LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 276, 4 September 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the final day of the petitions on Saturday, Mr George Robertson, of Ashburton, was placed first in marches and 1 first in jigs and hornpipes, in the Grade A piping.

Jerseys worn by the Fiji Rugby team on Saturday week bore an almost silken appearance. This was because they were obtained only when the team landed in Auckland and have yet to be washed. When playing in their own tropical climate, tlie natives wear cotton jerseys.

“Everything is topsy-turvy in Japan,” commented the Rev. Clarence Eaton in an address to the Palmerston North Rotary Club recently. “The people hhvc different costumes, customs and ethics. In Japan a man walks in front of a woman: they begin reading a liook with the last few lines; and a carpenter draws his plane to him and docs not push it.” However, added the speaker, ' the people had very good qualities.

Investigations made by Mr ,D. H. Todd, of the Oawthron Institute, show that the white butterfly pe-st in Hawke’s Ray is generally nner control, hut that the control of the diamondhack moth is one of the chief problems now facing entomologists in New Zealand. It is probable that the work of investigating the diamond back moth will be continued in Hawke’s Bay this summer.

Ashburton candidates who were successful at the examinations conducted recently in Christchurch by Miss Kathleen Danetree, of the Royal Academy of (Dancing, London, were: —'Grade 1, Milie McKie (honours). Gyade 2, Billie McKie. Grade 4, Esma Ingram, Lorna Smith, Bernice Day (honours). Grade 5, Shirley James,. Joyce Welch, Joan Sheehan (honours). Elementary membership, Maisie Wilson.

When he fell between the train and the platform of the Tinwald railway station yesterday morning, Edward Cockrer, the four-year-old son of Mrs E. R. Cockrer,'of Montreal Street, Christchurch, suffered lacerations of the scalp. Mrs Cockrer was alighting from the train, which was going south, when she slipped, and the child fell beneath the carriage. The child was admitted to the Ashburton Public Hospital, where his condition last evening was reported to be satisfactory.'

An unusual lamb was horn on a farm at Lismore and is to be sent to the Agriculture Department laboratory as a. specimen for the museum. The lamb had two complete heads, but at the time of birth, one of the heads had to be severed. The ewe was a three-quarter-bred 6 tooth ewe, and the ram a Southdown. Freaks of all kinds aye reported from time to time, but in this case the circumstances of the two complete heads makes the. birth a rare one.

The half-yearly report of the Wanganui Petrol Resellers’ Association says that a questionnaire was sent to city members asking for an expression of opinion as to whether petrol stations should be closed early. “Replies show that all but.five-are in agreement with the suggested hours of closing on week days, but there is a. diversity of opinion regarding Sunday closing,” the report states. “As this matter is to ao discussed at the Dominion conference next month, the association has decided to defer it until its delegates return.”

“Japan marches forward practically on the shoulders .of. her women,” observed the Rev. Clarence Eaten, in an address to the Palmerston North Rotary Club recently. “They are not displeased with the conditions, nor are they disgruntled. The Japanese are firmly convinced that they are members of the only Divine race on this earth, and because they think that they also think they have a (Divine mission. They consider that each Japanese soldier is worth two of any other, and they think they have a special ethical mission.”

A widow who recently purchased a property in Remuera planted two change trees in the garden. One is doing well, but the fate of the other is unknown —it was dug out and stolen by some mean-minded individual a few nights after it had been planted. The same, widow, who lias not yet taken possession of her new home, has also another worry on her mind. She is almost certain that when she purchased the property the large double, gate at the entrance wag pushed back against the hedge, but to-day the gate is also missing, and it seems that it disappeared on the same night as the orange tree. When the tacit of the fruit tree was reported to the police the widow, who incidentally was asked whether she could identify the tree, was informed that thefts of shrubs and plants were not uncommon, and that it was difficult to bring the offenders to book.

Much concern regarding the possible effects of the provisions of the Pharmacy Bill now before Parliament is felt in the grocery trade in Auckland. It is estimated (states the “Auckland Star”) that 80 per cent, of the sale of patent medicines, tonics, cough cures, elixirs, salts, extracts and other lines covered by the Bill is at present in the hands of grocers, and that any action to restrict the sale of these lines to chemists only would make serious inroads into the business of grocers. From the viewpoint of the public, also, it is thought that the step would bs a retrograde one, particularly in country areas where the nearest chemist’s shop is often far distant. The fact that grocers outnumber chemists by 10 to 1, there being 5000 grocers, compared with 500 chemists in the Dominion, has a. bearing on this aspect. The current war scare is making itself felt in many and varied ways in Auckland, ns quo incident which occurred during last neck-end shows. A young man knocked at the back door of a suburban home, and told the young woman who answered him that lie was from the recruiting office. Before he could explain the object of his visit, the young woman jumped to conclusions, ‘-Oil,” she said, “the only one in this house whom you would be interested in is my brother. He is at work now, but 1 know he has filled in a form to join a new unit,that is being formed.” She went on to explain in detail the nature of the company that her brother was joining, and the caller, a polite young man, heard her without interrupting. When she finally unused for breath he spoke. “That’s fine, but I am iust selling tickets for an art union the recruiting office is conducting.”

