LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 187, 21 May 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As no commitees were elected for the Dorie, Ealing and Mount Somers Schools at the time of the recent meetings of householders, the Canterbury Education Board has decided to again call meetings of householders in these districts.

About 40 tons of Avireless equipment for the new Hawke’s Bay radio transmitting station at Opapa, arrived at> Napier recently by the steamer Kauri from South Australia. The consignment consists in all of 700 packages and includes 550 packings of angle iron for the erection of the wireless mast.

A party of members of the Ashburton Savage Club, headed by Great Chief A. H. Todd, attended the opening korero of the South Canterbury Savage Club at Timaru on Thursday evening. Savage J. H. Browne took part in 'an impromptu sketch and Great Chief Todd gave a humorous dialogue.

The efficiency of the person-to-person telephone service of the Post and Telegraph Department was demonstrated in Whangarei recently. It was necessary to get in to urgent touch with a young man from Whangarei who was staying at a boarding house in Auckland. The name of the establishment was not known. The person-to-person service was called upon, and within 15 minutes telephonic communication was established.

Advice has been received by the secretary to the Mid-Canterbury Executive of the Farmers’ Union ;(Mr W. H. Anlos) th’at the proposed South Island tour of farmers from Taranaki had been abandoned. The reason given was that the Railways Department required a minimum of 150 passengers to enable the tour to be made, whereas the number who had signified their intention to make the trip if it eventuated was 50.

A representative meeting of citrus growers in Gisborne unanimously agreed to form a co-operative organisation to erect and equiv an up-to-date lemon-curing factory at the cost of probably over £2OOO. It was decided also to ask the Government for a loan for the purpose of financing the project, which would bring the district into line with other citrus-growing areas and also conform to the requirements of the Government in the marketing of lemons.

Amusement was caused at the Eltham Court recently by the apparent indifference of a farmer, charged with having supplied his factory with adulterated milk, as to whether (he plead guilty or not. Asked by the clerk which way he pleaded he replied, “It depends how much water there is supposed to be in my milk.” “Then you plead not guilty?”—“l don’t; know whether I am guilty or not.” On being informed that the milk had been adulterated to the extent of 12 per cent, he said, “Oh, then I’m .not guilty.”

With the holidays coming to a dose this week-end, the primary and secondary school children who travelled for their vacation are new making their way homewards. This morning’s southbound express train, even though it was of the maximum length of 16 carriages and three vans was not roomy enough to cope with the usual Saturday morning rush of travellers and the additional large number of school pupils. A relief train was dispatched from Christchurch and arrived at Ashburton at almost half-past ten. This, too, was well crowded. A train, which passed through .at about 9.30, a.m., was a special for the Timaru races.

A coin in the possession of Mr J. J. Harding, of Ouehunga, can be called a real antique for it dates back almost 1900 years to Roman days. The coin is a “first brass” issued during the reign of the Emperor Trajan, who held sway from 53 A.D. to 117 A .XL On the obverse is a likeness of tlie famous Roman ruler, and on the other side is a symbolic figure, with the inscription so well known to all. who have any knowledge of Latin “Senatus Populusque Romanus.” The coin is in a remarkably good state of preservation, and was acquired by Mr Harding 40 years ago when he was living in Bristol.

Apprehension at the growing hostility against Dominion produce in Britain, as evidenced by the threatened boycott of New Zealand butter in the industrial areas in the Midland counties, was expressed at the Auckland provincial conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. A resolution was passed calling upon the Dominion executive to take the strongest measures possible to prevent the s farming industry being jeopardised for the benefit of a relatively small section of the community. Failing a satisfactory adjustment of the position by other means, it was urged that a campaign be organised to induce farmers to buy imported goods in preference to protected locally produced-goods of a similar nature.

“I have promised to bear the expense of bringing them here, and I shall honour that, but I should like a ruling on the point for the future,” said Mr A. A. Bennett, of New Plymouth, when announcing that lie had asked that two Okato police witnesses who had completed their evidence the previous week should attend the court that day in case they should be needed. The case which Involved licensing charges, was heard the week before last, but was adjourned to permit the defence to call fresh evidence. Counsel raised the question whether under the circumstances the men should be there in any event, unless they had been excused. He might not always l>e in a position to promise the expenses, he said. The magistrate said he would not answer the point right away.

