LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 192, 27 May 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Three cases of scarlet fever were notified to the Ashburton Borough health officer this week. There was a clean bill of health in the County.

For the convenience of motorists who have still to register their cars the registration branch at the Ashburton Post Office will be open this evening and on Monday and Tuesday evenings between 7 and 8 o’clock. The branch at the Baring Square Sunday .School will be open only during the daytime.

Officers of the Ashburton Rotary Club were elected yesterday as follow: —President, .Dr. J. Russell Wells; vice-president, Air W. H. Amos; directors, Messrs E. H. Orr, H. W. H. Smallbone, F. Curtis and the Rev. R. S. Watson; Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr A. H. Todd.

The phenomenon of a lunar rainbow was witnessed one night last week by many people in Whangarei. This was seen to advantage from the town, the rainbow appearing over the Western Hills. It was a strange sight, and instead of the usual definite colours, appeared as a rainbow shape in misty outline.

“I am sure that, the excellent work will result in cheapening the cost of handling of your produce and goods,” said Mr T. R. Toovey, representative of the Port of London Authority, when briefly mentioning to members of the Hastings Chamber cf Commerce his inspection of the work being carried out at the Napier Breakwater.

Ascension Day was observed in St. Andrew's Church, Timvald, yesterday with two celebrations of Holy Communion in. the morning and fully choral evensong in the evening. The evening service-, which was well attended, was conducted by the Rev. A. H. Childs, assisted by Mr M. P. Cooke. The choir rendered the anthem, "Goa is a Spirit.”

"That woman’s sphere is in the home” was the subject of an impromptu debate between the Ashburton Technical High School Old Pupils’ Association and the Ashburton Catholic Club at a social held in the School Assembly Hall on Wednesday evening. Impromptu speeches were also delivered. After supper table tennis and cards were played.

Magpies are far too numerous in the Wellington acclimatisation district and several complaints have been received about their having attacked women and children, states Ranger T. Andrews, Palmertson North, in a report included in the annual report of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society. In the Feiiding district in particular, the report states, magpies seem to be as numerous fls sparrows, and he is of opinion that something should he done to thin them (*ut.

"At the risk of seaming to touch on matters political,” said Mr L. P. Leary in the Supreme Court at Auckland, "I would say that anyone who is embarking capital in a- business, to-day is running a very serious risk.” "You say the public are reasonably alive to certain possibilities to-day to which they could not be expected to he alive in October, 1934, when this contract was made?” queried Mr Justice Callan. "I feel that is a sound submission,” said Mr Leary. "It 'would not be proper,” remarked his Honor, smiling, "to submit how this question ought to be answered if it were being argued in December of this year.” "I have not prepared argument along those lines,” said Mr'Leary.

A little over three years ago Dunedin became renowned for being the home of the Johnson quadruplets. An event which happened on Wednesday morning is likely to focus further attention on Dunedin, for at the Queen Mary Hospital triplets —three boys—were born to Mrs Warren, the wife of Mr Samuel Warren, a labourer employed by Messrs W. Oasey and Son, contractors, of Pelichet Bay. At about 10 o’clock '’last night, however, advice was received that one of the infants, whose weight was 21b 12oz, had died. The weights of the other two children, who are reported by Matron Clifford to be doing well, are 41b 9cz and 31b 6oz. They have to have special attention and are wrapped in cotton wool. The temperature of the room is kept at 80 degrees, and that of their cots at 98 degrees. Dr. Ritchie was in attendance when the children came in to the world. In addition to the new infants, Mr Warren has a family of three girls. Triplets are said to occur once in every 6000 births. % After making a record flight for gas model aeroplanes of 23 minutes, Mr F. Olsen’s new ’plane was lost from sight at Gore during the week-end and has not yet been found. This is the second gas model aeroplane to be lost during an attempt on the New Zealand time record. The previous New Zealand record, flight was made by a model constructed by Mr L. Halcrow, of Dunedin, the time being 18 minutes, and when an attempt was made from the Gore aerodrome to improve this time the aeroplane was lost in the McNab district and not found until several days later. Mr Olsen’s ’plane made a perfect take-off and climbed rapidly, circling as it rose. It continued to circle at ever 2000 feet for almost a quarter- of an hour, and then it was caught in a wind drift and was blown eastward. A close watch was kept and the aeroplane disappeared after 23 minutes, this being confirmed by ofiieial timekeepers, so that a record could be claimed. An extensive search was made of the Whiterig and Pinnacle. Roads without result.

