LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 236, 18 July 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Sustenance payment will ho given to 392 relief workers in Ashburton next week. The number this week was 383 and last week 358.

A call to a chimney fire at the residence of Mr G. L. Prichard, 60 Dobson Street, was received by the Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade at 7.30 last evening. No damage was done, the brigade letting the fire burn itself cut.

A gift portrait of Mr George Hunter, first Mayor of Wellington, has been presented tc the City Council by two of his great-grandsons' (says a Press Association telegram). Accepting the gift on behalf of the city, the Mayor (Mr T. C. A. Hislop) said that, when Mr Hunter was elected, lie received 273 votes of a total roll of 350. The growth of the city was demonstrated when it was considered that at the last election 40,009 votes wore cast.

Petitions filed for dissolution of marriage last year reached the highest figure ever recorded in New Zealand, according to figures published, in a report prepared by the census and. statistics office (says a Press Association telegram from Wellington). In 1535 divorce petitions totalled 867, an increase of 28 over the figures lor 1934. The previous highest figure was 843 in 1929.

Reporting to a meeting of the East Coast Rabbit Board, the inspector (reports the Poverty Bay “Herald”), mentioned an incident which occurred when lie was looking over the sandhills at Ohivva and came across indications of a rabbit near some premises. “The owner,” said the inspector, “asked me to be careful with my dogs as lie had a pet rabbit running round. J told him that was what I was after hut I could not get it then, the rabbit being under one of the buildings. I returned late in the evening and shot the rabbit, which was an ordinary white one. I pointed out to the owner that lie was liable to he prosecuted and fined, for not first obtaining a permit and also for allowing a rabbit its liberty. However, be pleaded ignorance of the Act. He asked me if it was possible to obtain a permit to keep rabbits, and I told him the hoard would not issue any more permits.”

A special train from Christchurch for the Waimato races to-day, although fairly well patronised, from other stations, attracted few passengers from Ashburton, only 10 people hooking from here.

Writing to a friend in Hamilton, a resident of New York says: “The Americans are great at advertising, amd I was not surprised to see that they wanted to get Emperor Haile Selassie for the Texas Exhibition. Texas knew that the Emperor would not, or could not accept the offer, hut it also knew that to make him the offer would draw the attention of the world to its centenary celebrations.”

Mr H. E. Herring, M.P., concluded a series of inter-sessional addresses on Government legislation at Rakaia last evening. There were about 100 people present, and, a hearty vote of thanks moved by Mr J. McAnally, seconded by Mr B. Smith, for Mr Herring’s informative address, was carried by acclamation. Mr J. Gardiner presided. Mr Herring was afterwards entertained at supper by Mr and Mrs .C. Swaney.

The charm of the Ashburton Domain impressed' itself deeply on the Hon. P. Fraser when the was in Ashburton some time ago, and to-day lie paid a tribute to the town for having such a very fine park in its centre. After paying one or two calls in Ashburton this morning the Minister ordered his car to be driven through the Domain so that Mrs Fraser might see something of the reserve.

Passengers in a south-bound aeroplane received an unusual thrill on Wednesday when one of the Tory Channel whale-chasers harpooned a whale while the plane was passing overhead. The machine circled at a low altitude the passengers being given a bird’s-eye view of the chaser making its mammoth kill. The whaling grounds lie on the air route, and on live of six occasions this season passengers have watched the chasers at work. Occasionally pilots act as “spotters” for whalers by telephoning the chaser base after having sighted a whale. The present whaling season is a record one. Since the beginning of June, when one season opened, 59 whales have )>een taken, including three on Wednesday. Last season only 57 whales were taken during the entire season, which ends in mid-i September.

The need for the instruction of members of the Maori race in medicine nursing, and home science is recognised by the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union, which at its conference at Wellington approved of a remit from South Auckland, that in order to encourage Maoris to study medicine and nursing, the Government be asked to inaugurate some form of scholarship for Maori students, and another from Otago supporting the scheme sponsored by- Dr. Cook (medical officer of health, Whangarei) and Miss M. I. Lambie (head of the nursing service and director or division nursing), in which selected Maori girls should be given a home science training in order that they may lio employed by the Health Department as assistants to district nurses to conduct practical courses for Maori women in the fundamentals of hygenic living and home crafts.

To buy a cow at a weekly stock sale and he faced with an eight-mile walk in driving it home may he regarded as a big enough undertaking for a farmer who has passed the age of three score years (says the “Otago Daily Times >. But to find, when he returned to take delivery of his purchase some hours later, that his recently-acquired animal had presented him with a calf, presented a problem that taxed his mental faculties. It was only when lie saw his daughter drive up in his car that a solution came to him. Immediately, he set about making a comfortable bed on the rear luggage carrier of the car to whifh the little calf was securely tied, the mother meanwhile showing signs of anxiety for the welfare of her offspring, hut when the car moved off at a snail’s pace the parent quickly indicated her determination to keep* her latest baby in sight. And so the strange procession made its way homewards, the farmer and the calf riding in comfort in the car and the cow following slowly behind.

