LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 155, 14 April 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The south-bound express was about 20 minutes late in arriving at Ashburton this morning owing to the iat. arrival of the inter-island steamer from Wellington.

“I would not touch a power line myself—whether I thought it was alive oi dead—yet some of our consumers do, commented the engineer (Mr IS. G. McLeod) at a meeting of the Thames Valley Power Board. Mr W. C. Kennedy agreed with the menace of ignorance in handling electrical equipment and suggested that steps should be taken to stress the danger to school children.

The statement that the average life of the soles of his hoots was three weeks was made by a milk roundsman when mving evidence at the Arbitration Court in Auckland. The witness said that the roundsmen worked at practically a continuous trot, and theii tootwear had frequetnly to be repaired. The court wanted to know what kind of footpaths there were in the district, a query which brought the answer that they were just the usual-hard ones The witness concluded by stating that •he repaired his own boots.

At the last meeting of the 'Wanganui Acclimatisation Society, it was repotted that game shot last season was still in cool store in some instances, and was being withdrawn to suit owners convenience. It was pointed out that the regulations provide that game shall not be held in cool stores lor a gieatei period than seven days after the close of the season. Penalties are provided for a breach of the regulation, and the society has decided to notify all cool stores in its district that in future the regulations must be observed.

Mr W. B. Dixon, who visited a number of the mutton bird islands in the Britannia last week landing birding parties informed the Bluff correspondent of the “Southland News’’ that never before has he seen so many fur seals. On Pohuwaiti Island particularly, over 70 seals, young and old, were counted in the vicinity of a rookery, and . there were probably many more in secluded places. Mr Dixon considers that the strict protection by the Government is mainly responsible for the increase.

In many forms of industry but most particularly in .the manufacture of art silks, Japan is becoming a serious rival to the greater manufacturing countries of the world, said Mr T. W. Spaul, who has been connected with the textile trade in England for 43 years, when interviewed in Auckland. “In every phase of industry 1 found the Japanese to be right on their toes and out for all the business possible,” said Mr Spaul. “It is nothing new for Japan to manufacture art silk, but whereas previously she produced a cheap article, she. is now producing a class of silk which compares most favourably with the best produced in other countries.” It was not to be feared, however, that Japan would at any time produce a superior art silk to that of England, added Mr Spaul. The point was, that Japaiv could produce silks at much lower prices than elsewhere because of cheap labour. Workers enjoyed none of the privileges of an award, and the conditions under which they worked could not he compared with those in other countries.

Shops in Ashburton reopened tlr's morning after the Easter holidays! Most offices will resume business, and the schools will recommence to-morrow.

The succesful plaf of a former New Zealand resident, Dr. Merton Hodge, “The Wind and the Rain,” reached its lOOOtli performance in London in February. Upon ending at the Savoy Theatre at its 992nd performance, it was transferred to a suburban theatre until Leap Year Day to complete the 1090.

The system of banking instituted in various primary schools in Hawke’s Bay is proving quite successful. This applies especially to Havelock North, where during the past 50 weeks the pupils have deposited as savings the sum of £129. Considering that there are only about 200 pupils at the Havelock North School, the average savings of each pupil must be a record for this district (states the “Hawke’s Bay Herald”).

An unfortunate interruption that had its comic side occurred during the broadcast of the sacred cantata, “Olivet to Calvary,” from St. Thomas's Anglican Church, Wellington. The early stages of the broadcast were excellent, but, apparently because of some technical fault, one of the soloists was suddenly made to cease singing and ejaculate several, “tut, tuts!"’ The ejaculations increased in emphasis, and the station was cut off the air and did not return for some time.

The danger of wool being displaced by artificial substitutes was stressed by the directors of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association at a meeting. Mr D. Marshall said that a levy for propaganda purposes should be imposed on all wool exported from the Dominion. Dr. A. F. Ritchie Crawford said that the channels in which the money should be expended on were research and propaganda. If a committee were to be set up in New Zealand to consider the matter, he considered that Mr Marshall should represent the association on it. The chairman (Mr John Macdonald) suggested that a meeting of all interested bodies should be called to consider the whole matter.

“It is a disgrace to a civilised community,” declared the president (Mr S. N. Ziman) when a remit from the Cambridge branch asking to have it made unnecessary for farmers to use unpaid labour of women and children in the milking sheds, was tabled at a conference of the Waikato sub-pro-vincial district of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. Mr Ziman said that the Union could not speak too strongly against the need for women and children to be forced into the sheds. The Union had nothing to say against wives who had elected to help their husbands, but it wished to protest at the economic conditions which made it necessary for the farmer’s wife and family to labour for him under disgraceful conditions. The remit was carried unanimously.

