LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 188, 23 May 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Primary schools in Ashburton, and the Technical High School commenced their second term this morning after a fortnight's vacation. The High School pupils Wilt resume studies tomorrow.

Askcrl this morning if any advance had been made in regard to the fixing of a price schedule for the operators of transport vehicles, the No. 3 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr T. H. Langford) stated that he fiad been going into the question with operators and, a public meeting would be held in Christchurch within the next fortnight.

“When I was having afternoon tea with Mr Malcolm MacDonald, who was in the Dominion Office, Mr J. W. Dulanty, High Commissioner for the Irish Free State, joined us A and 1 asked him, for the benefit of New Zealanders, how they pronounced ‘Eire,’ said Sir Thomas Wilford upon his return to Wellington from London. “He said, ‘Take the name of “Sarah” and drop the “S” and you have it.’ ”

A representative of 3ZB Christchurch visited, the Ashburton Public Hospital yesterday and distributed gifts to the invalid children. These gifts which included • many books and collections of stamps had been sent to the radio station by well-wishers all over Canterbury, for distribution among the hospitals. The visitor hoped to return to Ashburton before long with more,presents for the children.

An unusual statement to a church congregation was made at the Baring Square Church service last evening. Announcing the lidding of the John Wesley bicentenary meeting at the schoolroom to-morrow fevening, the Rev. Angus Mcßean said that a collection would he taken up and he added, “We don’t want a big collection. It is only to meet expenses, and they are not heavy, so you need not give too much.”

Why had not an outlet in the East been opened for New Zealand produce was a question raised ,by the president of the Hawke’s Bay (Hastings) branch of the Farmers’ Union at a- recent meeting of the branch. The secretary (Mr D. Balharry) was instructed to write to Mr A. E. Robinson (provincial secretary to the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, Auckland) to ascertain why the question concerning trade in the. East had been shelved. The question, it is expected, will be a subject for discussion at the branch’s meeting next month.

A call at. Walpole Island, an area ox 310 acres in the New Caledonia Group, was made on Sunday by the Japanese steamer Naniwa Maru, 'which is due at Auckland from Japan. The Naniwa Maru, cii leaving Noumea, steamed 150 miles to Walpole Bay, where ships tie up to strong moorings to be loaded with guano from punts. Rough weather, however, resulted in the ship leaving the island for Auckland after loading- only a. small quantity of guano. Walpole Island is leased by the French Government to an Australian company, and produces 10,000 tons of guano each year.

A message placed in a bottle and thrown into the sea at 'Cloudy Bay four months ago by a Blenheim resident lias had a varied cruise in Cook Strait, and a few days ago it was nicked up by a settler at Te Kamaru Bay, about eight miles due west of Wellington and about 18 miles south, of Kapiti Island. The finder, after reading the message, which comprised the names of the party which visited Cloudy Bay and an indication of what had been done, wrote to the sender acknowledging it and giving the locality and time as to when it had been picked up.

A concrete vault to house a large transformer has been completed in St. Hill Street near Ridgway Street, Wanganui, to the order of the Wanganui-Rangitikei Electric Power 1 Board. The vault extends to a considerable depth and is of roomy dimensions. During its construction, workmen experienced difficulty owing to the obstruction of several heavy logs, which had to he cut up and removed in sections. This timber was situated in heavy clay some 10 feet from the surface, and was in a remarkable state of preservation.

There was a good attendance at the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church last evening, when the Rev. R.. S. Watson conducted a service, attended by 'the recently-elected Mayor and Councillors. The Rev. Watson, in welcoming the Mayor, Councillors and Town Clerk, expressed pleasure at the acceptance of fiis invitation and wished them a pleasant and useful term of office. Addressing the Mayor, Mr Watson said that Dr. Miller had been identified with the Church for some years and was a. son of a. former minister (the Very Rev. G. Miller) who had rendered distinguished service to tire Cnurch and town. Mr Watson based his sermon on. the following words: ''“The beloved city” (Revelation); “I’m a native of Tarsus, a citizen of no mean city” (Acts); and “When lie was come near He beueld the city and wept over it” (Luke). The choir under Mr L. J. Watt, L.A.R., rendered the anthem “Non Nobis, Domine” (Quilter), and Miss Watt presided at tne organ.