A remarkable regimental record was mentioned at the annual reunion of the Fifteenth North Auckland Regiment. The Fifteenth claims three out of the 11 Victoria Crosses won by the New Zealand troops. Two V.C’s were won by its own members, namely Sergeant /now Staff Captain) R. S. Judson and Private J. Crichton, while Sergeant S. Forsyth, of the New Zealand Engineers was attached to the Fifteenth when he gained the decoration at Grevillers on August 24, 1918, rushing three German machine-gun positions. His was a posthumous decoration, for he was killed by a sniper's bullet as the enemy retired. Captain Judson’s V.C. was won two days later in the heavy fighting to the south of Bapaume, when lie cleared a strong enemy position after hand-to-hand fighting, and on the 30th of the following month Private Crichton gain the award: at Crevecour, swimming a river under heavy fire and carrying a message and subsequently ■removing the charges from a bridge which had keen mined. The Wellington Regiment had two V.C’s (Second Lieutenant Andrew and Second Lieutenant Grant), the Otago Regiment two (Sergeant Travis and Sergeant Brown), the New Zealand Rifle Brigade two (Second Lieutenant Frickleton and Second Lieutenant Laurent), the Canterbury Regiment one (Privatft Nicholas), and the New Zealand Engineers (Sergeant Forsyth) and. the Divisional Signal Company (Lieutenant Bassett), one each.

“The Urewera is the home of one of the hardiest races known to anthropologists, but all who have the interests of the Native race at heart will deplore the decadence of the Urewera Maoris,” said Mr R. G. Dick, in an address on a surveyor’s impressions or the Urewera country, at a meeting of the anthropology and Maori race section of the Auckland Institute and Museum (reports the. “New Zealand Hoi aid”). The last of those who remembered Tc Kooti had passed avay during the last few years, said the speaker, and the younger generation, for reasons of employment of romance wr.s moving glsgwligvg. Thus nil tluit was admirable in Maori art and culture was gradually being lost. The preat need' for forest conservation in the district was stressed by Mr Dick, who said: that on account of the heavy rains and the unmerous watercourses abnormal floods had serious effects on the Rahgitaild Plains. Practically the whole area was under dense forest, but, except in one district, large patches of timber suitable for milling were: not common. “Where deer are plentiful the bush is almost parklike,” lie said. The undergrowth has been eaten away and creekbeds showed signs of scouring. This was natural, as much of the country was at an angle of from 25 to 45 degrees. The destruction of the deer, would he in the interest of forest conservation.

A case of scarlet fever was notified to the Ashburton County Health Inspector this week. There were no cases of notifiable disease in the Borough.

Forty professional accountants and students employed by Auckland firms on. Thursday evening decided to form a union (says a Press Association telegram). Under a separate resolution they decided to defer the application for registration until the executive had conferred with other bodies of accountants taking the same step.

“Wherever Ministers of the Crown travel they are besieged with requests for money; everyone seems to have a monetary problem which, they wish the Ministers to assist in untangling,” said the chairman of the Ashburton Hospital Board (Mr W. G. Gallagher) when welcoming the Minister of Health this morning. “I am pleased to say, however,” that this Board, has no such request to make, strange and unusual as it may seem!”

Jumping the points at a siding a quarter of a mile north of the Mount Eden railway station, Auckland, last night, a locomotive of the inwardbound suburban passenger train left the rails, ploughed up a section of the track, and came to. rest against a bank at an angle of 45 degrees. The van immediately behind the locomotive was dragged partly from the track, but the rest of the train, consisting of four carriages, remained on the rails. Nobody wias injured. T'hc train crew escaped with a shaking.

The great interest that is being taken in the work of the Association for Country Education is shown by the fact .that the dressmaking classes which are being conducted by Miss M. McElhinney in the County have a total enrolment of 88, with further applications that could not be entertained owing to lack of accommodation. In response to requests it has been decided to institute classes in the Seafield, Eiffelton and, other coastal districts, to commence after the completion of the course at the centres already served. It is more than likely that other courses will be conducted in the County next year.

The Ashburton branch of the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union met yesterday, the president (Mrs E. M. Begg) presiding. A motion of sympathy was passed with Miss Jackson in her illness, with Mesdames J, A. Fleming and D. Butterick in the illnesses of their husbands, and with Mrs Dunstan. An invitation to attend the birthday party of the Lismore branch was accepted. It was decided to hold the branch’s birthday party at the next meeting. Mrs Sargent offered to make the cake. It was reported: that four housekeepers had been employed by the branch during June.

Samples of boards from packing cases made of Ashburton timber have been received by the Ashburton County Council from a local sawmiller. Some of the cases are used for packing fruit and others bear the names of well-known brands of kerosene, petrol and whisky. For the latter products the boards are an inch in thickness, and packing is done in New Zealand after the goods are imported in bulk. Tops used for apple cases are a sixteenth of an inch in thickness, and many of the cases carry New Zealand, apples to the English markets. Timber from the Ashburton County plantations goes to make up a wide range of packing cases of these types, and assists to carry Dominion produce to many parts of the world.

“The rail-car is undoubtedly an important new factor in the transport problem of thj Dominion/’ declared the Minis. r of Railways (the Hon D. G. Sullivan) on his return to Wellington from an inspection of North Island railways in the rail-car Maahanui, in which*he and his party covered in a fortnight about 2500 miles. “The railcar has remarkable flexibility, is very speedy, and its comfort is indicated by a considerable volume of departmental business as the car sped along. It is very clean, provides a, clear eutlook, and promises economical operation, so that rail-cars can be provided in large numbers wherever the conditions are suitable for the running of such units. The rail-car’s utility was greatly impressed upon me by the quantity of inspection work which it was possible to do in the brief period of a fortnight since the tour started. The work also had to lie interrupted m ci dei to enable me' to keep a South Island engagement, but every importint part of the railways in the North If land, was visited. The rail-car really served’ the purpose of a tramcar, a service bus, and a private motor-car, and excelled all of them in certain features.”