LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 50, 10 December 1935, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Killing for the season commenced at the Fairfield Freezing Works tc-day.

A. grant c-f five guineas to the Ashburton iPlunket Society was made by the Borough Council last evening.

Work on the Allenton swimming baths started yesterday, when six men began excavating. It is hoped to finish the baths, which are in the school grounds, by the middle of February.

Building permits issued by the Ashburton Borough Council in the past two weeks were as follow: Sunporch £25, dwellings £570 and £6OO, public hall additions £750.

The threshing rates for the 1935-36 season in the area south of the Rakaia River have been announced. They are as follow:—Wheat and barley, sjd from stock and 5d from stack; oats, od from shook and 4£d from stack; grass seed, 33s an hour ; peas, 45s an hour; grain not running to 90 bushels, 45s an hour.■

On the recommendation of the Town Clerk, the Ashburton Borcugh Council last evening decided to close the municipal offices from 4 p.m. on December 24 till 9 a,m. on January 3, and to close the Public Library for the same period, with the exception that the lending department will be open for the usual hours on December 27.

A prominent farmer in the County to-day expressed fears regarding the effects of the granting of the Christmas bonus tc relief workers, so far as it will react on the engagement of labour for farm work. He said that the granting of five weeks’ pay for one week’s work would tend to; keep the men in town, and lie prophesied that farmers would experience great difficulty in engaging hands for seasonal work, especially during the harvest.

With the object of receiving objections to the Hampstead drainage scheme, the Ashburton Borough Council held a special meeting prior to its ordinary meeting last evening. Three letters were received from ratepayers but, as .they referred to the writers’ determination not to instal the system on their properties, they were not considered to be objections within the meaning of the invitation extended by the Couhcil, and it was decided to carry out the work as originally planned, as soon as the sanction of the Public Works Department is given to the plans.

It is fully agreed among conjurers that an audience of children is most exacting and relentless. An outstanding example of this was furnished by the large assemblage of children at the Wellington Town Hall, when members of the Magicians’ Society staged a performance for the health camp. One of the magicians, drawing to the conclusion of a series cf illusions, the presentation of which had been punctuated with applause, brought himself to an apparent contretemps from which he attempted to escape by deliberately misunderstanding clear wishes of the audience. Former friendliness quickly turned to hostility, and the “boos” would have done credit to a hostile election crowd. No stage “'villain” could have expected greater success than from this incident, and, of course, the magician had all along been in a position to produce the last laugh for himself, which lie. did when the joke had gone far enough.

The Ashburton Borough Council last evening decided to impose a penalty of 10 per cent, on all 1835-1936 rates unpaid after January 16.

Nurses from the Ashburton Public Hospital were collecting at the Ashburton saleyards this morning in aid of the hospital Christmas cheer fund.

Stock slaughtered at the Ashburton municipal abattoirs in November was as follows: Cattle 140, calves 11, sheep 752 (four condemned), lambs 47, pigs 54.

About 50 people attended the euchre party in aid of the Ashburton Silver Band on Saturday. Prizes were won by Mrs Ayton (women’s and women’s special), J. Collett (men’s), and Mrs Pearson (woman playing as man).

It is usual for meetings of the Borough Council just before Christmas to be allowed tq lapse, but the meeting following on December 23 of this year will be held and the meeting for January 6 will lapse.

Many farmers in town to-day were jubilant regarding the prospects ilcr the 1938 harvest. They state that the crops area looking particularly well at the present time, having reaped the benefit first?' cf the heavy rains, and now of the hot spell. It is stated that there should be heavy yields of grain throughout the County when harvest comes round.

As it has been unable to obtain a permit, because of meetings at two other Canterbury centres on the same day, the Ashburton Eieturned Soldiers’ Sports Club has had to abandon its plans for a sports meeting on the Domain Oval on New Year’s Day. Its reservation of the Oval for that day has been cancelled.

Permission to use the Domain oval for cricket matches was last evening granted to the Ashburton Cricket Association by the Domain Board, as follows:—December 16, match against a Christchurch team; January 1 and 2, against South Canterbury. The Waimairi Farmers’ Union was granted permission to hold a picnic in the Domain early in January. This party is seeking permission to inspect secondary industry premises during its visit.' The West Melton School wrote that its picnic, orginaliy set down for next Saturday, had been postponed till February.

“It is absurd to bring a charge such as this,” said the magistrate (Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) in the Dunedin Police Court when dismissing a case against a man, who was charged with being an unlicensed motor driver. A traffic inspector told the court that the defendant had driven the car.for about two blocks for the owner, who was in the back seat. intoxicated. After he was stopped by the inspector, lie drove the ear,. at the later’s request, at a slow pace to the South 1 Dunedin Police Station. After commenting on the absurdity of bringing a charge in. such circumstances, the magistrate said they might as well charge the inspector with being an accessory.

