LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 38, 24 November 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the examinations held by the New Zealand Institute of Secretaries during; the last meek in October, the successful Ashburton candidates were C. Moody (preliminary) and t\ L. Pritchard (hook-keeping I).*

An Air Force training "plane from Wigram circled over Ashburton at half-past nine last night. Conditions were still and clear and the white, green and red lights on the ’plane could be plainly seen as it passed overhead.

The-demonstration on various breeds of fat lambs at the Mid-Canterbury export fat lamb competition at the Fairfield freezing works on December 8 will he given by Mr Georgia Gould, of Christchurch. Many fat lamb breeders in the County have agreed to provide? one lamb each for demonstration.

New Zealand’s tourist attractions were viell advertised at a big fair at Toronto recently, according to 'Mr S. Fabish of Inglewood, who has just retujrned from six months in the United St .vies and Canada. He said there was a fine exhibit and very prominent in the display was a huge photograph of Moun; Egmont.,

About 50 years ago Mr Morris, a Feilding storekeeper who had lived for some time in Turkey, was kAown to have collected the falling rose petals fjrom several neighbours’ gardens, with which his wife is said to have made a delicious edibUe jelly. It would interest many homekeepers to know how ii. was done and whether the result was as stated.

Apart from the cities and the railway lines, there is not a mile of Chinese territory that is not in the hands of Chinese guerilla* bands,” said the Rev. McDougall, speaking on Chinese mission work in the war zone last week to St. Aidan’s parishoners in Hamilton. Many square: miles of territory had :been fought over, but it was still unconqoerecl

New Zealand rover scouts at present in England, many of them training with the Royal Air Force, are prying to organise a contingent to attena tne world rover scout moot to be held in Scotland next July, according to advice received by the Dominion headquarters at Wellington. The moot will be similar to a jamboree. It will be held at Men'zie Castle, Crieff, from i, July 15 to 25, and will be followed by a three-day visit to Edinburgh. Copies of the official invitation have been received by the Dominion headquarters. It is most unlikely that a party will go from N]ew Zealand, although the total cost of the camp for visiting rovers is only £4 a head, including transport from any port in Britain. The cost of passages to England, however, precludes attendance of New Zealanders not otherwise at Home

The installation by the Auckland Transport Board of windshield wipers and sun visors to its tramcars has been appreciated by motormen in tlie Board’s employ, according to the secretary of the Auckland Tramway Employees’ Union, Mr J. Lidded. Considering the density of traffic through which tramcars had to drive, this equipment was considered very necessary, he said, but, there were other directions also in which driving conditions for motormen could bo improved. It was found that many motor cars did not have their lights focused in accordance with the regulations, and consequently headlights glared in the eyes of the motormen, particularly in busy thoroughfares. As a result, unnecessary risks had to be taken.

An interesting exhibit at the Dominion Museum in Wellington is an historic Maori dogskin cloak more than 100 years old, formerly worn on ceremonial occasions by the high chiefs of Taranaki. Lent, by the New Ply-mouth.-Museum, at is a. part of the W. H. Skinner collection of Maori relics. The cloak, made of six or eight, dog pelts of black, yellow or white, is of the type known to the Maoris as Hurukuri. It. was made about the year 1800 by the chief Rawahotana. Ra.vahotana’ was the fatheir of the para mount Taranaki chief Paora Kukutai, killed at the Battle of Waireka in the Taranaki Wars, in March, 1860. .in other of Rawahotana’s sons, Whakataupoti, younger brother of Paori, was the chief from whom Mr Skinner obtained the skin, in 1885. Whakatau poti was then 80 years old. Such mats were worn only on cerem.om.ilal occasions, and were held in high regal'd. They were woivn with the hair next tne body of the wearer, except for a few skins turned over to form a cape on the shoulders. The outer side was decorated with small thongs of leather from which the hair had not been removed. The remarkable preservation of the skins, which age in first-class order after some 138 years, pays high tribute- to the skill of the ancient Maori tanners, whose primitive methods obtained such lasting results.

