LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 37, 23 November 1937, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Nineteen motor driver’s licenses were issued in Ashburton Borough in the last two weeks, and in the same period four building permits (for structures estimated to cost £138) were issued.

Six entries for the John Bell Memorial Scholarships, tenable at the Ashburton High School, have been received. The candidates are pupils at the Ashburton Borough, Allenton, Westerfield, 'Lowcliffe, and Lismore Schools, the latter providing two of them.

A number of Salvation Army officers were seeing Commissioner B. Orames off from Auckland by the Mariposa, when a big man moved quietly up to them and passed an envelope' to one of the Salvationists and then quickly disappeared. The envelope contained a donation for the Army. The donor was Earl McCready, the British Empiro wrestler.

Permission to hold picnics in the Domain was granted to the committees of the Templeton School (December 4), Spreydon School (December 11), East Christchurch (December 9), Te Pireta School (December 16), by the Ashburton Domain Board last evening. It was stated .that each committee had been notified that hot water and milk would be furnished for the picnic party.

A request from a Whitianga farmer for permission to shoot pukekos on his property on account of the damage they were doing to his oat crops was received by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society at its meeting at Thames last week. The society decided to make a request to the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry) that the farmer and two officials of the society be allowed to shoot the birds for a week from December 1.

Fresh from the Mint, dozens of boxes of New Zealand silver coinage were unloaded from the liner Rangitata at Queen’s Wharf, Auckland, on Friday and removed under guard to the vaults of several city banks for distribution throughout the province (states the “New Zealand Herald”). For the replenishment of stocks, regular shipments of coin reach the Dominion, and it is usual for a considerable quantity to arrive in November to meet the requirements of Christmas trade.

“An extra chief engineer’s British marine certificate will get a man a job, ashore as well as afloat, anywhere m the world,” said Mr J. Roberts, ot Wellington, who represented the workers in an Arbitration Court case at Auckland on Wednesday, in stressing the value of men in various dairy factories holding marine certificates (states the “New Zealand Herald ). “It is the highest-standing examination in the world,” Mr Roberts added.

Estates of a value of £467,963 were reported and accepted for administration by the Public Trustee during Oo tober. The total value of the estates under administration by the Public Trustee on March 31 last was £60,770,814 and the new business for the seven months ended October 31, was £3,441,722. Grants of administration made by the Court last month in favour of the Public Trustee numbered 147. During the month 330 new wills appointing the Public Trustee executor were prepared on behalf of testators and lodged for safe custody, and 294 existing wills were revised to provide for changes desired by testators.

Mr James Lobb 4 a 77-year-old Cornishman, Avho arrived in Auckland on Sunday by the Aorangi, -and is now in Wellington, has completed ten trips round the world. As a young man lie sailed for New Zealand in 1883. At the age of tAventy-three he Avas a farm labourer, but a few years later lie Avas managing farms, and before long had a farm of nearly 1600 acres of liis own. He retired at the age of 60, when “lie had made enough money to see him through.” Lately Mr Lobb, whose home while in New Zealand is at "Waitahuna, lias made it a practice to make a trip home every second year. This time he returned to Ncav Zealand via Canada and the United States. One of liis proudest possessions is a 20-year-old car, Avhich lie still drives, and he is proud of his achievement in resisting the talk of expert salesmen who want him to invest in a streamlined model.

Here are some remarks (in the Ncaa’ Zealand “Accountants’ Journal”) of Mr. J. M. Elliffe, Auckland, avlio has had much experience as an examiner in accountancy subjects: “In answer to a question as to the principal qualifications of an auditor, I received many replies Avhich Avould, I am sure, have gratified many of our practitioners as showing the high regard in which they are held. One candidate said: ‘An auditor should be virtuous, honest and should not drink.’ One student, when asked as to the procedure in a brewery audit, answered ‘On no account AA’ould I conduct such an audit as it is against my principles.’ Another candidate wrote, ‘A current account is an account in, the bank. If one takes or draAVS money from it, it still keeps running.”

The strong contrast in appearance betAveen the papa country toAvards Gisborne and the limestone hills of Hawke’s Bay can hardly fail to impress travellers by air between Gisborne and Palmerston North (says the “Poverty Bay Herald”). On the northern “leg” of the journey the country seen from the plane presents a rugged appearance, the ridges giving the impression of razor-like sharpness and the valleys being cut deep by the action of rain. South of Napier, however, the hiills are rounded and the slopes gradual; so much so that a large proportion of the country between Napier and Te Ante has been under the plough in recent years. The remains of fallen bush have completely disappeared from the hills on the long-settled portions of Hawke’s Bay, and plantations of firs are a feature of the landscapes. The immense area claimed by riverbeds in this country, on the other hand startles the air traveller, and offers a striking comparison Avith the conditions found both in Poverty Bay and in southern HaAvke’s Bay, where the rivers tend to cut deep beds rather than to spread over Avide, shalloAV courses. To view Ha-Avke’s Bay from the air is to understand lioav serious is the danger of flooding in persistently rainy weather.

