LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 70, 4 January 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There were no notifications of infectious diseases in the Ashburton Borough or County this week.

Two engines were required to draw the 16 carriages and three vans on the south express this morning. A relie express was also well pationised.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the death of Archbishop Redwood, and Solemn Requiem Mass was held in St. Mary of the Angels, W elll "§f, on ' The celebrant was Archbishop O oliea (says a Press Association telegram).

No compunctions about committing an act of false pretences are borne by a Hamilton motorist who trave.led from Auckland recently. Forced almost off the road at a bridge near Mercer by a speeding motorist, lie stopped Ins car and whistled the other driver to a standstill. Notebook and pencil n\ hand he solemnly warned the driver that anything he said might be used m evidence against him and took full particulars of his name and address. As a Parthian shot the bogue inspector suggested that it might be well it the driver called in at the nearest police station and made a statement. Not only in the value of buildings, but also in the number of pfrmits. used, the building programme commenced and largely carried cut in the year just ended in Wellington showed an increase over either of the previous two years (says a Press Association telegram). The value of buildings for which permits were issued was £‘647,155, an increase of £178,473 over the figures for 1934, and £229,801 over 1933. The number of permits issued was 1144, which was 393 in excess of and 433 in excess of 1933.

One of the rod headlights, of the kind which have been fitted to all Wanganui fire engines, received its first proper tryout the other night, when a machine from the Central Station was required to attend a rubbish fire at Castleelifl. The engine left the station after dark and the brigadesmen were afforded an excellent opportunity of observing the red light’s effect on motorists. At the time many cars were returning Irom the beach and in every case the drivers pulled well to the side of the road and gave tiie fire engine the light of way. ft will he recalled that the Wanganui fire engines were the first in New Zealand to adopt this device. The red light has the advantage of warning motorists that a fire engine is approaching, in addition to which it serves as a warning when, through necessity, a fire engine is parked on the wrong side of the road.

Visitors to Lauriston and Barrhill on New Year’s Day report having seen swarms cf white butterflies in that district. The butterflies had evidently just arrived, as there were no reports cf their having attacked vegetation.

The Springburn branch line train will run for three days a- week from Monday in order to cope with extra traffic due to the opening cf the freezing works. The train has been running on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the extra running will be made on Mondays.

Surprise lias been expressed at the lack of offers for cocksfoot cutting rights to the Ashburton County Council! Onlya few offers for a .very small amount have been received. Members of the council have expressed the opinion that men could make very goed wages harvesting the cocksfoot.

Two ears collided at the intersection of Cass and Grey streets at about 6 p.m. on Thursday. No one was injured. One of the cars, driven by Mr G. T. Clarke, of 226 William Street, had a mudguard bent, while a side and wheel of an attached trailer were broken off. The other car, driven by Mr G. W. M. Frew, of 36 Cox Street, was extensively damaged.

Evidence of the manner in which news travel is given by the fact of the proposal to undertake irrigation work in the Ashburton County having come under the notice of a man in British Columbia, who has written to the County Clerk (Mr G. Kelly) offering his services as superintendent of irrigation in this district. The works, however, are net far enough advanced for consideration of the irrigation staff requirements.

Thoughts of being compelled to spend part of'Christmas Eve hi plucking poultry for the next day’s dinner evidently held no place in the mind of a passenger on one of the lerrv boats to Bayswater (states the “New Zealand Herald”). He had a large turkey when lie walked on board the boat, but the bird did not live to see the other side of the harbour. The owner killed it not long after the boat had left the wharf, and then calmly proceeded to pluck it. A trail of feathers marked the progress of the boat across the harbour.

Retailers in Invercargill laid in large stocks of bread for Thursday of last week i7Tanticipation of large orders after Christmas, but these were not forthcoming, and a good deal was left on their bauds. This must have had some influence on them this week, for they did not have a great many loaves ill extra, supply to provide for the demand after Tvew Year’s Day. The public acted differently, however, and by mid-day on Thursday most cf those shops which were open were running very short of bread.

The tariff imposed by England on cattle from the Irish FVee State, which is also payable on cattle going irom the Free State to Northern 'lreland, leads to a considerable amount of smuggling, according to Mr T. Ritchie, of Scotland, who lias spent some time in Ireland and is visiting New Zealand to study agricultural conditions. He states that cattle are frequently smuggled from the Free State into Ulster, though heavy fines are imposed when offenders are caught. One man was given the option of a fine of £IIOOO or six months imprisonment. He chose to be imprisoned, leaving his sons to carry on the work.

When a little band of philanthropists from the town of Kaitaia were visiting a remote settlement recently for the purpose of distributing Christmas gifts to children, one of the party improved the occasion by delivering an address in which the meaning of Christmas was explained. At one stage, when referring to Bethlehem, the children were asked if they knew what a village was. The answer came quickly enough from one youngster, who, to the confusion of the speaker and the amusement of all, gave it as his poinion that Kaitaia was a village.