On ni visit to Japan last year wit : b his wne iVir A. ivtcxvay, or Waaestown (.Wellington; oruered lour painted porcelain piates from a ivt.ee nrm, tne arrangement heing that tne plates snouid be ctelivered on board tilt steamer. Somenow they went astray and some tunc afterwards Mr Mcjvay wrote to tne mm, pointing out time the order.nad not come to mind. tns letter hrougnt a prompt response ana, m due course, another .set or plates, on which trie manufacturers paiu f postage amounting to 9s in iNCiv /ieaiancl currency came to hand. 'J he firm’s letter read: “We*, have just received your inquiry letter few days ago stated that J picture plates which you gave us an order. W e are surely brought on board to handed to second class inquirys office when you were absent, and at same time we have got the office receipt though it we didn’t much care for that as we thought after ship sail no need keep it any more. We arc serprised anexpectedly you wrote inquiry letter toward us. We stlongly explain that since we established this firm we never done such a wrong things like that for ■ever. We beg to ask you to wait until s/s Atsuta Maru come back to. Kobe to make it sure as soon as we will visit that ship, and promise to make new ones again to send you, if we oould not obtain them at last. We wrote just explanation for your letter. . . •”

Mrs F. E. Mason, an elderly woman, fractured her left fore-arm on Saturday morning when she fell at her home in Eton Street, Ashburton. . Her condition this morning was reported to be satisfactory.

It is likely that preliminary steps to arrange for the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the Borough of Ashburton will be taken in hand at an early date. Ashburton was declared a Borough on July 17, 1878, and the Gazette notice appeared on August 1, the election of the first Mayor and first Council taking place in the first few days of September. The first meeting of the Council was held on September 9.

The original use of a military button —one of a collection at present on display in the Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery building—is mystifying the officials. Despite wide inquiries, the type of regimental uniform whicu the button originally decorated has not been discovered, states an exchange. The button bears a centrepiece of a winged wheel with six arrow heads reacting out from the rear of the wheel. Under this design appears the lettering, “N.Z.A.S.M.”

A sitting of the No. 3 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr T. H. Langford) was held in Ashburton this morning, but there was little business to be gone into, the proceedings lasting about one minute. Two applications for the transfer of passengers services from Burnetts Motors (Ashburton) and H. Hopn ood (Itakaia), respectively, to IX Lister, Timaru, were granted without objection. The Railway Department was represented by Mr W. Rodgers.

Speaking at Baring Square Methodist Church last evening on the work pf John Wesley, the Kiev. Angus McBean said that on one occasion the great preacher arrived at a village at 11 o’clock at night after a hard journey on horseback over 60 miles. His only friend in the village was a Catholic. priest, who went round the village and roused the people to hear Wesley, who began his sermon at 11.30 p.m. in the Catholic Church. He preached again at the same place at 5 a.m. the next day ai^l, many people stayed up all night so that they would not miss the sermon.

“We are the second highest motorised country in the world,” declared the Minister of Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) at Pukekohe in a. recent address. “We have a car for every five persons—man, woman, and child — in the Dominion. America leads us at present, but we have to pay just double the price fer the cars here, so if 'we only paid the same price, America would not see the way we went.” Mr Semple referred to the growth of motor transport. The Minister said that in 1912 the first through trip was made from Auckland to Wellington, and it took eight days to do it, but, he added with a twinkle in his eyes, “There are some men who would do it in eight hours if I.’d 'let them.”

A , warning against dealing with itinerant traders, whose goods were often misrepresented, was sounded by Mr T. E. Toneycliffe at a meeting of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce. The matter was raised when the Hamilton Chamber wrote asking that Gisborne support them in efforts to put a check on the activities of these people who came into towns and, after tailing business away from local merchants, passed on to ether towns. It was decided t<> .support the view expressed by the Hamilton Chamber, and to adopt the suggestion that the Minister of Industries and Commerce (the'lHon. D. G. Sullivan) be communicated with in connection with the subject. An explanation of the reason for the huge congregations that John Wesley preached to at 5 o’clock every morning through 50 years was given by the .Rev. Angus Mcßean at the Baring Square Methodist Church last evening. In those days, he said, there were no amusements to take people out at night as was the case now; very few people could read, a;nd there were few books anyway. Illumination was gained by means of tallow candles which gave feeble light, so that the people could not see much even if they had it to see. Therefore, it seemed to him, they v\cnt to bed early and got up early, so that Wesley was able to preach at so early an hour day after day.