The theory—or perhaps it might bo more adequately described ns the suspicion—that the current facial eczema epidemic among stock in the Auckland Province springs from some source in phosphates or other fertilisers which have come prominently into use in modern farming is vigorously opposed by at least one Auckland citizen. This gentleman informed a reporter that' his mother preserves a letter written 79 years ago by a. family relative in England describing a similar epidemic among the sheep there. The correspondent of that period, writing from a rural district in Northern England to his sister in New Zealand, describes the mortality among the flecks and the fact that farmers were required to burn the stricken sheep to guard against a spread of the trouble. And at that time none of the fertilisers in present-day use were employed in English farming,

Tiie Ashburton Technical High School and the primary schools in Ashburton Borough and County will resume on Monday after the first term holidays. The Ashburton High School will reopen on Tuesday.

The proposal to build a new Post Office at Ashburton at a cost of about £25,000, isi preference to the carrying out of £15,000 worth of extensions to the present building, will be advanced a further stage week, when Mr H. E. Herring, M.P., will, confer with the Postmaster-General (the Hon F. Jones) in Wellington.

An apple tree that is bearing its second crop for this season is creating considerable interest for an Auckland householder. The apples are numerous but small, and there is speculation not only as to whether they will ripen, but also as to wliat will happen next spring.

The slump in private building continues in Wellington. At the present rate the amount of building apart from Government construction and the exhibition, for the current year is going to show a decline on that of last year. The total value of permits issued by the City Engineer’s Department of the City Corporation in April for new buildings and alterations was £63,684, as compared with £128,673 for the corresponding month last year, a 50 per cent. drop.

The annual street appenl of the Ashburton Sub-Centre of the St. John Ambulance Association vester lay resulted in £46 13s 6d being raised. The sum collected last year was over £6O. Yesterday twenty-two collectors worked from a central depot on the green opposite the Somerset Hotel, where local officials of the Association were in charge. The proceeds of the cake stall amounted to £4 4s 2d. The sum of £230 is now in hand and plans are being made for further efforts to raise funds for the building of new premises.

A remarkable case of a man with a wooden leg who played football was recalled in the Supreme Court at Auckland by Mr Justice Callan when the limitations in sport imposed r on a man by a stiff leg were under, discussion. “As I remember it,' ’ said his Honor, “objection was taken by his opponents to this man because he had a big advantage in the scrum. I think it must be regarded as quite a freakish case.” Mr West, who was appearing in the case, remarked that for a one-legged man to play cricket was quite common.

“The choice before us is world trade or world war,” said the president of the Auckland provinical branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union (Mr H. 0. Mellsop), in an address to delegates attending the provincial conference of the union, Avhich opened at Auckland on Tuesday. “The day of economic nationalism must go,” he continued. “The British Empire should take the initiative in a strong and definite move towards world trade. In my opinion, it is the only movement large enough to save present civilisation.”

In accordance with .a custom observed in an interesting ceremony was held m conjunction with the golden jubilee celebrations of the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Joseph’s Home, Herne Bay, Auckland. At luncheon the old folk who are cared for at the institution were waited 'on by their benefactors, —Bishop Liston, members of the, clergy, and social workers donned aprons and attended to their needs. The custom was observed for the first time in Auckland last year, and will be an annual event.

An exhibit of interest to game sportsmen, produced by a deputation on Wednesday to the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry), was a dead duck—obviously a cross between a wild grey duck and a white Pekin or Aylesbury duck. It was pointed out that there 'were many sportsmen, of years of experience among game birds, who held fast to the opinion that the wild grey duck would not mate for breeding with the ordinary domestic duck, and the exhibit was submitted as an example to the contrary. The duck, a well-con-ditioned bird, was one of a number of like breeding shot on the wing by a sportsman at Waipukurau, Hawke’s Bay, last week-end. It had yellow legs, a ring of white feathers round the neck, and the feathers on the whole of the back were grey, the long ones of both wings being white the smaller ones a bluey-green, and the feathers of the tail end of the bird white.