LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 252, 5 August 1937, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

With the recent mild temperatures in Auckland large and small varieties of mosquitoes have made tlieir appearance in the suburbs. A cloud of some hundreds of the small species was observed in the sunshine at Kohimarama during last week-end. Peach flies have also been present right through the winter. A new craze is having its run in Ashburton—chain letter gifts. . Hundreds of these letters are in circulalation, and while many people have undoubtedly benefited, the scheme will in time become top-heavy and collapse. Chain letters for handkerchiefs, tea towels, cigarettes and all manner of articles are being mailed every day, but so' far no one has started a chain for £1 notes v An announcement that the price paid by the Government for radio station IZM Manurewa, was £2560 lias been made by the Acting-Minister of Broadcasting (Mr F. Jones). The Minister explained that the amount originally offered for the plant and equipment was £IBOO. The purchase price covered, not only the plant and equipment, but also about half an acre of land and a residence on it. Selections on both old and new instruments were played by the Ashburton Silver Band last evening, when the new instruments were formally handed over to it. One of the first tunes played on the new instruments was the hymn “Plain and Gwarry.” Before it was played the conductor (Lieutenant W. H. Osborne) explained that hymn pieces were the best for bringing out the tone of instruments, and from them tone could be judged much better than from marches and similar pieces. The hymn to be played was a particularly fine and well-known work, to which the words “Rock of Ages” were set. < Fifteen of the players who participated in the Rugby match at Jolmsonville, in Wellington between Wellington College Old Boys and Johnsonville bad either one or two namesakes on the field. There were three Wrights, brother players for Old Boys ; three Kennys, brothers playing for Johsonville; three Burnses, two (Johnsonville) being brothers; two Gotlieb brothers for Old Boys; and two Reynoldses, no relation, but playing for Old Boys. In the second spell Johsonsonville had two Crawfords, not related. In addition, the three Kennys and the three Wrights occupied similar positions, at full-back, wing threequarters, and forward. That there was at present no subsidy available to assist in the purchase of moving picture projectors and school radios was information received from the Education Department by the Ashburton Borough School at its meeting last evening. With reference to the radio, the department advised that it was co-operating with other departments connected with the Broadcasting Service in an investigation into the question of the provision of radios suitable for school use at prices within the range of school committees. Full details of the equipment available would be circularised as soon as finality was reached, and the committee would then be in a position to take advantage of the facilities offered in this connection. “We do not seem to be getting very far with the projector,” said Mr Mr'W. H. Sarney. The letter was held over pending farther advice about the installation of the radio.

