LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 45, 2 December 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Aii abundant suply of green peas came into the Ashburton markets this week and prices have dropped from 3s 6cl a peck to as low as Is 9d. Local crops are mow ready, while plentiful supplies are also coming to hand from Waimate growers.

An estimate that the tdtal production in New Zealand of crude petroleum oil during 1938 amounted to 2,883,650 gallons was made by the Minister of Mines (the Hon. ,P. C. Webb) in an interview at Auckland. Mr 'Webb stated that the number of licences granted under the Petroleum Act was 59 covering an aggregate area of 10',500 square miles.

Members of Christchurch bowling clubs on their way to Timaru to take part in. vSteans Ou.p matches passed through Ashburton this morning by bus. [Representing several clubs, their multi-coloured blazers made a bright splash of colour in East Street during the time they spent here. The party was joined b’; Mr E. A. Cockroft, of the Ashburton Bowling Club.

The Ashburton railway station presented a happy scene about nine o’clock this morning when children of the Ashburton East School and a large number of oarents and friends' assembled prior to leaving by a special train for their annual picnic at Caroline Bay Timaru. Warm weather favoured the holiday makers, and a first-class outing was promised. More than 700 made the trip, 19 carriages being well filled.

A spire of colour, approximately 15 feet high, at the -side of the Tom Parker Fountain, on the Marine parade, Napier, recently represented the swian song of the fnrcraea —a plant which flowers once, just before it dies. It takes the furcraea anything from 10 to 15 years to make, up its mind to blossom, and then it gives up the ghost, happy in the knowledge that the flower it did produce was “some flower, anyhow.”

Dr. Ernst Dieffenbacli, the first European to climb Mount went ashore at ( Neiv Plymouth 100 years-ago last Tuesday from the survey ship Tory, which had brought Colonel William Wakefield, representative of the New Zealand Company, ; to negotiate with the Maoris for land. The celebration or the* centenary of the first ascent will take place on Sunday, when many alpine club members will elimb to the summit where a commemorative tablet will be placed, states the ;! Wanganui Tlernld. ’ ’

The total number of radio licences in force in the Dominion at the. end of last- month was 311,927, compared with 291,073 at the same time last year, according to a statement issued by the Director-Genefral of the Post and Telegraph 'Department. Of these 309,761. were receiving licences and 07,54 S were held in the Auckland district. Tile Welington total was 108,685, while the figures for Canterbury and Otago were 58,810 and 44,441 respectively. The number of receiving licences has increased from 287,949 'at the end of October last year.

" The time it takes to build a house was being argued in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, and opposing counsel asked plaintiff it she had ever heard of a house being put up'in six weeks. “Yes, often,” answered plaintiff. “What about the, Social Security Building?” put in the Magistrate, Mr Duxford. (Laughter.)

There has been a fairly good response in Ashburton to the appeal of the Post Office authorities for the placing of boxes at the front gates of premises to facilitate the delivery of letters, and it is hoped that many more will follow the example set by these householders. The appeal was sent out only about two weeks ago. •

The new Dominion Wool and Grain Stores’ Award which came into operation on Thursday renews most of the old aiwiard. An additional clause is that all work done between midnight and 6.30 a.m. is to be paid for at doubletime rates. Anzuac Day is included as a holiday and the award provider that if any of the listed holidays fall on a. Sunday they will (be observed on the following day.

“Now I come to the Import Control Regulations—shalTwe call them Public Enemy No. 4?” remarked the president of the Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association (Mr C. V. Smith) in his address to the. annual meeting of the ■association. “No,” he reconsidered to the amusement of his audience. “We oannot do that. The question of Public Enemy No. 3 has not been settled yet.”

“The system of grading teachers as it operates in New Zealand is as good as any in the world,” said Mr T. A. Morland (senior inspector of schools in Otago) at the quarterly meeting of the School Committees’ Association. “Visitors from overseas have on various occasions had l some very critical and cynical things to say about the system, but so far none of them has put forward any suggestion or idea to surpass it.”

A strange bird paying a good deal of attention to cabbages in her garden attracted the attention of a Hastings resident. Closer , inspection revealed that the bird which was not unlike an English bullfinch, was destroying the larvae of the whit butterfly breeding in the leaves of the cabbages. The bird was working systematically along a row, eating the. grubs as it found them. It has ibeen suggested that could the bird be identified, a valuable means of removing the. white butterfly menace might be discovered.

“Wte extend our apologies to Mr H. H. Driver, of Auckland, tor the report which we published last- week that he had been gathered to his fathers,” states the latest issue of the “Outlook,” the official journal of the Presbyterian Church. “Mr Driver has asked us to make it clear that there is no foundation -whatever for the report. We regret that there is reason for .this apology, but join with the many friends or Mr Driver who will rejoice to know that he is able to repudiate nffiat Mark Twain called a. great exaggeration.”

With the object of popularising the lending department of the Ashburton Public Library, and’ catering for visitors and residents ujiio do their reading only at certain periods, of the year, some in winter and others in summer, tlie> Borough Council has instituted the deposit system which was suggested by the Town Clerk two weeks ago. On deposit of two shillings, a person becomes a subscriber and may take - out four books at a time, paying two pence for each book. The adoption of this system by libraries in other parts of New Zealand has brought about a considerable: increase in the lists of subscribers.

Ceremonial modelled on that of the changing of the guard will be witnessed at Burnham Camp to-morrow afternoon when the instruments purchased by public subscription, for the use of the band which is being formed for the camp will be handed over to Colonel P. H. Bell, 1D.5.0., Officer Commanding the Southern Military Command. Toe Mayor of Christchurch (Mr R. M. Macfarlnne, M.P.) will present the instruments. There will be a large parade of Special Force troops and five bands, including the Ashburton Silver Band, will take part.

A light on German knowledge of conditions in Britain is given in a letter received by a Wellington resident from his sistef relating the story of the aeroplane which was brought down recently near Edinburgh. She writes: “ —*—'heard from a farmer whose wife was beside) the German plane that the man not wounded asked if he might be allowed to write to his wife before he was shot. Two others who were being led- along Prince’s Street as prisoners could not believe eyes when they saw people going about as usual and tasked if they were shopping. They had been told we were starving here.”

A rare event in the botanic world has occurred in New Plymouth this year —the furcraea. gigantea has flower-, ed. There are only a few of these magnificent blooms to be. seen, but they are worth a short journey so that their full splendour may be appreciated. The furcraea is a native of the yucca family, and it has certain resemblances to the common yucca, the leaves being almost identical. It -is in its flowering habits that it differs, and in its methods of continuing its kind it is one of a very small and interesting group of plants.

Golf balls can find their way into strange places. Playing at the Westown links last week, a golfer hooked his tee shot at the forth and it disappeared into a clump of small tress. The player saw the hall land and was convinced he could walk straight to the spot and retrieve it. He and his partner searched fruitlessly for a,bout 10 minutes until at last the greenkeepelr came to the rescue. After a careful search under the tree, he had a. brain-wave. He climbed to the top of the tree, and there, nestled in the middle of a bird’s nest was the elusive ball.

From the moment the two white swans and their cygnet were placed in the ponds at. the Ashburton Domain their presence was resented by at least one of the black swans which have been on the pond for some years. The parent swans were able to look after themselves, but the cygnet was more* or less at the mercy of the jealous birds, one of which injured it slightly on the first night it was in the. Domain. It was decided to remove the troublemakers if they did not become accustomed to the nc-tw arrivals, but before anything could be done, the cygnet bad been killed by the black swan.