LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 99, 7 February 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Signs prohibiting the lighting of fires, and directing campers to use the cookhouses, have been erected at W akanui and Hakatere Beaches.

Ashburton is net the only place where urgent warning against the starting of grass fires is inadp,. hut m Sydney the authorities have gone a step further. A letter received in Ashburton to-day bore on the envelope the slogan, “Prevent Bush Fires. ’ ,

“On three occasions during January and in different parts of the County the petrol lockers of grader operators have been broken open and petrol stolen. The thefts have been reported to the Police authorities, but so far no burglars have been apprehended, reported the engineer (Mr H. A. Vezoy) to the Ashburton County Council to-day.

On a charge of being an idle and disorderly person, in that lie had insufficient lawful means of support, George Henry Hunt, a youth, appeared before Mr 11. Kerr, J.P., in the Ashburton Police Court this morning. Sergeant L. T. Moore asked for a remand for eight days to enable defendant to be sent to> Christchurch for medical observation. The Sergeant added that since April of last year there had been several complaints regarding a Peeping Tom. It had been suggested that defendant was responsible. hut whether that was so or not he could not say. The remand was granted.

A portable booking offico for the convenience of passengers arriving at Auckland by overseas and intercolonial steamers has been constructed by the Railway Department and was used for the first time upon the arrival of the Niagara from Sydney on Monday morning. Tiie office, which is mounted on wheels, will lie moved from whnif to wharf as required. Four officers will be in attendance, and their duties will include the issuing of rail tickets, the hooking of seats and sleeping berths, and the checking and storing of luggage. A similar office lias been in use in Wellington for some time and the facilities is provides have oio.r appreciated by the travelling public.

Tenders have been c-alled for sealing 143 chains of the Winchmore section of the Ashburton-Alethven highway. This is the section recently reworkiructed between the Winchmore Church and Winchmore Hall. Approval for the wqrk has been given by the Alain Highways’ Board on condition that the Board is not asked to make payment before March 31. To avoid another year’s maintenance and to retain the existing excellent crust it was recommendetf to the Ashburton County Council to ?day, that should the tenders be satisfactory, the work be proceeded with. As yet the council’s action in accepting the tender of British Pavements (Canterbury) Ltd. for the second coat sealing has not been approved by the Highways Board. With the approach of cooler weather the delav' is becoming serious.

The recommended increase in wages for each class of workman employed by the Ashburton County Council, together with the shares of the Council and the Highways Board, was placed before the meeting of the council today.

The loading bank at the Ashburton saleyards has Tbcen completed and is working satisfactorily. The structure is a few inches too high, but this will be rectified when the approach has been shingled.

Emphasis on the necessity for warning notices to be placed .along the banks of rivers or streams into which sewers How was laid at tho half-yearly meeting of the North Island (N.Z.) Motor Union held in Wellington the other day.

The St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church choir recommenced practices for, the year last evening, when there was a good attendance. Forthcoming festivals, when special programmes of music will be given by the choir, are the harvest festival, Easter, and the anniversary cf the church

Owing to a large amount of time being taken up in drying the hose at the Allenton Fire Station, a rack has been installed. Two hard wood poles. 35 feet in length, from the Power Board, were erected with a cross piece on top. A pulley is to be supplied for hauling up the hose to dry. It is necessary that the hose be dried without delay as two units are using it.

Labour candidates for the Mayoralty and council seats at the forthcoming City Council by-election in Christchurch are: Mayoralty, Mr J. K. Archer; council seats, Mr It. M. Macfarlane, Mr G. Manning, and Mr J. Mathison. Mr Archer is a member of the present council, and his acceptance of the mayoral nomination meant his resignation, so that there will now be three seats, to be contested on the council.

Advice that it was impossible to recognise New Zealand driving licenses in England was received from the secretary by the English Automobile Association by the North Island (N.Z) Motor Union at its half-yearly conference in Wellington. He pointed, out that the only thing that could be done as for New Zealand to become a party to the Paris Motor Convention, lf/26, which issues the permits. It was decided to make representations to the Government.

There arc occasion when something happens to restore ones faith in human nature. A Wellington lady seme little time ago mislaid her handbag while on a shopping expedition and as the bag contained quite a considerable amount of money she was not a little worried. Then she traced her movements and decided that she had probably left the bag in a Chinese fruiterer’s shop. Not altogether hopeful of the outcome, she revisited the shop, and there to her surprise and joy she had her property restored to her intact. The Chinese fruiterer de-. dined to accept any reward. *.

