LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 22, 5 November 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Rakaia and Rangitata rivers rp'e reported to be fishabJe. The Ashburton is somewhat discoloured.

At the annual boxing tournament oi the Timaru Boys’ High School on Thursday evening, the B grade (unclei 10st 41b) was Avion by D. U. Watt, son of Mr L. J. Watt, of Ashburton, lie was also entered in the A grade, but withdrew after winning his bout, in the first round.

A suggestion having 4>oen made that Sunday School should be held in the morning instead of in the afternoon, a referendum of parents of children attending the Baring Square Methodist Church is being taken. Voting papers have been posted to parents.

Excellent progress has been made by the contractors with the new full-dress uniform for tire Territorial Army, and it is expected that the first supply will he ready by t-hte middle ol this month. When the first supply comes 1 to hand an immediate stajrt will be made to issue them before the Christmas vacation (says a Press Association telegram from Wellington).

“This is the pride of Fiji Rugby, said Mrs E. Jeffries, Suva, to a “Taranaki Herald” reporter when she showed him tiiie mascot carried by the Fijian t|3st teams when they played the New Zealand Maqvi team recently. The mascot was a large black kewpie, complete with a mop of fuzzy hair and dressed in the white jersey and black shorts of the Fijian beam.

While cutting, adrif in on his pi > perty at the western end of Tenth Avenue, Tauranga, Mr Alexander Stuart found embedded in the swamp a Maori planter and paddle combined. It is a little over sft in length', is made of tea-tree, and is in an excellent state of preservation. The foot rest for driving the planter into the ground is very solid, and the blade is as goou as the day it was in use. The implement was buried about 4tt. It is Mr 'Stuart’s intention to present tne planter to the local museum.

“This kind of divorce is a peculiar divorce,” said Mr Justice Callan when granting the divorce petition of a wife in the Supreme Court at Auckland on Wednesday, “but it is the best that can be given to you.” The case was one of those in uvihicth, owing to the domicile of tine respondent not being legally in New Zealand, the divorce decree has only a restricted application, “You will be divorced so far as New Zealand is concerned,” his Honor said. “I think that in other parts of the world you will remain his wife.”

After some discussion, during which it was suggested that there was a danger of something like the Continental Sunday coming to New Zealand, the following deliverance was adopted at the Presbytei'ian. General Assembly <it Dunedin yesterday: “That- the Government be urged to make necessary alterations in the law affecting Sunday trading so that dairies shall be opened on Sundays till 10 n.m., and that the purchaser shall he made equally liable with the seller when an offence takes place.”

During an informal discussion at the conclusion of a meeting in Taihape, the conversation turned to politics and the recent General Election and a member mentioned a small village in the South Island containing 52 inhabitants of whom 50 had joined the National Party, reports the “Taihape Times.” It was hoped to convert the other two, before the election, but when the result of the ballot was announced the National candidate received only eleven votes in this , particular village. Another speaker added that this case seemed to be typical of many others in New Zealand and he remarked that nobody’s vote was sure.

A motor-lorry which had figured in a fatal motor accident caused more excitement at the Wanganui Courthouse after the trial. When the authorised agents of the owner (who was in custody awaiting sentence) went to drive the lorry back to Katana, they found that the number plate wvas still inside the Courthouse. The men, who were Maoris, went back to get the plate and other parts of the vlehicle used as evidence, and when they came outside again they found the lorry had disappeared. Then someone came rushing up Bakes Street to say that the lorry had run down the street and into the river. Prepared for the worst, the Maoris followed, and found the lorry with its bonnet in the river. A crane soon pulled it up the bank, and it went on its way to Katana. Pa.

The opinion that it would be a good move if ultra-light aeroplanes were imported into New Zealand to enable men and women to learn to fly at a cheaper rate than they can at present', was expressed by Mr J. C. Mercer, managing director of Air Travel ('New Zealand),'Ltd., in an interview in Wellington. Although a, person would not become an expert pilot on an ultralight machine, he would develop thp sense of balance which was essential to anyone flying an aeroplane, Mr Mcjrcer said. Once this sense was gained . omia of the greatest obstacles which a person learning to fly had to face would be overcome. He estimated that 'where dual instruction was costing £3 10s, it could be reduced to at least £3 on an ultra-light aeroplane. Similarly, the cost of hiring a machine for solo flying could be reduced from £2 10s to 30s. Another factor which had to be considered with the smaller machine was that in the event of a serious accident to it the loss suffered would be less than with a more expensive aeroplane.

