LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 225, 6 July 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Impressions of his recent trip abroad were given to members of tho Ashburton Rotary Club by Rotarian L. Cordery, of Christchurch, to-day, when the" weekly luncheon meeting of the Club was held.

A slight collision occurred at the intersection of Last and Burnett streets about midday to-dqy. One car was travelling along East Street and was forced to pull up suddenly at a pedestrian crossing. Another car immediately, behind, crashed into the back oi the first vehicle. Neither car was badly damaged and no one was hurt.

A centennial souvenir in the form of a button suita ble> for school children was received by the committee of the Ashburton Borough. School last evening from a firm in Cnristchurch, which quoted prices for supplying the souvenirs, Members decided to taite no action, the chairman (Mr W. H. Barney) stating that he would rather see the money spent in a more useful way, such as for more hooks for the library. The headmaster (Mr M. J. Leith) said tnnt many souvenirs purchased for the coronation were still lying in the storeroom.

The amusing tactics employed by a Javanese sultah in playing bridge were described by Mr 11. lb Lower (assistant Canadian Trade Commissioner)) m an address to the Auckland Rotary Club. ' The table, he said, consisted of five players. One was a native who stood behind the sultan. _ When the cards were dealt, the sultan would indicate what honour cards were missing from his hand. The servant would take low cards' of the suits from the sultan, seek out the required high cards, and transfer them to the sultan, -who invariably won and enjoyed his game.

Interested though people might be in the politics of their own country, it was mot .usual to find them studying the political developments of another country, said Sir Walter Scott, who is revisiting New Zealand after 35 years in the Indian Civil Service, when he addressed the Auckland branch of the Royal Empire Society. He added, however, that from what he had gathered by reading newspapers not only in the Dominion itself, but also in other parts of the World, New Zealand seemed to be an exception. Its politics, were apparently a subject of great interest all over the world.

“The Maoris arc constantly exposed to all kinds of subversive propaganda, which seeks to alienate them from the faith of their fathers, and to offer them as a substitute a kind of racial, political sub-Christian caricature,” says Archbishop Avefill (Primate of New Zealand), in the Church Gazette. “We must do all wo can to help them. It is not sufficient to improve their material welfare, for such improvement apart from moral and spiritual strengthening of character can only end in disaster. The most thoughtful among the Maoris -are keenly alive to the dangers which beset tho -race at the present time, and to the only antidote to those dangers--—true and vt-al religion.”

The most difficult section of the overhead bridge on the railway line a mile north of the llakaia River has been completed and the boxing has been removed. On the: west side., the bridge extends almost on to the main road On the opposite side the bridge curves out for an alnTdst equal distance but the formation of tho new section of the 1 highway has not yet been started. Girders have been placed in position over SO of the spans of the new rail'wily bndg© ovct, the Rnkflifl- Rivoi <inu there are still 03 spans to be finished. A number of girders are in the yard at llakaia station ready for placing in position and others will come to hand at frequent intervals. There is no sign vet of the building' of the. approach to the north end of the bridge.

Owing to the general increase in tho number of territorials throughout the Dominion tire clothing of the men has become a problem, according to Colonel p. H. Bell, officer commanding the southern military district. . It hacl been accentuated, he said, because of blue garments as well as khaki having to ho made. It had become necessary to withdraw riding trousers and puttees in certain units in order to provide the mounted rifles with them. In due course, puttees for infantry units, said Colonel Bell, would be replaced with web anklets, similar to those in use in the British Army. Until these arrived from England, units front which riding trousers and puttees had been withdrawn would wear khaki slacks. ~-

The word “butter” should be prohibited by the Government from being applied to the product marketed under the name of “peanut butter,” the National Dairy Conference decided in Wellington. The conierenco was of opinion that butter was a- commodity made from the produce of cows only, and the commodity made from peanuts should he styled “peanut paste” and not “peanut butter.” Mr P. Hansen (Awaliuri) said that to liis mind the value of tho word “butter” was weakened by its use in this way. Peanut butter was made wholly from nuts and oil, and contained no butter whatever. In Queensland action had been taken to prohibit the application of the word “butter” to the product of peanuts, and he proposed similar action he taken here. It would not cost anything, and would protect the use of the word “butter” for its proper application.