At the close of the inquest into the drowning of a boy in the Maraekakho Valley lake, is was disclosed (says the “Hawke’s Bay Herald”) that in search for his body the police officers used fish ing lines instead of grappling irons and dragnets, which arc employed in running waters. This is believed to be the first occasion in this district when this method was employed. __ One of the hooks caught in the bathing costume of the submerged body and brought it to the surface of the lake. Fishing lines were considered by the police to be more effective in still, water than either grappling irons or dragnets, and the coroner (Mr G. Ebbet) commended the officers for their initiative.

At a meeting of the council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association a- letter received |rom the Federaeion Athletica Guipuzcoana, Churruca, San Sebastian, requesting documents giving information in connection with New Zealand athletic records. The letter was written by. some person whoso knowledge of English was acquired from a bi-lingual dictionary; as the following sentences show: —“The books and athletics annuaries published, in your country and information letting us know performances beating records but without homologation and saying why they have net been accepted. . . . We wait you shall understand what our idea is and we expect you will be so kind sending us the mentioned documentation.” The letter was handed to a member of the committee who dabbles in foreign curiosities.

At the invitation of the Ashburton Silver Band the Timaru Municipal Band will arrive in Ashburton on Monday evening next and play a programme of music on the Domain Rotunda. An excellent musical programme will include the two “A” Grade Test Selections for the contest to be held ip New Plymouth at the end of this month. Lieutenant Osborne Uhe Timaru conductor) is well known here, having led the -Ashburton Band to success on several occasions at Dominion contests. His ability as a brass band conductor and. trainer is of the highest and he can be relied upon to present a varied programme of excellent music to suit all tastes. One of the features of the evening will be a quickstep display by the Timaru and Ashburton bands combined. Never before has the public had the opportunity of seeing a band of 50 members give such a display. The Timaru Band will arrive about 7.30 p.m., when the Ashburton Silver Band will combine in a massed band march to the Domain.

The fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Ashburton Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F., was held last evening, the N.G. (Bro. E. W. Perrin) presiding over a good attendance. A motion of condolence with the Bros. McNally in the death •of their brother was carried in the manner customary in the Order. The District Secretary wrote asking that the lodge syllabus for the year be forwarded so that it might‘be included in the combined syllabus. The District Secretary notified that a Past Grands’ lodge would he held at Tinwald on Saturday, March 7, and the District Conference on March 21. The lodge decided to make the following nominations D.G.M., Bro. H. C. Patterson, D.D.G.M.; D.D.G.M., P.G. Bro. R. H. Biggar; management committee, P.G. Bros. 11. H. Lor, R. H. Biggar and A. Dellow; auditor, P.G. Bro. S. Culverhouse. Sick pay amounting to £lB 3s 4d was passed in favour of 15 members, and two funeral benefits were also passed for payment. It was decided to. recommend P.G. Bro. A. •Dellow for the purple degree. Three candidates were proposed for membership. The Lecture Master (P.G. Bro. R. H. Biggar) admitted one member to the White Degree.

The Ashburton County Council inspector (Mr E. N. Johnston) investigated a complaint from the Chertsey School Committee, re trees obscuring a corner where children come round in gigs from school. A. number of the trees have been removed. In explaining why ho had driven at an excessive speed op a main highway, a defendant in a case heard in the Magistrate’s Court in Invercargill stated that he had travelled behind a car for some miles and had at last been able to speed past. He had kept up his speed so that the following car would not get his dust, and unfortunately the traffic inspector iu\d been handy. “It is through being courteous that I am here to-day,” he added. The Ashburton branch of the Baptist Women’s Missionary Union met yesterday afternoon, the president (Mrs L. P. Bryan) presiding over a fair attendance. Letters were read from the East Bengal mission field, from Miss Cowles and Miss Goad. Mrs C. S. Matthews, formerly of Ashburton, who is visiting here, was welcomed by Mrs Brvan and Mrs S. Andrew. Mrs Matthews addressed the meeting, taking as her subject “Workers Together.” She also sang a solo.

Maori implements have been unearthed in most parts of Southland, and it is by no means a very rare event for a farmer to take the edge off his plough shears on a Maori axe. For one to be dug up in the streets of Invercargill is another matter, however. A workman engaged in laying footpaths unearthed a Maori axe. The handle had been rotted away by time, but the niche where it had been bound to the greenstone head was clearly visible. The axehead was buried eight inches beneath the ground.