LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 45, 2 December 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

One case of erysipelas in the Coldstream district was notified this week. There was a clean hill of health in the Borough.

“Pedestrians don’t, carry horns or other warning devices, but I expect they’ll have to do so before long,” said Mr Justice Blair in the Supreme Court, Napier, recently.

The Ashburton County Council this morning agreed to the work of classification of land in the Ashburton River control special rating area being carried out by Mr H. G. Boyds, of Christchurch, at. a cost of £2lO. It was stated that the work would occupy about seven weeks.

The chairman of the Anamn. School Committee has had a communication from Mr T. D. Buynett, M.P., advising that a grant lias been authorised for adequate accommodation at the School for the Public Works children now in camp near the school. The roll is now over 40 and houses are still in course of erection at the camp.

The Australian Commonwealth Bank and the Bank of Australasia were buying sovereigns on Wednesday of last week at £2 2s lid—a record pik-p for Australia. With fine gold at 150 s per oz in London on Saturday, a still higher price should be paid for sovereigns this week.

Receipts in Ashburton County in the last month, according to a. statement presented to the Council to-day, totalled £5940 14s 6d, the chief items being motor lorry licences £237 19s 4d, main highways subsidies £2BOI 13s sd, plant hire £506 9s Bd, rates current £B4O 3s 3d, stock refunds £320 4s sd. Refunds due totalled £3050, of w'hich £2350 was main highways subsidies.

“There are wonderful buildings on the racecourses of the United States, bqt the gardens do not compare with those on the bigger courses in New' Zealand.” said Mr A. Ri. McKegg, when showing racecourse scenes which lie had filmed in America to the Palmerston North Rotary Club recently. 'Air McKegg said that the courses were owned by companies and not by clubs, and were run for profit. The aspect of beauty had to play second fiddle to the aspect of utility.

Entries for the theory examinations which will be held at Ashburton on Saturday under the auspices of the Trinity College of Music, London, are almost double those of last year. More than 40 candidates will sit for the examinations, which will be conducted in two sections, one at the Ashburton Technical High School and one at the Ashburton Convent. The examination papers will be marked in London, and it is expected that the results will be available at the end of February.

A decision to send another £IOOO to China for the relief of refugees was made by the joint council of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society Far East Relief Committee in Wellington yesterday. The decision was made in response to a cablegram from Hong Kong, stating that the South China, refugee problem was assuming alarmingly distressing proportions, and that there were hundreds of thousands of people homeless and starving.

An indication of thei manner in which competition has developed among petrol sellers in California was given by Mr E. A. Jones, of Wellington (assistant-general manager of the Vacuum Oil Company Proprietary, Ltd.), who returned from the United States by the Mariposa on Friday. To attract patrons owners of. petrol stations gave a very extensive free service, he said. For instance, a man who purchased only a gallon: or two of petrol would have his car completely wiped down and the windows polished for no additional charge.

“Other parts of the Empire aye now taking active steps to secure migrants. If New Zealand does not move at once the time may quickly arrive when peoples of our own stock will not be available,” said the president, Mr David Hogg, at the annual meeting of the United Kingdom Manufacturers’ Association, held in Wellington on" Friday. Mr Hogg said the question of peopling the dominions and colonies with British stock was at present , engaging the attention of a strong body of men in. the United Kingdonj —men of vision 'who had been moved to action by patriotic ideals. It must bo clear to all that such procedure would nuike for strengthening the Empire as a whole, promote trade, and last but not least, give to the more scattered units of Empire a stronger defence brought about by increased man-power.

During his visit to New Zealand, Dr. C. J. F.' Skottsberg, the eminent Swedish: botanist, who left last week on his return to Europp, took the opportunity of examining many indigenous plants in public and private collections and in their natural habitat. He was particularly interested in those species of Antarctic origin whose near relatives he had studied in South America and elsewhere. While in Auckland he spent some time in viewing the collection of fare Herns owned by Mr J. Prickett, of Birkenhead. Some of these he said, lie would have travelled a long way to see. Dr. Skottsberg showed much enthusiasm when he discovered in a wet paddock on the road to Albany an insectivorous plant with white flowers and red forked leaves. This plant is related to the sundew family, anti is not uncommon in some localities near Auckland.

The period of exemption from obtaining licences for those engaged in the manufacture of storage batteries ‘is further extended by a notice published in the Gazette issued yesterday. The Minister for Industries and Commerce. (the Hon. I). 0. Sullivan) said •last evening lie had granted the industry the protection of licensing provisionally for six months, on condition that the industry formualted an industrial plan for its reorganisation. The proposed industrial plan had not been completed within six months, but as good progress had been made in its preparation, he had, on the recommendation of the Bureau of Industry, decided to extend the period of provisional licensing for a few months. “I am A r ery pleased,” said Mr Sullivan, “that good progress: has boon made in this industry by various units co-oper-ating in the preparation of an industrial plan. I am hopeful that the industry will he successful in its efforts to prepare a satisfactory plan for its reorganisation and future development,”

The Fairfield freezing works at Fairton will open for killing on Wednesday. The hoards will he manned on Tuesday as a preliminary try-out.