One of the oldest fire engines in New Zeeland, a 70-year-old veteran machine, arrived at Auckland recently from Greyniouth by the coastal steamer Kaimiro. The engine, which will be in the charge of the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board, will be used in tho centennial celebrations. Built in 1868, the machine, still bearing the name “Excelsior,” was apparently drawn by two horses. In spite of its age it is still in fairly good condition.

The second birthday of the Ashburton Rover Scout Crew was celebrated on Saturday evening by a banquet at which members of the New Brighton crew were present. Group Scoutmaster A. Lye presided and the following toasts were proposed:—“The King,” the chairman; “The Chief,” Scoutmaster -Lye: “The Ashburton Crew,” Rover Leader R. Aitken ; “The Jamboree Team,” Assistant-Scout-master F. Nieolls. The party later visited the picture and a dance. A motor tour was held yesterday.

"While being driven along the stock route near the business section of Wliangarei, a cow broket away from the drover and, racing down a side street, entered the .backyard of a business premises. Seeing the large doors into a storeroom open, the beast charged through, and then entered the front part of the building. With no apparent means of escape, and now thoroughly infuriated, the cow charged through a large plate-glass window. The beast came out on to the main street and ran off out of the town.

“It is many j’ears since the futility of photography in detecting motor offences was illustrated and the position has not changed that an error of parallax, even of the slightest degree, in taking a photograph is capable of giving an entirely erroneous impression of the relative positions of vehicles,” stated the president (Dr. E. E. Porritt, Wanganui) at the annual conference of the North Island Motor Union at Palmerston North when commenting on the use of cameras by traffic inspectors.

The value of advertising was stressed iby Mr E. M. Carpenter (Canterbury) at the annual meeting of delegates of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board. Mr Carpenter said he noticed that the board had spent £42,000 in advertising last season. They had received wonderful value from the scheme, because this was the day of publicity with a capital “P.” Nothing Iliad returned such value to the producers of New Zealand as the money spent in advertising. It had assisted 20,000 retailers in carrying on and extending their businesses.

Proposing the toast of the accountancy profession at a. dinner held in Wellington by the Incorporated Institute of Accountants of New Zealand, Mr Justice Blair laid claim to some connection with the profession. He said he started under the late Mr David Gray (brother of the la.te Sir Alexander Gray, K.C.) in what was then the W. G. Turnbull Company (now Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd.) — as a stamp-licker. He thought that if all the stamps lie had licked were placed end to end they would reach from the earth to the moon. The average distance of the moon from the earth is 238,800 miles (states the Evening Post) and the, width of a stamp four-fifths of an inch. Disregarding the" impossibility of persuading stamps to stand on end, the judge, in those early days, licked 18,912,960,000 stamps (subject to audit).

Associated with the electrical storm which broke oyer Palmeirston North on Thursday morning was what is thought to have been a meteorite. A resident related how he had been numbed by the shock of what appeared to be a shellburst while he was standing on the footpath in the square between Rangitikei Street and Coleman Place, where the visitation seemed to be concentrated. Following a blinding flash, pieces of white-hot substance rained on the roadway and burst into smaller pieces, several of which he subsequently picked up. One of the pieces was later examined by a geologist, who, without having the, necessary equipment on hand to be able to give a fully accurate report, stated that the substance was metallic, having the hardness of quartz and the colour of copper. When scraped it was of a silvery colour. The material was probablv part of a meteorite.

Special music was a. feature of the annual festival of the Ashburton Salvation Army Band, which began during tiro week-end. A service was held at the Public Hospital yesterday morning and Major R. E. Liddell spoke at the service in the Citadel. Sister Mrs 0. Lemin, of Invercargill, gave piamo-n coord ion solos, and cornet duets were given by Bandmaster Neeve and Bandsman R. E. Argyle. The Ashburton Imperial Harmonica Band paraded with the band through the streets of Ashburton in the afternoon, and gave items at a musical service. Special numbers by the band were the suite “Songs of the Morning” (Ball) and “Gloria” (Mozart). Bandmaster Neeve was the solo cornetist, and Bandsman H. W. Hayward played xylophone solos. The social services were continued last evening, when Bandmaster Neeve, Mrs Lemin, and the songster brigade gajfe special items. The harmonica band attended, and played two hymns.