LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 35, 20 November 1937, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A case of scarlet fever at Higlibank was notified to the Ashburton’ County Health Inspector this week. There were no infectious diseases in Ashburton Borough. The Ashburton Defence Rule Club has accepted a challenge from the Sydenham Club for the Oaks Shield, which was won by Ashburton last season. The match will be fired at Ashburton on December 4. A party from the Timaru Girls’ High School, . consisting of 20 pupils and two teachers, arrived in Ashburton this morning to take part in annual tennis matches and other sports against teams of girls from the Ashburton High /School. There were fears in some quarters that the heavy rain of this week might be harmful to newly-shorn sheep, but it appears that flocks came through the change in the conditions very well, and no losses have been reported. Any injurious effects would be set right by the warm sunshine to-dav, it is stated.

The necessity for reaching a decision as to catering, by 11 o’clock yesterday morning led to the postponement of the Baring Square Sunday School picnic, which was to have been held today in the grounds of Mr 11. O. B. Witliell, at Ealing. At 11 o’clock, as rain was still falling heavily, and seemed likely to continue indefinitely, the officials decided to postpone the outing until next Saturday.

“An interesting feature of the spiritual work among the Maoris of the North is that they are showing a deep interest in spiritual things,” said Bishop Bennett at Auckland, after returning from a visit to the North. “At most of the places I visited the churches were crowded and in some cases the services had to be held in halls, as the churches could not accommodate the congregations. During my visit I confirmed over 100 Maoris and licensed three lay readers.”

There was a considerable number of passengers on the south-bound express when it arrived in Ashburtpn this morning. The train, consisting of fourteen carriages and three vans, was' drawn by two engines. Among the passengers was a party of reservists from the Burnham military camp, delegates returning from the General Assembly at Auckland, the Waitaki Boys’ High School cricket team, and the well-known singer, Mr Dan Foley, and Miss Katherine Dunn.

Disappointment that the Minister of Industries and .Commerce (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) had not yet found it convenient to meet' the Mid-Canterbury Farmers’ Union Executive’s special committee to discuss lime supplies was expressed at the meeting of the executive yesterday afternoon by Mr L. L. Aitken who'has interested himself particularly in the subject and recently presented a comprehensive report to the Executive. Messrs J. Carr and H. C. B." Withell said that there were difficulties that might arise out of the question.

An amusing story of the action of a former Hawke’s Bay resident now in England was related to Hastings Rotarians by their president, Chief Rotarian A. J, C. Runciman. It concerned Mr E. L. Sutro, formerly of Poukaka, who was living some six miles from Hastings, England, a signboard outside his gate bearing a notice to this effect. Cn the other side of the road the Hawke’s Bay man had erected another sign, pointing in the opposite direction, and bearing the words, “Hastings, 12,600 miles.”

Visits to Australian forest areas during recent weeks have impressed Mr H. H. Corban, formerly professor of forestry at Auckland University College, with the importance of developing hardwood forests in the North Auckland district. The climate there was similar to that of New South Wales and southern Queensland, and the superior eucalypts of either State would grow there satisfactorily, and supply commercial quantities of hardwoods for New Zealand. Various Australian hardwoods could be grown in the poorer gumlands, and besides being valuable as timber would be effective! in helping to prevent flooding.

“The ' improvement referred to last year in the number of telephone installations has continued throughout the year,” said the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) in his annual Statement. The net gain in subscribers totalled 8938, as against 5255 for the previous year. “It is gratifying to record,” the Minister said, “that the peak number of subscribers reached in 1930 has now exceeded, and that the grand total oi telephone installations in the Dominion on March 31 stands at the high figure of 178,599, which is 12.034 in' excess of the previous year’s figure and approximately 12,234 in excess of the number recorded m 1930 ”

