaoris are planting more potatoes in the Tangoio district this year than ever previously.

Arrangements have been completed for an immediate start at the Milson aerodrome with the building of the largest commercial aviation hangar in Newt Zealand for Union Airways, Ltd., at a cost of £14,000, the successful tenderers being Bodell and Company, of Palmerston North (says a Press Association telegram from Palmerston North). Next week construction should be under way, as Union Airways are anxious to begin the Palmerston North-Dunedin trunk service, for the inauguration of which de Havilland air liners are to arrive next week. The levelling and 1 clearing of the hangar site are being expedited. One hundred and seventy-five men are engaged.

The yacht Igdrasil, which has reached Auckland after an 18 months’ voyage from Florida, hears a name famous in Scandinavian mythology. Igdrasil, or, as it is more usually spelt, Yggdrasil, is the mystical ash tree which symbolises existence and binds together earth, heaven, and hell. It is' the tree of life, of knowledge, of fate, of time, and of space. Its roots go down into the three great realms—the realm of death, where, in the w’ell of Hfergelmer, the dragon Nidhug and his brood are ever gnawing at it; the realm of the giants, where, in the fountain of Mimir, is the source of wisdom, for which Wotan bartered one of his eyes; and the realm gods, Asgrad, where, at the sacred fountain of Urd, is the divine tribunal and the dwelling place of the Fates. The stem of Yggdrasil upholds the earth, and its branches overshadow the world and reach Up beyond the heavens. On its topmost bough sits an eagle, between whom and Nidhug (the squirrel) Rntatoskr runs to and fro trying to provoke strife. Honeydew falls from the tree.