LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 309, 11 October 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Having conquered the immediate atmosphere, the efforts of aircraft clesigwers are now turned toward the stratosphere. The object in view is to construct an aeroplane, which, tearing ahead -at. the immensely increased speed which is possible only in the stratosphere, will enable a machine to ily' round the world in a day. lho man who makes this a commercial proposition will reap a fortune and make other methods of air travel hopelessly slow and old-fashioned. This is the subject of a new story by Alroy West, writbr of vivid imaginative novels, under the title of “Stratosphere Express,’’ publication of which will he commenced in the “Guardian” tomorrow.

The manager of flue Municipal auattoir reported to the Borough Council last evening ihat stock slaughtered during last month was as follows: Cattle 138, sheep 167, calves 1, pigs 90 (two condemned).

A printer’s error in the report of the discussion at the Ashburton Hospital Board yesterday on the question of radium completely reversed the meaning of a sentence in Dr. J. Russell Wells’s remarks. He was reported io have said that “the position was a very satisfactory one.” It should have road “a very unsatisfactory one.”

“'Afber all the criticism that was levelled at the Fire Brigade and tlie water supply at the time of the theatre fire, it gives us the greatest pleasure to pay a tribute to the Brigade for the work they did when my home caught lire recently,” said Mr J. Thompson at the meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council last evening. He added that the Brigade had made an excellent save in face of the fierce wind that was - blowing at the time of the fire. The water supply, he said, had been all that was required,

Four building permits, for structures ■estimated to cost £IO3O, were issued, in Ashburton Borough in the last two weeks.

Eighteen licences were issued to motor drivers in Ashburton Borough in the last two weeks, making a total of 1106 since the beginning of June.

The Loyal Tinwald, and Hinds Lodges paid their official visit to tlie Loyal ltakaia Lodge last evening. Both Lodges were well represented and an enjoyable evening was spent.

While searching for a. calf at Houto, North Auckland, Mrs W. W. Holster found a large dead kiwi. About 10 yards away Mr Holster found the bird’s nest in the end of a log. The nest contained two large eggs.

. The next meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council falls on Labour Day and the Council decided last evening to allow that meeting to lapse, but n important, business has to be attended 'to the Mayor will call a meeting tor some other evening.

At the meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council last evening, Mr J. McElhinney, a member of the works \staff, was temporarily appointed Foreman in place of Mr T. Gibson, wno has resigned because of indifferent health. $

A Rotary club is not a lunciieon club; it is a service club,” remarked the district governor of Rotary (Mr G. W. Hutchison, of Auckland) during an address to the Hamilton Rotary Club. “I do not mean that we give service as a club, but that the individual members give service on behalf of the club,” added Mr Hutchison.

The employment of men under the No. 13 scheme has enabled the Ashburton Borough Council to do some much-needed work with 'the water mains, among other things. It was reported to the Council last evening that new mains and reconditioning or old mains had been carried nut over a distance of 57 .j chains.

Archbishop Averill, Primate ot isew Zealand, celebrated his seventy-third birthday last Friday. The Archbishop is in the twenty-ninth year of. Iris consecration to the episcopate, the twenty-fifth year of his translation to the diocese of Auckland, and the fourteenth year of his elevation to tile primacy.

The cradle swings in the Ashburton Domain are being overhauled and the work should Lie completed at an early date, according to a report presented to the Domain Board last evening by the Curator (Mr D. H. Leigh), who added that the worn iron parts would last another year, when they would be replaced.

The garden plots in Baring Square West have been dug and. tidied, men from the Domain staff being employed in cleaning up work yesterday and today. The edges of the lawns have also been trimmed. With many of the trees around the Square now in full bloom, the area is particularly attractive to the passer-by.

“I don’t think we have come to a stage when traffic on a public highway has to giye way to traffic emerging from a private entrance,” commented Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Palmerston North. “The obligation is on the person entering a, main road to give way, It is not a question of traffic on the right. The person emerging from an entrance must give way to the traffic on the highway.” , .

Acts of qruelty toward the ducks and swans in the Ashburton Domain have raised the wrath of the authorities against the children; who have been responsible and it was decided by the Domain Board last evening to take swift action against offenders in the future. When a report on the question was submit tied by the Curator (Mr D. H. Leigh) the Board decided to send a letter to the newspapers and to all schoolmasters pointing out the actions of some hoys toward, the •waterfowl and stating that offenders would be prosecuted.

Donations totalling £33 9s have been received by the Town Clerk at Ash,burton (Mr It. C. Major) toward tlie appeal for Chinese refugee children. The amounts are as follow:—The Mayor (Dr. G. I. Miller) £5, the Ashburton Rotary Club £5. Mrs W. J. Moore £B, Miss ,E. J. Watt £4, Mrs F. M. Young £o, Five membejrs of the P.W.M.IL £4 4s, Mrs E. Ruddock £l, Mr and Mrs R. L. Stephenson ius, Caroline and Edward Curtis 10s, Miss E. M. Jennings ss.

Eight cases of erysip*das, which continues to be the most common notifiable disease, were 'reported to the Health 'Department last week from the Canterbury and 'West Coast area. A case of scarlet fever and one of septic abortion were also .reported. Three deaths occurred from tuberculosis. Two cases of tuberculosis and one of erysipelas were reported from the West Coast. The department reports that the position; of measles remains about the same, the Christchurch metropolitan area being the only one affected at all severely.

A further decrease in the number of persons affected by measles in the Auckland metropolitan and rural areas wi&re reported by the district office of the Health Department yesterday (says a Press Association telegram). Absentees last week’ among 3787 persons employed by eight city firms totalled, 38, or 1.02 per cent., compared with 46 in the previous week. Four persons with German measles, and two with the ordinary type were patients in the Auckland Hospital last week, compared with a total of 10 the previous week. A hoy of I*2 died at the hospital from complications after ordinary measles.

Reporting to the Council last evening, ihe Mayor (Dir. G. I. Miller) stated that lie and Mr E. Buchanan) had conferred with the Advance Ashburton Association in regard to the handing over to the Council of the Association’s garden plots; and they had suggested that a sum of £l5O should be handed over also, enabling the purchase of a motor mower that would deal with the Council’s lawns in two days instead of the five days now taken up. This would release the man for three days’ work on the outside plots. The Association, ho noticed, had dismissed its workman, having apparently accepted the Council’s terms, but no official notification of the fact had reached the Council.