LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 96, 4 February 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stock slaughtered at the Ashburton Municipal Abattoir in January was as follows:— Cattle 166 (2 condemned , calves 12, sheep 909 (1 condemned, lambs 106 and pigs 63. A motion of congratulation to the Venerable Archdeacon A.. J. Re true was carried at the annual meeting ot the Ashburton Ministers’ Association yesterday, on 11: e forward step m the establishment of the St. Raul’s Anglican Church at Fairtcn, of which Mr iPetric is the vicar. The number of driver’s licenses issued by the Ashburton Borough Council this year makes a record, the total being 925. The previous highest total for a year was 916, in the 1931-32 period. There are still three months of the present year to go.

A note of confidence in the future of Napier is apparent in the abnormal amount of building activity, as far as private dwellings are concerned, which lias continued more or less consistently over the five years since the earthquake in February, 1931. During the whole of that period no fewer than 173 new residences have been erected in Napier, and this number will be increased very substantially in the near future with the further development of the 475aere block. 'The peak period in the matter of home construction occurred in 1933-34, when no fewer than 62 dwellings were erected, while in 193435 the total was 16.

“It would make you sick to see them, and a little water would have saved them,” said Mr E. Buchanan at the meeting of the Ashburton Domain Board last evening when complaining that certain shrubs and plants had been allowed to wither, “I will never give anything more to the Domain. People have said that they had trees and, shrubs they might have given to the Domain, but after seeing what happened to ether plants there they have said they would sooner burn them than give them.” Mr Buchanan also complained of the way in which rustic work was deteriorating, and added: “The Domain is drifting. The Curator might have too much to do at times; I don’t know, hut it is a matter of neglect.”

J “The Town Clerk, Wakanui, New Zealand,” was the address on an envelope Avliich has reached the clerk to the Wakanui Road Board. The writer of the letter recently made a tour of New Zealand.

One of the Union Airways passenger ’planes flew over Ashburton at 11.30 o’clock this morning, and many people were given their first view of a modern air-liner. This is the second time a four-engined ’plane has flown over Ashburton, the first time being at dawn on January 1.

Tenders for the installation of the drainage scheme in the Hampstead area will close at noon next Monday, and as the Borough Council’s next meeting does net fall till a week later, the council Inst evening decided to hold a special meeting at ;5 o’clock on Monday to deal with the tenders.

The preliminary work in the construction of a timber mill at the mouth of the Big Wanganui Riyer, South Westland, has been almost completed,, and active operations will commence shortly. Thirty-five men are now employed at the mill, including 12 married men. * The estimated daily output will be 20,000 feet.

Permission to place a pipe in the water-race on Winters Road for the purposes of obtaining water for his garden was granted to a resident by the Borough Council last evening. To guard against too great a loss of water in the event of other residents in that locality also installing electric pumps connected with the race, the Council imposed a restriction, limiting the size of the pipe to one inch.

A woman and a child had a miraculous escape from serious injury at Blenheim when several pieces of concrete plaster came crashing down without a.ny warning from a gable on the post office building a short distance away from the posting boxes. Apparently loosened by the recent rain, the pieces fell between the woman and the child, and it was remarkable that, neither was struck. The lumps of plaster must have weighed ;i couple of pounds apiece and fell between 30 and 40 feet.

Remarkable activity in building, particularly in respect to the erection of new dwellings has been maintained in Hastings during the 10 months of the municipal year. Permits for 13 dwellings costing £8913 were issued in January (says a Press Association telegram), making a total of 81 for the 10 months). The value of all buildings rose from £9077 to £118,806, in comparison with the equivalent previous period.

Court Ashburton, A.0.F., met last evening, the C.R. (Bor. R. B. Barnett) presiding. Six members were reported on the sick list and sick pay amounting to £o 13s 4d was passed for payment. B'ro. R. W. Crowther was nominated for District Beadle. Bros. W. H. Amos, J\ \V. and J. E. Meaclem were appointed delegates to the district meeting. It was decided to invite Court Pride of Ashburton, A.O.F. Juvenile, to'a social evening on February 17. One candidate was proposed and accepted for membership.

Reporting to the meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council last evening, the Town Clerk (Mr W. Patterson) stated that the Government proclamation in regard to the taking of land near the Library for the purpose of building a new Courthouse had been announced, but as nothing had been said about the present Courthouse site, which will be taken over bv the council, lie bad written to the Department of Justice to ascertain the position.

One hundred pchutukawa trees were brought Imrk to Napier hv Mr C. E. Pfeifer, who lias been spending a hoilday in the Bay of Plenty district. The trees are to be planted when ready at Westshore and Waipatiki, and should add greatly to the beauty of Westshore Beach in a short time. At present, the trees, which are from the Coromandel district, are only a few inches in height, but they have been gathered at the right age, and should flourish if properly eared for.

An application for a band contest in Ashburton in October this year will be made to the Canterbury Provincial Bands’ Association on Friday, according to a decision at a meeting of the Ashburton Silver Band Committee last evening. It is hoped that, if the provincial contest is held here, local interest in band music will be stimulated. The provincial contest was last held in Ashburton in 1932. The application will be made at the meeting of the provincial association by two delegates from Ashburton.