The attention of the Borough Council was last evening drawn by Mr J. McElhinney to the unwholesome state of the conveniences in East Street, his reference being mainly to the outer appearance. It was decided to have the outer walls tidied up.

“Valuing land is not an exact science,” said Mr C. D. Dickie, in giving evidence in a compensation claim before the Supreme Court at New Plymouth recently. “It is something like the fixing of values in the Smithheld meat market. 1 was told that the people who bought there had a ‘market sense/ and the selling price became hxed accordingly.”

A sum of £4 6s 6d has been subscribed by nurses and former nurses in Ashburton toward a fund which has been opened by the Trained Nurses Assoekv tion in aid of six New Zealand nurses who have lost their homes and belongings as a resulk of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai. The appeal was for one shilling from each nurse in the Dominion, but in Ashburton the subscriptions in many eases were above this amount.

A suggestion that toy model motorcars should be part of the court equipment was made in the Magistrate’s Court at Invercargill recently by Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M., during the hearing of a motor collision dispute. The magistrate said that toy models had been found most useful in cases in the main centres. The magistrate instructed the court officials to procure a number of miniature vehicles which could be used in cases before the court.

“One of the most coveted rewards for industrial workers is a season ticket for the opera,” said Miss A. L. Loudo'n headmistress at the Epsom Girls’ Grammar School, in relating some of her impressions gained during a recent, visit to Russia. Referring to the great thirst for art throughout the country, Miss Loudon said that dramatic art took pride of place in Russia. In Moscow there were 72 theatres, 10 concert halls, four grand opera houses, and three where operettas were played. There were 50,000 theatrical w r orkers.

Reference to the severe loss suffered by Mr and Mrs J. H. Grigg and the whole of the Ashburton County in the burning of the Longbeach Homestead was made at the meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council last evening by the Mayor (Mr W. H. Woods). The hospitality that had been proffered to visitors on numerous occasions was spoken of by Mr Woods who said the destruction of the homestead was to be greatly regretted. It was decided to send a letter to Mr Grigg expressing the Council’s regret at his loss.

The Teachers’ Appeal Board yesterday dismissed the appeal of Miss A. J. Greville, infant mistress at the Manuretya School, against the decision of the Auckland Education Board to transfer her to a similar position at Matamata (says a Press Association telegram from Auckland). The grounds of the appeal' were that the change would adversely affect her health as she had become subject to bronchitis and asthma while stationed at Hamilton, near Matamata. The board’s records were produced showing that while stationed at Hamilton for two years the appellant had no sick leave, but that while stationed in Auckland and in the North Auckland district she had frequently been on leave for chest complaints.

“Elocution teachers in this part of the world have a much more difficult task than those in other parts of the British Empire,’ said Mr Anderson Tyrer, the Trinity College of Music examiner, in the course of a talk to students and teachers at Dunedin. “There is a tendency here,” he continued, to distort and flatten the vowels. The home influence has a great deal to do with this, and I am afraid the schools are not very particular about the speech of the primary pupils. I would advise students to concentrate more on pure speech and less on gesture; we want interpretation, not a mere display of elocutionary or dramatic ability 7 -—it takes an artist to do these things. Go for naturalness ot speech and expression, and avoid unnecessary mannerisms.”

A Press Association telegram from Nelson states that the proposed, amalgamation of certain road motor services in the Nelson province was the subject of a public inquiry held yesterday in the Council Chambers by Mr T. EL Langford, Licensing Authority for the No. 3 Transport District. Representations were recently made to the Minister of Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) concerning the possible effects of the proposal on the fruit industry. After hearing evidence the Authority adjourned the inquiry and will be resumed in the form of a round-table conference, probably at Mapua within a week. General agreement with the broad principle of amalgamation was expressed by all parties.

With the intention of walking from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, Mrs K. O’Sullivan, who is known as “the modern Nlew Zealand grandmother,” will leave for England early next year. In 1933, Mrs O’Sullivan, then 54 years of age, walked from Spirits Bay to Bluff, the distance being 1466 miles. She took 57 walking days on the journey. Her average was 30 miles a day, with a maximum of 40 miles. In the following year she cycled over the same route. She then went to Australia, and walked from Melbourne to Sydney, a distance of 600 miles, and took 18| walking days on the trip. Mrs O’Sullivan claims * that a slender waistline is the basis of good health for a woman, and walking is the best exevcise. In England she proposes to lecture on New Zealand and its attractions. x

Picture theatres in Auckland are to be permitted to open for the night session only on Christmas Day on the condition that no member of the staff is to be compelled to work if he or she is to receive less than 12s for the occasion. The matter was before the city 7 council when it was reported that a union of employees had asked the council to refuse permission for the opening of the theatres on Sundays, Christmas Day, Anzac D'ay, and Good Friday. The legal and by-laws committee, which had been given power to act, reported that it had decided to grant permission for these theatres to open on Christmas Day on the conditions mentioned. The Town Clerk had been instructed to advise the theatre proprietors that if the conditions were accepted and deviation from them by any 7 proprietor came to the notice of the council, permission would not be given to open on Christmas Day 7 next year. The action of the committee was confirmed.