Many complaints were made last week regarding a thick film of tar on the Taruheru stiver, and boat owners particularly took exception to the water being fouled by a substance which,' they declared, would quickly remove paint from their boats. Many boat owners had just launched their craft after an overhaul, and after being on the tarry water much of the repainting work lias suffered. Also, those who used the river for swimming found the film most unpleasant, and even many bathing at Waikanae Beach spoke of a nasty taste in the water. A similar complaint cf a tarry filip on the water was made about a year ago.

A meeting cf the executive of the Ashburton branch of the Labour Party was held on Saturday evening, when Mr H. E. Herring, M.P., attended. Complimentary speeches were made in connection with the work given by Mr Herring’s supporters during the election campaign. The meeting was unanimous in the opinion that Mr Herring had presented an effective case for the Labour Party. It thanked Mi' Herring for his successful effort. Mr Herring said be did not want to take all the credit given him by the meeting, but would take that opportunity of thanking the president, secretary and committeemen for the good work done on his behalf. It was suggested that a victory ball should be held.

The increase in solar activity is revealed by the presence on the sun of an enormous group of sunspots, extending across one-sixth- of the apparent diameter of the disc, or roughly 150,000 miles, as measured at an Auckland observatory last week. The 24 spots which make up the group are clustered in three condensations of spots, all of which, (says the New Zealand Herald”) are visible to the eye without telescopic' aid if the sun is viewed through smoked of coloured glass. The largest individual sunspot has a diameter of 8000 miles, about the size of the earth, and the spots is surrounded by a penumbral shading over 20,000 miles in diameter. There are several other smaller spots, while more than half the total number are large. With-the growth of solar spotedness such groups will become increasingly common, but following, so soon after the solar minimum, which occurred in the winter of 1933 the present group is cne of the finest that has been witnessed for some years.

The fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Timvald Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F., was held last evening, P.G. Bro. T. W. Lowery presiding. Five members were reported on the sick list, for whom £s"los allowance was made. Alter receiving correspondence from the Ashburton organiser cf the health stamp campaign it was decided to purchase 10s worth of health stamps. An invitation to be represented at the twenty-fith anniversary ball of the Loyal Hinds Lodge was accepted. A copy of the Friendly Societies’ agreement of the Ashburton Hospital Board was received. Bro. C. A. Houston reported on the church parade of the Loyal Hinds Lodge last Sunday, and Bro. M. G. Hampton on the visit of the Hakaia Lodge. The following officers were installed by P.D.G.M. Bro. &\ CulverhouseN.G., Bro. M. G. Hampton; V.G., Bro. R. S. Hark ft css; E.S., Bro. J. Crosson. The following appointments were made:—Warden, Bro. S. Culvcvhouse; Guardian, Bro. J. W. Lowery; R.S. to N.G., lire. F. Harper; L.S. to N.G., Bro. L. S. Millar: L.S. to V.G., Bro. A. E. Tate; R.S. to V.G., Bro. C. A. Houston. Past Grands Bros. Donaldson and Patterson, of the Loyal Ashburton Lodge, assisted with the installation of officers. One proposal of membership was received.

The usual fees of 10s for ordinary dogs and 2s 6d for sheep dogs were fixed by the Ashburton Borough Council last evening for the coining year. .Motor drivers’ licenses are still being issued in Ashburton, though the motoring year is half gone. In the past two 1 weeks, thirteen licenses were issued. Nineteen building permits, for work estimated to cost £6427, and including nine new houses, were issued by the Hamilton Borc-ugh Council last month. A similar number of permits was issued in November last year, when the work proposed to he done was valued at £5305. Two tenders for additional construction work at the Ashburton municipal abattoirs were received by the Borough Council some time ago, but were rejected because they were considered to be too high. Last evening, the Council decided to call fresh tenders for the work. To have met the coolest of the many cyclists, who, without lights make ■ a habit of dodging inspectors, is the claim of a. Hamilton East motorist. He told how ho had been passed by a cyclist who had swung' immediately in front, and then, when the ear had eased up, came out to the right to observe: “Hey, mister, what’s your top speed, 10 miles an hour?” , Passengers on the Limited Express had no opportunity to obtain refeshments at the Frankton railway station the other night. The crowd that packed the station platform to welcome Mr M. J. Savage made it almost impossible for passengers to alight from or board the -train, and it was not until Mr Savage asked the gathering to make way for passengers that they did so. To guard against damage to its courts during the hot season, the Ashburton Lawn Tennis Club has decided to install a. small electric pump to take water from one cf the Domain ponds to its courts, augmenting t’«- supply already available. Writing to the Domain Board last evening, the club sought permission to place the pump near the tank stand at the water wheel. Permission was granted.

Mr E. Cholerton, of Messrs J. It. Procter, Ltd., Christchurch, arrived in Ashburton this evening, and may be consulted on all defects of eyesight at the Somerset Hotel to-morrow, Thursday, and Friday.—(A’dvt.)