LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 247, 31 July 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Press Association telegram from Greymouth states that the wrecked Abel Tasman and cargo will be offered at auction to-morrow.

The Rev. D. D. MacLachlan wishes to make clear that he stated that the credit balance of the South Presbyterian Charge, at the annual meeting was gratifying, and not large, as reported.

The St. Stephen’s branch of the Mothers’ Union met yesterday afternoon, tlie enrolling member (Mrs A. J. Petrie) presiding. It was decided to send a. letter of greetings to Mrs Bushell, a foundation member of the branch. Mrs Petrie read an account of the Union’s diamond jubilee celebrations, held recently in England.

“You will find that 90 per cent, of the reflectors used on the rear mudguards of bicycles point up to the skj and are rendered useless,” said the Magistrate in the Ashburton Court this morning, when it was stated that a motorist had overtaken a cyclist in mist and run him down. “Few people seem to put them at a right angle to the road, so that the facets of the reflector catches the lights of overtaking vehicles.”

There are 760,000,000,000,000 chances against two persons having six or seven characteristics in common in their handwriting. This surprising information was given by a 'handwriting expert in the Supremo Court at Wellington. He admitted that certain characteristics might run in a family; details such as pressure on the pen and slope had to be considered as well as the formation of letters in comparing writing.

Since the world began there has been no change in the fundamental problems of the fruit industry. This was commented on at the 'Dominion conference of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation by the ELon. W. Nash (Minister of Finance and Marketing) who remarked that the fruit industry was the very first on record. The trouble then, as now, he said, lay between the distributor and the consumer. .From the first trouble had sprung all the troubles of to-day.

Despite very inclement weather there was a good attendance at the monthly meeting of the ff inwald branch of the Mothers’ Union on Wednesday afternoon. Mrs Jennings presided. Mrs A. J. Petrie conducted devotions and gave the third and last of the illustrated lectures, issued by the Mothers’ Union Diocesan Council. Mrs Jennings thanked Mrs Petrie and, several members voiced then- appreciation. Motions of sympathy were passed with bereaved members. Mention was made of the long and faithful membership of the late Mrs D. McMillan, members standing in silence in token of respect. The secretary (Mrs Beyliss) reported having sent wreaths for Mr K. Lowe, and for Mrs McMillan, on behalf of the branch. An appeal by the Rev. Percy Kovel, city missioncr of St. Martin’s House of Help was read from the July number of the “Church News” by Mrs Bnyliss. This called attention to the need of clothing for the city poor. It xvt.s decided to donate to the mission the gifts from the annual social afternoon to He held, in August. Invitations for the annual social are to be issued to members of Mid-Canterhurv branches. Afternoon tea was served by Mesdames H. 801 l and Houston.

Tho Women’s Institute Conference at Dunedin concludes to-day, and delegates will return to-morrow on a special train which will arrive in Ashburton at 3.27 p.m.

“The sooner motorists learn to drive by feet per second instead of by miles per hour the better it will he for the motorists, both: in their own interests and in the interests of others,” said the Magistrate in the Ashburton Court this morning.

The meeting to be held at EiHelton School next Wednesday is for the purpose of forming a branch of the Farmers’ Union and not of the National Party, as was stated yesterday. An address will be given by Mr W. D. Blair, Government veterinary surgeon.

Dairy industry accounts regulations providing for the preparation of the directors’ reports and balance-sheets of dairy companies were gazetted last night, as are the dairy produce levyregulations outlined by the Minister earlier in the week (says a Wellington Press Association message).

Two Auckland firms which make cans and equipment for dairy factories applied to tho Arbitration Court yesterday for the right to work a 44-hour week from May to October. They were Harvey and Sons and Hardleys; Ltd. It was stated that even with the 44hour week Harveys worked 14,319 hours of overtime last year and Hardleys 7752. Decision was reserved.

There appears to be a great deal cf profit in raffling works of art under tho Gaming Act. The Minister of Internal Affairs (the. Hon. W. E. Parry) mentioned recently that in a recent South Island art union, a picture valued at four guineas obtained a clear profit of £lOl9. “The art union, which was for the local returned soldiers and improvements to a seaside beach, was conducted by some enterprising salesmen,” the Minister explained.

Some large trees in the Domain, near the entrance by the curator’s house in West Street, are to he removed, and workmen were cutting down the largest of the trees, a* Douglas fir, this morning. The trees are being felled, by topping, to prevent damage to liowerbers and smaller trees nearby. When the trees are removed it is intended to plant out the ground in flowers, thus providing a more attractive entrance to the Domain.

The season for trapping opossums in Ashburton was to have begun on Jui/t 1 and ended to-morrow, but owing to the scarcity cf opossums the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society recommended that no licenses be issued. There was consequently no season, -but it is expected th;> 4 t there will be a good season next year, and that the issue of more licenses than usual will he justified. Opossums will increase up to that time, when they should. Ik: found in plentiful numbers as far down as the Alford Forest district.