During investigation into the possibility of expanding the tea industry of India and Ceylon, Mr G. Hluxley, of London, paid a short visit to Auckland on his way to Australia. Mr Huxley said he had been occupied lately in an endeavour to persuade the people of Canada and the United States to drink more tea, and was now on his way to Australia to do the same “there. At the moment, he said, New Zealanders were drinking a lot of tea, and he did not have to worry about the Dominion. It was generally thought, he continued, that New Zealand per head of population consumed more tea than any other country in the world. That was not so. England headed the list, with New Zealand occupying second place.

“On the list of thankless jobs that of school committeemen must rank high,” remarked Mr E. W. Massey, when responding on behalf of the staff of the Morrinsville District High School to a vote of thanks by acclamation called for by the chairman of the committee, Mr J. H. Gaddes. It was a regrettable fact that many people took the work of school committees for granted, and did not appreciate the time devoted voluntarily to the task by members in co-operating with teachers in the efficient running of schools. The Morrinsville teachers appreciated the manner in which representatives of the committee had always attended school sports and social functions and given a helping hand.

The announcement from London concerning the death of Major A. T. White, of the Imperial Army Service Corps, who for a short period in Egypt and Gallipoli was a member of General Birdwood’s staff, stated that this officer had coined the word “Anzac.” Another version of 1 he- r after (says the “Otago Daily Times”) states that the circumstances iu which the word was coined were that on the formation of the Army Corps the need arose for a telegraphic code address, and the clerical staff of corps headquarters was asked to make suggestions. The question of a code address being referred to the clerical section, all hand" proceeded to concentrate upon eved'dii some appropriate word for the eer bination of the words Australia and Now Zealand, and various suggestion; were offered, but they were mostly awkward makeshifts. However, one of the clerks, a New Zealander, hit upon the idea of combining the initial letters of the designation of the corps—Ausn alian and New Zealand Army Corps—io produce the word “Anzae.” This was'submitted to Lieutenant White, who handed it on to the late Major Wagstaff, general staff officer, who had the name approved and officially adopted. The late Major White did not suggest the word, and, in fact, left tht n.c.o.’s to wrestle with the job of providing the code word. His part in the discovery of the word was to receive it from the New Zealand clerk and hand it on with the suggestion that it would be suitable.

Two hundred and fifty relief workers in Ashburton will be employed under the No. 5 scheme next week. One hundred and seventy-six men will draw the sustenance payment.

The condition of Mr R. Law, of Highbank, who, was admitted to the Ashburton Public Hospital on Thursday after a fall from a motor-truck at Metliven, was reported this afternoon to be still serious.

A total of 3,792,000- gallons of water was consumed in Ashburton from December 24 to December • 31, but the high-pressure water system has not been seriously taxed over the holidays. The highest reading in this period was 677,000 gallons on December 29.

Brother O’Connor (Rector of St. Kevin’s College, Oamaru) reports that the winner of the Hart Scholarship is Cyril Siegert, of Fairlie, and that the Redcastle Scholarship is divided between James Barry, of Westport, and Janies Norris, of Rotorua, who gained equal marks. These scholarships are tenable for three years at St. Kevin’s College, Oamaru, and are each valued at 60 guineas a year.

With the object of releasing men for harvesting, the Ashburton County Council has decided to cease the employment of relief workers under the No. -5 scheme from January 11 until harvest is finished. With the heavy crops of oats and wheat which are general it is anticipated that there will be ample work available to keep the men employed at good wages for some weeks. Road employees and teamsters will also be released for the same purpose.

A Press Association telegram from Wanganui states that the last three full days’ work and play for the seventh Dominion Esperanto Congress ended on Thursday morning. The session was the annual meeting of the New Zealand section of the Universala Esperanto Associo, conducted entirely in Esperanto. The afternoon was a lecturette session, with four quarter-hour talks on subjects illustrating the applicability of the language. On the previous evening two plays were translated into Esperanto, not only as an entertainment, but as a demonstration of hew the language can be used for social purposes.

One of those incidents that do much to destroy faith in human nature occurred at Paeroa during the holidays, when a motor car broke clown in the town and the driver sought assistance at a service station. A mechanic who was brought from his home discovered that the ignition coil had been burned out and that it would have to be replaced. Accordingly the car was towed to the motor camp site, and the tourist was pitching his tent when the mechanic left to telephone to Auckland for a new coil. The warehouseman was located at a suburb and was persuaded to motor into the city and put the new part on a service car. The mechanic met the service car and went to the motor camp to fit the new coil, but learned from other campers that the disabled car had been towed away to Matamata abouc half an hour after it arrived. The mechanic’s opinion of touring motorists will not be improved in the months to come when he sees the coil lor this “orphan” car lying on the shelf.