LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 274, 1 September 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Reporting to the Ashburton County Council to-day the Inspector (Mr E. N. Johnson) stated that since the rabbiter had been engaged for work on County reserves, four months ago, the rabbits taken had totalled' 2541.

“Hawera is the name that has been given the narcissus raised by Dr. W. M. Thomson and accepted last year by. the Royal Horticultural Society, England, as a standard bulb. Dr. Thomson was granted an awayd of merit after extensive trials had been made, states The New Zealand News, London.

Of £44,006 levied in rates by the Ashburton County Council for the current year, £2030 has been paid, according to a. report presented to the Council to-day. Arrears of rates at March 31 totalled £3945 (£3Bl of it from Mount Hu,tt Road district and £235 from South Rakaia). Of this, £6OO has since been paid.

An increase in the numbers of hawkers has been reported at Hastings, and it lias been stated that there are more of these itinerant traders offering their wares than in the depths of the depression. Whereas those hawkers of a few years ago whe.re middle-aged men, those of to-day are mostly young men working on retainers or on commission only.

A humorous incident in the Tech-nical-Have lock North senior Rugby match at Napier last Saturday afternoon was when a second ball mysteriously found its way on to the field of play, to be seized on enthusiastically by the Technical forwards as the correct article. Unfortunately the Havelock hacks had already got going with the rightful ball, and for a few seconds two distinct games were going forward on the same ground.

Approval has been given by the Wellington Education Board to a scheme whereby a group of teachers will be permitted to camp on school grounds handy to the exhibition during the Christmas vacation. The board has advised Mr G. It. Ashbridge (secretary of the New Zealand Educational Institute) that it is prepared to agree to the application, subject to the consent of the school committee concerned. A further condition is that the board reserves the right to determine the school to be used.

The financiaLlieart of the city of Wellington was the description given to a. certain area of land by counsel for a claimant company during the hearing of a claim in the Compensation Court, Wellington, the other day. Reference was made to the number of insurance company buildings in the defined area and the number of trading banks. The city solicitor, Mr J. O’Shea, asked a witness if he knew of any bank outside of the plan. “Only the Reserve Bank,” replied witness. “That is a Government institution; it could be on the top of Mount Victoria,” said Mr O’Shea. “It may be there some day,” retorted witness. Mr A. N. Hayes, who represents the Hakataramea Riding, raised a faceitious objection at the last meeting of the Waimate County Council. “The time taken up with the engineer’s report must be a record,” he said. “But, instead of starting at the north end of the county and working down, I tlrink the council in future should start at the south eind for a change. When we come to the Deep Creek aud Hakataramea Ridings most of the councillors are asleep.” Members: “A point of order.’’ Mr Hayes: “The Upper Pareora Riding is taken first, and I notice that Mr A. 'S. Elworthy always gets his roads and bridges. I am not going to delay you. Everything is pretty right in the Hakataramea Riding.”— (Laughter.) When two heavy lorries containing flour for the navail base left tjhe vehicular ferry at Devonport, Auckland, recently, the marine suburb was supplied with its puzzle of .he day. Half a dozen heavy sacks fell from cue of the vehicles in the vicinity of the pedestrian crossing, and, in sailing the concrete, burst apen, leaving a more than liberal scattering of Herr on the road. A considera lie port'.in of the commodity was retrieved with care, the inevitable small boys helping themselves to the remainder. All that was left after the “clean-up” was a long white streak on'the road, which was no doubt a puzzle to motorists >nd pedestrians for the remainder of the day as some new method of traffic control marking. • The lack of knowledge of New Zealand shown by people in other lands has been frequently commented upon by New Zealanders on their return from visits abroad. Occasionally it would appear that New Zealand does figure in the news, and sometimes in a surprising manner. The recent snowstorm that swept New Zealand was responsible for one American newspaper to herald the fact that “New Zealand gets its first snowfall in 140 years.” The message, which was credited to Auckland, mentioned that the fall of snow was light in Auckland, but many southern districts were snowbound. Heavy sheep losses were anticipated, and Dunedin was isolated, except by sea. One wonders how tho Tourist Department will combat such a mis-statement of “getting the first snowfall in 140 years” in (regard to the glories of Mount Cook and the Southern Alps.

After being marooned on the slippery ice of the Lizard slope, 7000 ft up the northern slopes of Mount Egmont, four ill-equipped climbers were led back to safety by members of the Taranaki Alpine Club. The four climbers, unroped and without ice axes, were attempting to climb to the summit of the mountain, when, about 1200 ft short of their

goal, they found themselves in a precarious position, unable to move up ot down. A party of Taranaki Alpine Club members making their descent after climbing to the summit found the party marooned. Alter extricating them from their precarious position, tho club members refused to allow the climbers to ascend any further* and led them down to safer slopes. The North Egmont Hostel authorities had made it plain enough that casual visitors should not attempt climbs under winter conditions unless accompanied by experienced climbers, said Mr H. Wood, manager of the hostel. In spite of that, the four concerned had jeopardised their safety. “As much as we try to control inexperienced and illequipped climbers, wo still have trouble in impressing visitors with the danger of carelessness in this respect,” added Mr Wood.

There was a good attendance at the Parish Hall, Timvald, when a moving picture was shown by the Rev. Ault (Vicar of Oxford) on life in China, and missionary work. Ashburton Borough and Ashburton County again reported that this week there had not been any cases of notifiable disease. It is nearly a year since there was a case in the Borough and the County has not had a case since early in this year. The primary schools in Ashburton and in the County will open on Monday after the second term holidays. The Ashiburton High and Ashburton Technical High Schools' will re-open on September 11. ” With tho issue of 63 driving licenses in the County in the last month, the total to licensed drivers in the district lias been brought to 3567. Nineteen new drivers were tested, and all passed. This makes 82 new drivers for the 'current year. During the hearing of a claim in the Compensation Court, Wellington, recently, counsel asked a question of a witness. “What do you mean?” replied witness. “Never mind what I mean,” said counsel. His Honor, the Chief Justice, pointed out that witness could not answer a question unless he understood it. “He knows the drift of the question,” said counsel. Applying for a permit for sterling funds to the amount of £28,000 lo cover requirements for August, September and October, a Wellington (inn has been granted a permit which spreads the amount applied for in practically equal monthly sums between now and May, 1940. The £28,000 is required to cover urgent orders for materials required on behalf of public bodies. Fires which endangered State forests during the 1938-39 period numbered 21, states tho annual report of the State Forest Service. Twenty fires occurred in State forests and burned 4548 acres. Seven of the fires occurred in the Auckland region, eight in Nelson, and three in Wellington. There were no fires in the Rotorua or Westland regions. The major causes of the fires were burning off and settlers’ fires. In one case in Canterbury a tractor exhaust was responsible.

“ I give you a pat on the back, Ashburton, and I hope your move may influence other County Councils,” stated a letter received by the Ashburton County Council to-day from a woman in iDawnevirke, who had read of the Council’s protest against payment of hospital levies while the Social Security Fund was in existence. “My hospital rate, this year is in the £ (unimproved value on £2290) £4 15s 5d and i am also paying Social Security tax on last year’s income. I quite expected our hospital rate would be greatly reduced. I am a widow, over 60 years, and asking for no pension. Yours faithfully (Mrs) , cow cockie.”