In consequence of the restrictions now applying to remittances of money out of Now Zealand, overseas'organisations with members and representatives in New Zealand have found it necessary to issue a warning against the posting of New Zealand banknotes' in payment for fees and dues. It is pointed out that remittances should lie made only by means of bank drafts or Post Office money orders, and not in the' form of Now Zealand currency sent through the post. “Me would gladly accept New Zealand currency,” says one important organisation, with headquarters in America, “if the Government of New Zealand would accept it back again through the exchange banks of the United States, hut according to its ruling it will not.” ne effect of the change is not to debarmembers from making remittances, but only to require them to use the channels provided, by the New Zealand banks or the Post and Telegraph Department,

Because of the direction of the wind last nigiit, the sound of the bulldozers working on control work in the Ashburton riverbed was distinctly heard in the town and the lot of the men at work was not envied by those who. were cosily placed in front of fires in their homes.

The quick time in which a fuel-shed was built in the Ashburton Borough School grounds was commented on by members of the committee last evening. Application was made to the Education Board last month, and when the visiting committee inspected the grounds on Tuesday the shed hau not been built. One of the members was o.bout to comment on the fact, when it was pointed out that workmen from the Board had started the shed on Tuesday afternoon and had completed it yesterday.

Considerable disruption of train services just north of Palmerston .North occurred on Monday evening, when the main line at the Taonui hag station, south of Feilcling, was blocked for four hours. The cause of the. disruption was the derailment of three wagons on a south-bounu goods train. Wet weather added to the difficulties faced by the workers who were engaged clearing tho line.- The goods train had been shunting near Borthwick’s freezing works when the wagons were derailed at about 6.35 p.m. A maintenance gang had to toil in pollring rain and darkness. The wagons were not extensively damaged and did not contain a great deal of freight.

The possibilities of Eastern markets for New Zealand produce were described by Mr D'. Lindsay, who recently returned from a tour of the East, in an address to the Hastings branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ "Union yesterday. “The operation of the restrictions on Dominion produce on the Home market means that New Zealand producers must find a new outlet for their goods. Australian farmers have realised the new position, and are taking steps to remedy it, hut New’ Zealand farmers appear apathetic,” Mr Lindsay said. A demand existed in the East for New Zealand produce, and he. urged that the Government send representatives to cultivate the market and establish contacts.

An interesting point in connection with the sealing of main highways was raised by a speaker at a meeting of the Feilcling branch ot the Farmers' Union. Mr D. L. Y ounger drew attention to the elimination of watering places along the roads through the country on which stock were driven. He said he felt that the Main Highways Board and local bodies had quite overlooked the 'importance ot making provision for watering places for live ,stock. For exampie, there was scarcely a watering place between Waituna ’West and Feuding, one of the large selling centres of the North Island. It was decided to draw the attention of the autnorities to the matter.

"When shown a frog about one inch in length which had been found by workmen at the lime works at Centre Bush, Mr J. H. Sorensen (honorary director of the Southland Museum), said during an.address at Winton tnat it was a fallacy: to say. that the frog had been buried in the limestone for perhaps hundreds of years. Many people had . the. idea, that. frogs could live in impossible places without air or food for indefinite periods, but this was wrong. Tho frog might have been washed down a crevice and managed to live on flies or other insects, and on the other hand it may have been hatched from an egg which had fallen

clqwu the crevice. Although small, the frog was fully developed, and it was commonly called a whistling frog. It was ah introduced Australian frog, he said, and was becoming quite common in some parts of . the province.

A repercussion of the stand the Rev C. W. Chandler i( vicar of Cambridge,) had taken as a pacifist occurred at in recent meeting of the Cambridge vestry. Reference is made to the matter in the Cambridge notes iit the current issue of the Waikato Diocesan Magazine. “Considerable uneasiness although of a very superficial kind, has been evidenced on account of the vicar’s ‘convictions,’ the statement reads. “This must not be confused with terms of imprisonment, although as a one-time prison chaplain he has spent a considerable, time in. gaol, but rather with his very definite opinions on -the question of war and peace. The vestry at its last meeting registered its disapproval in a very mild and brotherly fashion, afid the vicar, with considerable- righteous anger tempered with love, told them all just where he stood, and what he intended to do. This memorable meeting took place on his birthday and ended with cheese and biscuits.”