The road safety campaign which will be held by the Department of Transport throughout the South Island for the first week in December should prove valuable as a means of making drivers more careful during the inevitable Christmas rush of traffic. That such a campaign is Reeded is apparent in Ashburton on many occasions. Numerous motorists passing through daily from the -north and south either have no knowledge of, or no respect for, tlie local speed restrictions or tne pedestrian by-laws, and travel through the town at wliat is obviously a dangerous rate.' The pedestrian crossings are well marked out, foil* whenever the lines are inclined to become indiscernable they are repainted, so that there can be no excuse for the motorist not giving way when lie should. There was almost an accident at the Havelock street crossing this morning, when a pedestrian well aware of his rights was walking over the street as ai motor-can* approached. The car did not give way and at the last moment the pedestrian was forced to jump hack. In the busier sections of East street great care is needed by the motorists, for with cars parked at an angle on one side and others draw n up along the shop fronts, on the other there is but little space for a moving vehicle to pass when a :eeoni is pulling out from its parking place. During the road safety campaign, it is proposed, a parade of school children on bicycles, carrying banners inscribed with- safety-first- mottoes, be held along East Street, and that a short address on care during the use of the roads | )e given to tlie children through a loud-speaker broadcast system. Large floats decorated with road safety posters will pass through the town from Christchurch and will continue to Invercargill.

Headers will be interested to learn that Uhangi, the pigmy woman from Africa who was admitted to the Ashburton Public. Hospital on November 3. was discharged to-day and left by the express train for the north this evening.

Whales arc being seen frequently in the Ray of Plenty, and on several days last week whales in pairs were .observed from 1(e Kalva, a settlement on the Coast about 20 miles north-east of Opotiki. On one clay a cow and her calf passed within half a mile of the shore, giving lively display.

Remarking that highways in Europe reach great heights, so that the mountain peaks are comparatively nitio higher, Djr W. H. Simpson, who recently toured Europe by motor car, said during an address at Wellington College recently that the famous Brenner Pass, between Italy and Austria, which on© pictured as a mountain road, was a bitumen highway wide enough for six ears.

The Ashburton Rotary Club entertained visitors from the Christchurch and Timaru Rotary Clubs to-day. The luncheon was very well attended, and addresses were given by Rotarian H. Lightband, of Christchurch, on “Golf,” and Rotarian A. E. Kincaid, also of Christchurch, on “Fellowship.” Members of the three clubs took part in a golf match on the Ashburton links this afternoon

Agricultural clubs have taken the country children (by storm. Enthusiasm knows no bounds so far as calf club and lamb parades are concerned. At Tapulii iccently one boy brought a lamb several miles to the parade in front of his saddle on a horse. He was .rewarded by winning the first prize, lncidently, it is the practice for such parades to be entirely organised by the children.” At Tapuhi both entries and competitors were mu>tbered, thus facilitating the work of the judge.

Transport arrangements for tne band’s trip to Timaru on Sunday, December 4, were made at a meeting of the Citizens’ Committee of the Ashburton Silver Band last evening. The band will travel by private cars. An open-air concert will be given at Caroline Bay, in conjunction with the Timnyu Municipal Band, and proceeds will go into the fund being raised by the committee to send the band to the annual Dominion contest at Christchurch early next year.

The land on which the first commercial flour milL in New Zealand was established has been acquired by the New Plymouth Borough Council with a view to preserving the .historical association of the site. The' foundations of the old mill can still be seen,* wmle the gristling stones are among the exhibits in the Taranaki Museum at New Plymouth. The land was purchased by the council fro mthe estate of Mrs Selina Wells, into whose family’s possession it came in an interesting way. In the early days of Taranaki, Mr W. K. Hulke imported hi's first Jersey cattle and established a notable herd. One of the heifers as sold to Mr Zaccheus Wells but- she proved to be of such outstanding quality that Mr Hulke wished to buy her back . He offered the flour mill site, and the land was accepted /by Mr Wells in exchange for the heifer, hich died in the following season.

In Armentieres, one night in 1916, a .New Zealand soldier di-agged a wounded and unconscious comrade out of a shiell-hole, and, under a heavy German bnirrage carried him 100 yards to safety. The two men. did not see each other again until Sunday, 22 years later, when they met by chance in Lambton quay, Wellington. They are Mr Clyde Preston, Wellington, ana Mr James Bruce, Dunedin. They wont, away from Dunedin together with the Main Body. A few montns later they wore crouched in a trench in France waiting, for zero hour. At 11 p.m., they went “over the top” together and rsfii into a terrific barrage. “Jump into this hole,” urged Mr Preston. “I’ll take this one,” replied his friend. “Best of luck Jim,” called Mr Preston as they separated. Those were the last words he spoke to Mr Bruce until he met him on Sunday. When the barrage leased slightly Mr Preston crawled across to the neighbouring shell'hole. There lie found his friend covered with debris and with both legs shattered. He staggered back with him to another shellhole, and, in the course of the trip received a piece of shrapnel in his own arm. The two men were taken to a dressing station together, and then separated to go. to different hospitals.