As the result of the recent trouble on tho Napier waterfront there is a shortage of sugar in Hawke’s Bay, says the “Hawke’s Bay Tribune.” During the past two weeks shipments have been curtailed, one shipment actually being returned to Auckland because it could, not be loaded off at Napier owing to tho strike. During the past week merchants have been working on their reserve stocks and, though they have been able to meet the demand, some orders have had to he reduced. It is expected that another shipment will arrive toward the end of this week and so ease the present position.

The new rail-car for use on the Christchurch-West Coast line passed through Ashburton to-day on a run to Timaru and back. The car left Christchurch at 9.35 in the meaning, arriving at Ashburton at 11 o’clock after stopping at several stations to exchange tablets. The car passed through again on the return journey in the afternoon. It attracted considerable attention in Ashburton, when passing through the town and at the station, where it stopped for about 20 minutes. Mr G. Macldey (General Manager of Railways), who was on hoard with a party of 20, invited many interested people on the station to look over the car, and they eagerly took the opportunity to do so.

For three years the wife and family of an absconding husband had been in receipt of a soldier’s family pension, which (says a, correspondent of the Auckland “Star”) just kept them from want. Suddenly the pension ceased, because it had been, discovered that the man had been previously married and that the wife was still living and not divorced. As a result the unfortunate woman the man had bigamously manned and their three children, are rendered destitute, and, no help but charitable aid is available for them. Under present law the Pensions Department is unable to make any grant for the support of the children, although if committed to the State probably 12s 6d per week each would be paid for their maintenance in a foster home. The Society for the Protection of Women and Children has drawn the attention of the Government to the anomaly in this case.

The monetary value attached to the capture of a burglar by knocking him on the head with an iron bar and saving goods north £45 was the unusual problem (says a New Plymouth correspondent) which suppliers of the Midhirst Dairy Company were asked, to solve at their annual meeting the other day. In January a burglar entered the company’s store. He was discovered and the store was surrounded by the company’s manager, secretary, staff and the police. When the intruder attempted to make a dash from the building two members of the staff closed with him and one knocked him down with an iron bar. A supplier asked questions and elicited that the two members of the staff had been rewarded by the grant of £1 Is. This the supplier characterised as an insult, and moved that the man who used the iron bar should be rewarded by the payment of £7 7s. Considerable discussion followed, during which one supplier said he would ho glad to knock any burglar down for half a guinea. The motion for the increased grant received practically no support. An example of the confusion that often arises in Court cases through the double meaning of the word “right” occurred during the hearing of a claim for damages in the Supreme Court at Auckland. “You were both travelling on your right side?” counsel asked a witness. “Correct side,’’ corrected Mr Justice Callan, who was presiding. “I bog Your Honor’s pardon,” counsel said. “Perhaps I had better say left side.” “Don’t say right when you mean left,” his Honor responded. “It leads to eonftujaion afterwards.”

Tli© Ashburton County War Relief Fund met last evening, the chairman (Mr E. H. Orr) presiding. A'fair number of applications of the usual type were dealt with.

“1 observed the rule of the road, to give way to traffic on the right and 1 pulled up,” said a witness in a motor collision case in the Ashburton Magistrate’s Court this morning. “Yes,, hut you pulled,up right in the other man’s line of direction. That is the trouble with this wretched give way rule,” exclaimed the Magistrate.

Thousands of years ago milk and butter were produced, said Mr C. V. Carryer, speaking in a Workers’ Educational Association discussion at Auckland on the question of milk supply. The cow thus came-to be looked on as a source of wealth and health, and, naturally, as a source of happiness. It was little wonder that the cow came to lie a sacred beast in India. “And they still judge a man’s wealth by the number of cows lie’s got,” added the speaker. “You go to a bank and ask for a loan, and the first thing they ask you is: ‘How many' cows are you milking?’ ”

Medical opinion expressed at the monthly meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board last night was while there is room for an alteration in the existing system of education for sixth-year medical students, the establishment of.a second medical school in the Dominion is not warranted at present. The general opinion of the meeting (says a Press Association telegram) was that if there was to be a second school established, Wellington had stronger claims than any other centre, especially from a geographical standpoint; and in view of that it was felt that they should hold out for their own end.

More attractive packages for use in the sale of New Zealand’s fruit were advocated by Mr F. .King, Hawke’s Bay, at the Dominion conference of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation in Wellington. A remit was carried urging that it would be in the interests of the industry if greater use was made of cartons and attractive packages. To prove his ca.se, Mr King produced attractively got-up packages of fruit of a type which is in use to a very limited degree in. the Dominion,at the present time. In wrapping the fruit tissue paper had been dispensed with and Celophane brought into effective use. It was the general opinion that the use of such packages would, help to lift the industry on to a higher basis.