In February cf each year parties of Maoris from various parts of Wairarapa including contingents from Masterton, pay a visit to Lake Wairarapa, to obtain supplies of a certain species of eel, which is considered a particular delicacy. These eels are about a foot long, and apparently are sea-run, coming into the lake with the tide. They arrive in thousands, and are captured either in specially-constructed nets or in a'specially constructed channel, into which they are carefully driven, and then hauled out. The eels are preserved, and large numbers are taken back to the pas and meeting houses.

In order to prevent bicycle riding over the Wills Street railway ramp, the Stationmaster (Mr G. H. Chambers) has written to the police asking for their co-operation. Offenders may be prosecuted under paragraph 42, section 3, of the New Zealand Bailway ByLaws. gazetted in 1930, which reads:— No person shall ride or attempt to ride any bicycle or motor-cycle in, through or upon any subway, footpath, or footbridge on the railway, where there shall be displayed a notice directing that such subway, footbridge or footpath shall be used for pedestrian traffic onlv.

A steamer which since the beginning of the century has been well-known on the New Zealand ccast, the Ngaio formerly the Mapourika —will shortly end her career, as have many fine ships of former days as scrap iron for Japan, states the “New Zealand Herald.” The vessel which was sold last year by the Anchor Shipping and Foundry Company to F. E, Jackson and Company, Limited, of Auckland, operating for a Japanese firm, has for some time been lying on a mud flat in Nelson Harbour. Built at Dumbarton in 1898 for the Union Steam Ship Company, the Ngaio then the Mapourika, was in her day one of the best passenger steakers in the New Zealand coastal service. She had accommodation for 184 passengers, and the appointments in the social hall, saloon and smoking rcom were the equal of those in any vessel trading to New Zealand.

A suggestion that the council should purchase, at a cost of £l9 10s, a road marker was made by.the Borough Inspector last evening, and the question was referred to the By-laws Committee for a report.

A relief express passed through Ashburton at 1 o’clock this afternoon. It was run for the convenience of passengers on the inter-island steamer Maori, which failed to connect with the morning express at Lyttelton.

Eight tenders for the painting and signwriting of the ,50 parking-place indicators in Ashburton were received by the Borough, Council last evening, and that of Messrs Lumas and McCormick, at £8 15s, was accepted.

The Loyal Tinwald Ledge, M.U.1.0.0. F., met last evening, the P.G. (Bro. S. Culverhouse) presiding. It was reported that four members were on the sick funds, and, pay amounting to £5 was passed in their favour. A copy of the amendment to the general rule relating to clearances was received from the District Secretary. One proposal for membership was received.

Sixty horses, on their way to the mounted rifles’ camp at Staveley next week, will reach Ashburton from the north on Friday of that week, and will be held here for several hours before being trucked to their destination. The Borough Council last evening granted permission to the Defence Department to hold the horses in a paddock on the north-east corner of the Domain.

With the conclusion of the school holidays, trains began running to-day to the normal time-table. According to this the 6 o’clock train will arrive from Dunedin- daily, except Monday, the 3.30 train will run from Dunedin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the 10 o’clock express from Christchurch will run daily as usual, and there will be an afternoon express from Christchurch on Wednesday and Friday. Two, expresses each way have been running daily during the holidays, and sometimes more trains than these have been necessary to cope with the traffic.

Complaint that certain conditions in connection with a- new building in Havelock Street were not being complied with was made to the Ashburton Borough Council last evening by the Borough Inspector (Mr J. It. Richardson). He asked permission to cancel the building permit if these irregularities were., continued. After a long discussion in committee the council announced that it had decided to bring under the notice of the owner of the building the irregularities mentioned in the Inspector’s report.

Covering the distance from New Plymouth to Auckland in lhr 20min, Mr R. G. Tappenden made a particular fast, flight recently in a racing Moth aeroplane which was owned by Lieutenant H. R. Kidston before the latter left New Zealand last year. Mr Tappenden flew to- Wellington by the direct route across the middle of the island in 3hr lOmin. The return journey from Wellington to New Plymouth, the following afternoon, took 2hr smin. The weather fine on both days, but some head winds were experienced. Mr E. Bellam accompanied Mr Tappenden.

Advice has been received by the Mavor (Mr W. H. Woods) from Mr H. E. Herring, M.P., to the effect that the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) will recommence his South Island tour shortly and will endeavour to interview the consulting engineer for the Hampstead drainage scheme and view the locality, some time between next Friday arid the following Wednesday, probably on the latter day. The start of the work, for which a, loan of over £12,000 has been authorised, has been delayed by objections made by the Public Works Department to some of the for the installation.

A pig-shocting expedition to the Matawai district recently by a party of four from Gisborne had an unfortunate sequel both for the sportsmen and the station owner. The men obtained permission from the runholder to shoot over his property, and when asked if they knew anything about pig hunting the spokesman replied that one of the party did. They were then directed to walk up a valiey where they might find, some wild pigs. Half an hour later the farmer heard four shots and thought he would follow and see what luck the sportsmen were having. When he rounded a spur lie found that the objects of the party’s shots had been his pedigree boar, breeding sow, and two baconers. An arrangement satisfactory to both parties was then made.