The diamond jubilee of the iDannevirke North School was celebrated with various functions which were largely attended by past scholars and former teachers from all parts of the Dominion from as far north as Helensville to Invercargill in the south. The opening ceremony included addresses, past scholars being assembled in decades, two of the original pupils being present. Other ceremonies included a banquet, the placing of a wreath at the war memorial, a, church service and motor drives. The celebrations were favoured by beautiful weather throughout and concluded with a ball last evening. An interesting historical souvenir was published to. mark the occasion. The present scholars will shortly be accommodated in a. new school built on modern lines.

Three women are nominal members of the crew of the lumber vessel City of Vancouver, which arrived in Auckland last week with 4,500,000 ft. of Douglas fir logs for Auckland and Australia. They are Mrs A. Smith, daughter of Mr j. Goughian, of Vancouver, builder and owner of the ship, Mrs E. Suthie and Miss E. 'Coughlan. The three women joined the vessel at Vancouver Island, and are making the return trip. The City of Vancouver left Vancouver Islaud on February 26, and called at Californian ports, Suva and Noumea, New Caledonia, en route to Auckland. After unloading at Newcastle and Sydney the ship will proceed to China to load peanut oil, horse ■hair and human hair (used for making nets for women’s hair). The women enjoyed the unconventional journey and are keenly looking forward to visiting the Orient.

Apparatus to determine the intensity of cosmic rays in the Pacific has ben installed in a special cabin on the after deck, of the Acrangi, which arrived at Auckland from Vancouver yesterday. It is one of seven sets established at strategic points throughout the world. The meter was installed in January by Professor Arthur H. Compton, who visited New Zealand in 1932 for cosmic ray experiments. The set will remain on the vessel about a year under the charge of the chief officer (Mr R. N. Turner) who has made a study of cosmic ray properties. Mr Turner said that Professor Compton, who travelled from Honolulu to Vancouver cn the Aorangi’s last northward trip, was satisfied that it was too early to determine the results from the experiments. It was noticeable, however, that changes of latitude had, their effect, because of the magnetic field of the earth deflecting the cosmic rays.

“I do not think Major Ashley-Dodd has taken into consideration how conditions vary in the different acclimatisation society districts when he urges uniformity of policy,” said Mr James Robertson (president of the Southland Acclimatisation Society) to whom the visitors’ comments on fishing in New Zealand wore referred. “Each society has to a large extent to be guided by circumstances peculiar to its district. Furthermore, until research into freshwater fishing has reached a more advanced stage it would be extremely difficult to formulate a policy. There is much divergence of opinion on the whole question, and when experts differ so widely it is not .surprising that acclimatisation societies are working along somewhat different lines.” Mr Robertson said it was true that in certain popular rivers in the North Island there was congestion on the banks. Sometimes anglers were so close to one another that they had difficulty in casting. This did rot happen in Southland. He did not think overseas anglers would have any grounds for this soil of complaint when fishing in the South Island. Mr Robertson added, that while it was desirable that the utmost courtesy and consideration-should be shown to visiting anglers, he thought it would be a retrograde step to make fishing a sport for the wealthy.

The engine shed in the railway vard at Springfield was destroyed by a fire which began at 1 o’clock yesterday morning. No other damage was done.

The serious illness suffered by a Maori girl at Opotiki. owing to consuming some tutu berries draws attention .to the dangers attached to this native bush. The poisonous tutu -grows throughout the greater part of New Zealand. The bushes are scrub-like and straggling, and often grow overhanging hanks in such a manner as to be really accessible to children or stock. The fruit, which resembles a purple flattened berry, with inky juice, is ripe from about the middle of February until April. Not only the fruit, but also the green shoots and leaves, are poisonous.

The possibility of Mexico becoming a buyer of Australian or New Zealand wool in future was mentioned by Mr E. J. Bryce, a retired merchant, of Sydney, who arriyed at Auckland from Vancouver by the Aorangi after travelling for 18 months in Spain, Germany, Russia, Mexico, and the Vest Indies. Mr Bryce said that Mexico, like every other nation, was trying to be self-con-tained, and intended to establish its own woollen industries. Greater quantities of wool would be needed, ancl possibly it would be obtained from Australia or New Zealand. Referring to Russia, Mr Bryce said that the country seemed to be making tremendous headway. Factories were springing up everywhere.

A New Plymouth motorist who drives a car that has started willingly every day for the last two years was surprised the other day by the car unexpectedly refusing to answer the most persuasive demands on its mechanism. When the starter failed the crank handle was brought into commission. The tank was found to contain benzine, the carburetter was flooded, and all the other conventional remedies were tried without avail. A breakdown truck was summoned, and when the mechanic failed to start the defaulter, it was towed to a garage. There it continued an enigma for expert mechanics until one of them in the process of sliding between the wheels saw a potato effectively stopping the exhaust pipe.