- Rates outstanding in Ashburton County on April 1 totalled £2351. Of this amount £822 (34.6 per cent.) has been paid to the present time, leaving a sum of £1529 (65.4 per cent.) being still outstanding.

Notice boards prohibiting the lighting of fires at Hakatere have been supplied to the caretaker, who has undertaken to erect them in suitable places, reported the County Inspector (Mr E. N. Johnson) to the Council this morning.

A public risk policy covering damages claims arising out of accidents with rural mail boxes has been taken out by the Ashburton County Council. The policy insures holders of boxes against claims up to £6OO, and the number of claims is limited in each year. The premium is £l2 10s a year.

Twenty-nine drivers’ licences were issued at the County Council office last month, six at Methven and five at Rakaia, making a total of 40 for the month and a total of 3740 for the licensing year. Twelve new drivers were examined and 12 licences issued, making a total of 178 new drivers for the year.

Powers to convene general courts martial, should such occasion arise, are conferred by the Governor-Geliteral on the Chief of the Air Staff in a notice appearing in last night’s Gazette. Authority is also granted the Chief of the Air Staff to depute officers of the Royal New Zealand Air Force not below the rank of squadron leader also to convene such courts martial.

The damp weather is hindering shearing and the scarcity of men, especially blade shearers, is keenly felt (says the Anama correspondent of the “Guardian”). A number of farmers who usually are completing shearing by now have not been able to start yet, and it appears they will have to take their turn in rotation 'with their neighbours. The latest shearing will probably clash with harvest.

The Ashburton Electric Power Board having notified the Ashburton County Council that tenders for the proposed alterations to the Board’s /buildings having been found toi be too high, the Board would not require the old County Council offices as temporary premises, the Council this morning decided to call tenders for the /sale and removal of the old offices in Raring Square.

“Experience has taught me the value of frankness and of taking people into one’s confidence,” said Mr G. H. Mackley, general manager of railways, in New Plymouth recently. Mr Mackley said a man had to be a. good bluffer or liar to see a thing through to a finish and get away with it. “1 have found that it pays to take people into your confidence,” he said. “One odd man out might let you down, but the majority respect your trust and confidence.”

Chief impression from a trip to the North Island by Mr A. W. Johnson, general manager in Australia of the Orient Line, is the prosperity of the smaller country towns. He mentioned Wanganui, Palmerston North', Hamilton and Napier. These were all towns of more than 15,000 population, and all appeared well-to-do. In New South Wales, which had many times the Population of New Zealand, there were no towns of comparable size, outside of Sydney and Newcastle. Yet in the North Island alone he had seen four.

“You write me about the shortage of houses in Wellington,” says a former Wellington resident!, writing from Toledo, Ohio. TJ.S.A. “As Abraham Lincoln said, ‘you ain’t heard nothin’ yet!’ We have tried to get. a house here, and have at length succeeded, but the rents —well for a fiv/e or sixroomed house the rents for places in decent localities hit the high spots. The range is from 80 dollars to 100 dollars a month. —and then they are hard to get.” These rents work out, in English money, at roughly from £4 to £5 a week.

'Rubbish makes good , firing. As long as there is plenty of miscellaneous refuse from the city the destructor at the Wellington City Corporation yards can develop a full head of steam for driving the air compressor units for the sewerage system, which are due for retirement shortly. It is true that a certain, amount of coal is consumed by the destructor furnaces, but that is only during week-ends and holidays, when the refuse supply becomes depleted. Since the 40-hour week has been adopted rather more coal than formerly lias to be used to keep up the steam pressure. Possibly the destructor consumes about 1000 tons of coal per annum. This is one of the costs that will cease as soon as the electrical units for the sewerage system are in commission.

Reference to the deplorable state of several roads in the County as a result of heavy carting by fast lorries owned by the Public Works Department was made by 'Mr W. G. Gallagher to-day. .He told the County Council that its allocations for the roads concerned were totally inadequate to meet the damage. Mr J. Moore supported this statement, and Mr S. P. Taylor said that some definite stand should be taken .with the Department. It was most unreasonable for the Department to refuse assistance in the repair of the damage. It was agreed that the Public Works Engineer (Mr F. Langbein) should be asked to inspect the roads concerned, and that the Minister for (Public Works should also be asked to go into the question and to meet the Cbuneil.

The dangerous practice of motorists who drive with the elbow on the car window was condemned in a statement made by Dtr. Morris Ax ford when appearing as an expert witness in a motor accident case at the Auckland Supreme Court. He enumerated the damages received by the plaintiff, who had been struck a glancing blow in. .<• vehicular collision. The plaintiff’s arm had been broken in two places, the wrist was dislocated and fractured, one finger had to be amputated, two others wore permanently paralysed, and the thumb and first finger were only of feeble use. “For all practical purposes the plaintiff is little better than a one-armed man.” said the witness. In reply to a question by his Honour Mr Justice Fair, the witness said that during the past 12 months eight or nine such cases had been dealt with: at the Auckland Hospital. This type of injury was now so coinmen as to be known as “driver’s elbow.”