Not content with having served in three wars, one Wellington returned soldier has applied for a in the Civil Reserve of the Koval New Zealand Air Force and his application has been accepted. A man of 64 years, his first experience in the firing line was with the United States infantry during tins Spanish-Amcrican War of 1898. At the outbreak of the South African, War in 1899 he was a sailor in the British Mercantile Navy. Deserting his ship in Gape Tow n, he joined up with the Natal Field Artillery in Durban and served with them till peace was declared in 1902, when he was transferred to a. New Zealand regiment, with which he returned to the jDominion. On August 9, 1914, the first day volunteers were called up on the outbreak of the Gyeat Mar, be enlisted and later went with the Now Zealand Expeditionary Force to Samoa, and way at the landing at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. He served at Gallipoli, until lie was severely wounded in 1916 —a. bomb landing among a party of 12 and hp was the only survivor.

A useful way of disposing of the big surplus of potatoes grown m Eire lias been discovered —they are made into petrol. Motorist* in Eire, are, according to Mr 1). H. McLean, of Caroline, Southland, who has returned from a visit to Europe, compelled to take 2b per cent, of potato petrol when buying motor spirit.

Wool valued at £3 7s 6d, taken from Mr A. Pithie’s shed Oarew, and a bale taken from anotnor farm, were recovered by the police during their investigation of the wool-stealing charges heard at the Ashburton Magistrate’s Court yesterday. It was stated in the report yesterday that none of the wool was recovered. An order restoring the wool to the owners was made by the Magistrate.

Rail traffic through Ashburton was heavy this morning. Two special trains from the south —one from Timaru and one from Dunedin, taking racing enthusiasts to Riccarton wove well filled. The south-bound express was also a long one, and there were few vacant seats in the fifteen carriages. .Many territorials returning home after training at Burnham boarded the train at Asnburton.

Since shearing lias been in operation, over the last few weeks, there lias been a. very pronounced slackening in the demand for ordinary labouring work in the Dannevirke district. Tiie Public Works Department is finding it a good deal mojre difficult than was the- case a few months ago to get all the men-it requires. As a. result, it has started taking mjen from the No. 13 scheme, under which men are employed by local bodies at full award rates, the total cost of wages being found by the Government.

A debate among members of the Young Farmers’ Clubs in Ashburton County will be held at Methven on Monday, November 28, when the subject will be “That the young farmer of to-day has greater opportunities than his grandfather bad. ’ The judge will he Mr E. J. Wood (president of the Ashburton County Debating Union). The draw is as follows:—Hinds District Club (affirmative) y. Ashburton Technical High School Club (negative'*; Mayfield Club (affirmative) v. Methven Club (negative).

The hope that, nothing in the proposed overhaul of this education system in New Zealand would Jo anything to interfere with the couinm ance of opening religious exercises which are oeing carried out in schools of the Dominion was expresse 1 l:,j speakers during discuss iso on the report of the ouolic questions committee of the Presbyterian General Assembly at Dunedin yesterday. A resolution on tliosle lines was carried, it also decided to urge ministers to take full advantage of the Nelson system and to express the hope that more teachers and qualified laymen might sole their Kvay to take part in weekiv Bible lessons.

The celebration of the gunpowder plot was carried out in Ashburton with more enthusiasm this morning than has been the case for a flew years. Last year there, were comparatively few children parading with masked faces, but this mo,ruing groups of them were to be saen all over the town, and the well-knowiii chant of “Guy Fawkes’ guy” sounded at many back doors and along the streets, while pennies jingled in the children’s pockets. Most children prefer to dress up in ill-fitting garments (mostly ragged), to fitting up a “guy” and parading it from house to house, but the greatest pleasure seems to be in the hiding of their faces by hideous masks, and in keeping their identity a secret.

When within an ace of being apprehended on' Monday night a car converter possessed of considerable daring jnnipcd from a slowly-moving vehicle, headed across some paddocks near Whakatu. and disappeared into the blackness of the night, states a Hastings correspondent. At the outset of hit escapade the offender showed unusual daring. A salesman from a Hastings garage had stopped a.secondhand motor-car outside his firm’s premises, going into' the office. A minute or two later the garage attendant noticed the car move off and,, thinking it strange that he had not seen the salesman go out again, also went into the office, finding him still there. No time was lost by the salesman and another man in taking a powerful vehicle and giving chase on the main Hastings-Napier road. The pursuers overtook the second-hand model and, by zig-zagging across the road, whidh Was clear of traffic at the time, succeeded in forcing the pursued man to stop. This satisfactorily accomplished, one of the pursuers alighted and walked back toward the car. Just as he drew near the ear was thrown into gear and moved off. The chase was then again and a short distance along the road the driver of the pursued car jumped clear as the vehicle was drawing to a standstill and made off across some paddocks. The only consolation the salesman and his companion had was that they recovered the car undamaged.