After one of the longest treks made in. Southland, 470' head of cattle from the country behind Lake Wakatipu arrived at Lorneville on Tuesday. Ihe cattle, which are from the Rees, Dart, and Routeburn valleys, are mostly of the Hereford breed. 'They were swum across a portion of Lake Wakatipu at Kinloch and further down the lake they were given another swim of about a mile to avoid live dangerous Staircase Bluff, which has usually spelt disaster to some of the mobs previously brought out. Six horsemen swimming in the la Ice kept the cattle together. The mob arrived intact at Locbiol on Sunday, after a journey of about 170 miles. Usually, there are fairly heavy casualties in dining mobs of about 150 head of stock from the Glenorchy district as a dangerous bluff and heavy hush, in which cattle repeatedly break back, have to lie negotiated. On this occasion, however, the low level of The lake made swimming reasonably safe. The mob included about 150 big steers, over ICO smaller ones, and about 100 breeding cows wfth runners at foot.

Sustenance payments will be made next week to 208 men on the Ashburton unemployment register. There were 205 men on the list this week.

Pupils from the Ashburton High School were interested spectators of the proceedings of the Ashburton Magistrate’s Court during the first hour and a half of the sitting.

A New Plymouth firm recently received a cheque for fivepence. Threepence had been spent on stamp duties and postage of the cheque, which,, now framed, hangs on the wall of the company that received it.

Three men will start wcrk on Monday with the Ashburton Hospital Board on improvement work under the Government’s scheme of providing fulltime work and wages. This will make a. total of 52 men working under this scheme with Ashburton local bodies.

The New Zealand Freezing and Related Industries Clerical Officers’ Industrial Union of Workers lias decided by a postal (ballot that- its union should not affiliate with the New Zealand Labour Party. The voting was as follows: —For affiliation, 127 ; against affiliation, 408; informal votes, 8. The number of members who did not vote was 194.

“It is my intention to have as much of the council business as possible transacted in open council, so that the public will know what is being done,” said the Mayor of Napier (Mr T. W. Hercock) in an interview with the “Hawke’s Bay Daily Mail” last week. Mr Hercock added that when public money was being expended the ratepayers had a right to know the opinions of individual councillors.

“There is a need for continued education among our adult population,” said Mr R. G. Ridling (Director of the Wellington Technical College) in his report to the Board of Governors, “and this need can only be met if we are able to interest the people in the more cultural and the more useful activities. The cinema and the radio have an overbearing influence at the present time and these lack the influence- of strong personal characters that are so necessary in developing interest in educational activities. The Government proposes to make an effort to organise adult education and an Advisory Council is being set up for this purpose, but the greatest good will arise only where fine personality is made available to provide a service for which there is so great a need.”

' A fine compliment was paid to the people of New Zealand, particularly those in Hawke’s Bay, by Mr T. R. Toovey (representative of the Port of London Authority), when addressing members of the Hastings Chamber of Commerce, mention being made of the manner in which the province had recovered from the earthquake of 1931 and of its efforts to recover from the recent disastrous floods. “We hear sometimes that the nation is getting soft,” he said, “but after making a visit to this part of New Zealand, where earthquakes and floods have wrought such terrible damage, and witnessed how you people have maw recovery, I feel sure that it will be admitted by all. that some of the spirit of the old pioneers is still in your blood. Otherwise you would not be able to stand up to things as you do.”

Mr G. R. L. Malet, formerly civil engineer of Indian State railways, stationed at Calcutta, who has been on a holiday visit to Queenstown, stated toi a “Daily Times” reporter that he considered the trains in New Zealand travelled too fast for a 3ft 6in gauge. The arrangements for reservations on the New Zealand railways were excellent, and they compared very favourably with the Indian railways in the checking of tickets. Mr Malet remarked that there was a considerable amount of free riding on the Indian railways. He did not think the lines here were as well ballasted as those in India and Malaya. Metal sleepers, made of steel and cast-iron, were new being introduced into India, and were proving very satisfactory. A new idea was the “free” sleeper, the rails being held by free lugs, and this did away with pounding at the joints. He thought that these sleepers were going to prove a success. Speaking generally, they had no corridor cars in India, and they had four classes as compared with the two classes in New Zealand. The classes in India were first, second, intermediate, and third.