“It seems a little absurd to me that, when the Legislature deems it competent for a garage to issue a warrant of fitness for-a vehicle, the garage should not have authority also to place the official sticker on the windshield,” said Mr J. H. Edmundson, in his presidential address to the Automobile Association (Hawke’s Bay) at the annual meeting in Napier. He went on to praise the provisions in the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act for the more rigid control of pedestrians and cyclists. “Previously they were allowed to go just as they pleased, and the fault was always alleged to be with the motorist,” he commented, adding that statistics showed that, actually, the fault was just as often with the pedestrian. “It is fashionable nowadays, and unavoidable, to ask what is the responsibility of the League of Nations,” stated Dr. G. H. Scholefield, 0.8.8., of Wellington, when speaking at the annual meeting of the Manawatu branch of the Royal Society on the present confusing conditions of international affairs. He commented that the League had done valuable work in the social sphere, but had not been so successful in the political and economical spheres. Adjustments which, it was admitted now, should have been made, giving nations the right of access to raw materials, had been provided for in the League Covenant, hut unfortunately had never been implemented. Collective security might have been made possible on the basis of satisfactory assurances of an 'economic future for different nations through compliance with the Covenants.

The usual precautions are being taken by the Ashburton County Conncil against grass fires alongside railway lines, by the ploughing of breaks in dangerous positions. The Railway Department is co-operating with the Council in this work.

A large influx of visitors is expected on December 4, when the Hornby, Templeton and Weedons Schools, will make a combined picnic to the Demina in, travelling to Ashburton by special train. It is estimated, that there will be 745 visitors, made up of 420 from Hornby, 225 from Templeton and 100 from Weedons.

The planting out of the ribbon border in the Ashburton Domain has been completed. The border, when in flower, should present the attractive appearance which is associated in particular with the part where it is situated. The recent rain has given the plants a good start. Other planting out is being carried on in the Domain and should be-completed shortly.

The Minister for Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) lias announced that education boards, high school boards, and technical school boards are being authorised to increase from 5s a week to 7s 6d a week the boarding allowance payable to children who are unable to attend public primary schools or post-primary schools without boarding away from home. The increased allowance will be paid from the beginning of tlie third term of this year.

Hansard, which contains verbatim reports of the parliamentary debates, is apparently not regarded as an attractive proposition by the people who pay for their reading matter. The number of copies of each issue printed for the session last year was 74U0, but the number of subscribers was • only 310, and the amount received from them and from sales was £2OB. The price of Hansard is 8d a copy, and the vast majority of those who receive the publication prefer to get included, on the free list.

Dangers in cracked crockery were revealed at the last British Industries Fair, according to the “Pottery Gazette.” A piece of a broken plate was left with a stallholder at the fair for matching, and it was noticed that the fragment was cracked. Under examination of a high-powered microscope to which it was subjected, the crack showed that it was alive with living organisms •which had been accumulating ever since the crack was made, and which had resisted all the washing and polishing that the plate had undergone while it was in use in that condition.

Describing the swiftness of changes in political economy and international outlook in the last decade, Dr. G. H. Scholefield, 0.8. E., of Wellington, during an address to the Manawatu branch of the Royal Society, stated that for thousands of years man had moved at an average speed of four miles an hour, and the world had metaphorically crawled about on its hands and knees. Rapidly, however, the speed of communications had* developed, and now speech and, to a great extent, vision were instantaneous. It was just a question whether the human intellect had been able to appreciate sufficiently the significance of the swift changes within one generation. Instead of shouting to a crowd in a hall, demagogs, both good and bad, to-day whispered to millions by their firesides. It was producing a mob psychology.

An amusing situation arose in, in action, the hearing of which was commenced in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth on a recent morning, states the “Taranaki Herald.” When the Court resumed its sitting at 10 o’clock the plaintiff in the next action to be heard was placed in a waiting-room by his counsel and told to remain there until called. His case was not commenced till after 12 o’clock, but the plaintiff was not required to give his evidence until the afternoon session of the Court opened at 2.15. At that hour counsel went to look for his client, who was still in the waiting-room, having obeyed the instruction to the letter, to the extent of waiting right through the luncheon interval. The indulgence of the Court was sought and obtained, Sir John Reed extending the adjournment period for a short while to enable the plaintiff to obtain some refreshment before giving his evidence.