Entries already received for the Trinity College practical examinations in Ashburton have passed the total received last year. The local secretary (Mr A. C. Wilson) has been advised that the examiner (Mr Tyler) will be in Ashburton early in October A dance was staged last evening by the Ashburton Association Football Club in the Radiant Hall. The attendance was satisfactory and a successful evening was spent. Two competitions were held. Masters of Ceremonies were Messrs S. McElhinney and J. D. Broomhead. Dabourn’s orchestra played the music and, Mr R. Dabourn the extras. It is the intention, of the Domain Curator i(Mr H. P. Clayton) to remove the ducklings in the Domain to a safe place to prevent them being killed by cats. Losses of ducklings caused by cats have been considerable in the past, and one of the broods has already been taken off the ponds and placed in a shed in. a safe place. A second brood has yet to be captured and removed to shelter. Present-day Russian women have no taste in dress, according to Miss J. Home, who addressed the New Plymouth Rotary Club. One Avoman, a lawyer’s wife upder the old regime, was given a pair of silk stockings _by one of Miss Home’s party, she said. She was delighted, but said she would never dare to wjear them in the streets. She told them, however, that she would derive much pleasure for herself in wearing them in the house. Concern at the prevalence of sheepworrying by dogs was expressed at the last meeting of the Makara-Hutt Valley provincial executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, and the following motion was passed:—“That the greatest publicity possible be given to the problem of sheep-worrying by dogs, that a protest be made to the authorities, and that a letter be sent to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.” Special mention by the Invercargill branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association that it had the oldest veteran of the Great War, aged 86 years, in its ranks, reminded the Opunake branch at its annual reunion on Saturday night that it had a member aged 85. He is Mr Thomas McLellan, who joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at the age of 65 years. Leaving with the 21st Reinforcement, and joining the 2nd Hawke’s Bay Infantry Company, attached to the 2nd Wellington Battaliop, xu.r McLellan was in action at Messines and was invalided back to New Zealand in 1918. Until a few weeks ago Mr McLellan enjoyed excellent health, but he is at present confined to his bed, and he was unable to attend the reunion. The recent appointment of additional justices of the peace means a corresponding addition to the number of those who by tradition are entitled to the honour of having “esquire” written after their names. Once reserved for a person undergoing an apprenticeship to knighthood, t"he title is now a courtesy one for the sons of peers, noblemen of foreign countries, the oldest sons of knights , and baronets, barristers-at-law, anrUsolicitors, justices of the peace, and mayors, while in office, holders of superior offices under tlvet Crown, and persons styled as esquires in royal patents or commissions. Several prospective women bowlers were present at the meeting called at the Allenton School last evening to consider the formation of a women’s bowling section in connection with the Allenton Sports Club. The president of the Allenton Sports Club (Mr E. C. Bathurst) presided; and as there were not eight women, the number required for the formation of the club, present, no further steps were taken immediately to go ahead with the proposal. As it was indicated that several other women were prepared to join, it was decided to call a further meeting of those interested shortly before the opening of the summer season. Congratulatory reference to the organisation by the staff of hobby clubs at Ashburton Borough School was made at the meeting of the committee last evening by Mr A. L. Jones, who said that these clubs had given an additional interest to school life. The teachers were interested in each individual child. It was all very helpful and enlightening to the child. The harmonica band, for instance, was a splendid thing and interesting to the pupils. The teachers were talcing a real live interest in the clubs, and each child seemed to get individual attention. It was purely a matter of interest m the work from the point of view of the staff, in keeping with the tradition of teachers at the school. He moved a motion of congratulation to the stair for their efforts, and this was seconded by Mr W- K. Waters and carried. The remarkable reception accorded the Redfern Band (Sydney) on its visit to Ashburton some years ago was referred to by Lieutenant W. H. Osborne at the presentation of the Ashburton Silver Band’s new instruments in the Majestic Theatre last evening. The collection taken fox' the band amounted to £93, which was one of the best it received on its visit to New Zealand. The town had shown a wonderful interest in the organisation. The Ashburton Band still had in its rooms a memento of the visit, in the form of a programme presented by the Redfern Band on its return to Sydney, on which was a photograph of the Ashburton Band as a mark of the courteous and kind treatment it had accorded the visiting Australians. Two of the Ashburton Silver Band’s new instruments will possess unique qualities, being the first instruments of their kind imported to New Zealand. These instruments, a monster bass and a euphonium, and the only ones of the band’s new set which have not yet arrived, but they are expected in a few weeks’ time. At the presentation of the instruments last evening the conductor (Lieutenant W. H. Osborne) explained the reasons for the delay. Possessing a new valve, the instruments were patented for the last Crystal Palace concert by the Mortimers, well-known English instrumentalists. There had been such a demand for the instruments of this type that it had not been, possible to get them earlier. The monster > bass bad a deeper tone in the lower register. In recent test pieces the F natural note had occurred, which not be got properly on the double B of three valves. The new valve would enable this to be done. The euphonium was also especially modelled. “The output of this new type of instrument shows, that the English people are less conservative than they used to be,” said Lieutenant Osborne.

At an enthusiastic meeting of the congregation of the St, Andrew’s Presbyterian Church last evening, it was decided to hold the annual spring fair on October 21. The conveners of the various stalls were appointed, and it was stated that the present display of interest, pointed to this year’s effort, being a big success. One of the St. John Ambulance drivers at Auckland set out early on a recent morning with an elderly woman patient from the Auckland . Hospital on a drive of 231 miles to Opononi, which is 55 miles north of Dargaville. The ambulance arrived there late that afternoon and the patient did not appear unduly fatigued after her long journey. The driver stayed the night at Dargaville and returned to Auckland the next afternoon. The people of New York and London have to pay between 25 to 50 per cent, more for their fruit than do New Zealanders, according to Mr Harvey Turner, who has returned to Auckland from a t business trip to England. In the two cities mentioned, he said, some phenomenal prices were charged for fruit. He quoted hothouse peaches* and nectarines at 5s each, and produced a receipt for 10s for one nectarine and one peach as proof of a purchase he made in Piccadilly as a curiosity. The members of the touring Springboks team were very impressed with the Waikato pasture lands as they travelled to Waitomo the other day. Several of them stated that they wei’e not only surprised at the freshness of the pastures and the prolific growth, but also at the apparent heavy carrying capacity of the farms. In South. Africa hundreds of acres would have to be available to carry the amount seen in one paddock in the Waikato. One of the new instruments presented to the Ashburton Silver Band last evening had particular interest in that, obtained through a donation presented by the Ashburton Club and M.S.A., it has been specially designed as a memorial to the late Drum-Major W. Tucker, for many years associated with the band. In making the presentation of the instrument last evening the Mayor (Mr W. H. Woods) referred to the great work that Drum-Major Tucker had done for the band over a long period. The opossum trapping season in the Rotorua acclimatisation district is in progress, but reports indicate that trappers are not enjoying particularly good conditions. Not a great many licenses have been issued, the majority of them being for the Waikaremoana district, where the animals are not being taken as freely as in previous years. During the past two seasons the price of opossum skins has been lower than usual, and this has affected the number of licenses taken out. The season commences at the beginning of July and ends on August 31.