LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 80, 15 January 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An Ashburton ’woman heard her brother’s voice over the air in unusual circumstances the other night. Her daughter was turning in radio stations at random and tiring of the New land programmes switched into Rockhampton., Australia, where the brother happened to lie speaking.

Statistics show that 417,981,442 was invested on totalisators throughout New Zealand during the 1939 racing year (till July 31), compared with £7,201,820 in the previous year. Dividends were £6,589,629, as against £5,945,365. Taxes levied by the Government on totalisator investments, dividends, and stakes totalled £673,855 in 1939 as against £603,340 in the previous period.

The magnitude of the oil-testing operations at present being carried out in Taranaki is shown by the fact, that the company engaged on the work, which operates “over the extensive area from Uruti to Wavorley and many miles inland, lias put down between. 500 and 600 bores, the depth of which aggregates 40,000 feet. Technicians believe that if oil is found in Taranaki it will he at about the 7000 foot level.

Preliminary figures 'which are subject tc slight amendment show that 6582 companies operating in New Zealand contributed £5,784,557, in taxation during the 1938-39 financial year. The total returnable income was £20,571,190 and the assessable income £19,669,692. In comparison with the previous year these figures show an increase of 585 in the number of tax-pay-ing companies, £1,170,650 in the amount "of assessable 'income, and £407,395 in the amount of tax assessed.

Over the dry spell, lawns were no>, given a great deal of attention in Ashburton, householders concentrating the time allowed for the use of garden hoses on the watering of vegetables and flowers., but the rain, of a few weeks ago gave, the grass a muchneeded soaking and it responded in a marked • degree. The rain of the last two or three days will give, further assistance and green lawns should soon again be the rule, replacing the patches of brown, burnt-up growth over wliiph so many people have despaired.

Screams from a small child who bad clambered to the top of one of the tall advertising hoardings in East Street the other day and was not able, from fear, to make the descent, attracted tlie attention of a woman who lives neairby, and an attempt was made at a rescue. The woman climbed np the lattice work at thp side of the hoarding, following the route taken by the child, wtio was about two years old, but she was not able to release the child, who had taken a firm grip of the top of the structure. She remained at her post, holding the child, till two men came on the scene and removed the yelling youngster.

Possibly one of the oldest motor-cars in active service in New Zealand-r-a veteran of 28 years—came into collision in Pahiatua with another that had seen 22' years’ service. The older of the pair was the first car imported into the Rush district, and at the time of the accident was being driven by the n an who imported it, who is now 86 years of age. The car has travelled 158,000 miles. Both machines, considering their age, were reported to be in good mechanical condition. Neither of the drivers was injured; a passenger in one car received a blow on the head, but after receiving attention, he was able to go homo. Neither car was seriously damaged.

Extensive use was made of a privilege extended by Cable and Wireless, Ltd., after the' action between the British squadron and the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. As a gesture, of appreciation, it arranged that every officer and man of the Exeter, Achilles, and Ajax might send a free cablegram to their relatives in any part of the Empire. Provision was also made for a free reply to be sent to the men. The New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department gladly co-operated by allowing messages to be conveyed free over telegraph lines in the Dominion from and to personnel from New Zealand engaged in the action. Advice of the tree reply offer was delivered with the messages. More than 150 messages were delivered from New Zealanders engaged in the action, and about 100 replies were sent from the Dominion. The cost of sending a cablegram from South America would have been about 4s a word, as the messages had to go via London.

Officers and men of the Maori battalion of the Special Military Force are to he the guests of the Government at the Centennial celebrations at Waitangi on February 6, states a Whangarei correspondent. This information was contained in a letter received from the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) by the Maori committee controlling the arrangements. The Government expects that there will he about 2000 visitors to the celebrations, but the Maoris consider that the figure will be nearer 6000. Accordingly, they are preparing to entertain the latter number. A large dining-room containing 12 tables, with accommodation for 500 guests at one sitting, has been erected by the Government. In connection with the opening of the carved Maori meeting house at Waitangi, 240 invitations have been issued by Sir Apirana on behalf of the Maori people. At the" meeting of the Maori committee, it was decided _£liat the advance party of Maoris should proceed to Waitangi on January 25, to prepare for the celebrations.

Work on the Gisbornc-W'aikokopu section of the east coast railway was resumed on full scale on Wednesday last, when the men classified as country workers returned to work after the holidays, states a Gisborne correspondent. It is expected that, barling interruptions through lack of materials or through a heavy drain on manpower owing to war conditions, the section will be completed bv March or April next year. The Tikiwhata and coast tunnels are still in course of construction, although both are well advanced. Otherwise attenion is being concentrated upon bridge-building and the stabilising of formation work on which weathering has taken place. Good progress was made in the past few months with the building of bridges, but delays in the arrival of steel, both for reinforcing work and for carrying spans, have been reflected in repeated postponements of the dates for completing the structures. All the concrete work on the bridges between Gisborne and the headquarters at Bartlett’s camp has been finished. The delays in completing them should not be much prolonged, for it is believed that the necessary steel is on hand in New Zealand, and that girders are bcin" fabricated in readiness for delivery.

As a. result of the heavy vain last night, a drainage- pipe in the shop of Todd’s, Ltd., East- Street, became blocked and water poured into a window containing a big display of sports material. Mr A. H. Todd estimated the loss in damaged material at about £2O.

Since the outbreak of war a demand has been received by the Ashburton Returned Soldiers’ Association for the r d-issue of members’ bad get- The original badge was not generally worn as it was too long, but a later issue is small and much more popular. The old badge may be exchanged for a new one.

Fair progress is being made with the erection of Moth veil’s first quota- of four State houses on Alford Forest Road. Two arc almost completed. The houses arc all single units. They are of wood and follow the design of many similar State houses in other centres in the .Dominion. It- is understood that there were many applications to rent tlipi houses before building began.

A would-be purchaser who set out in Hastings recently with the object oi purchasing one bicycle tube was rather surprised when two shops were unable to supply the necessary article. A visit to 'a third dealer met with more success, but it is apparent that some difficulty is being experienced in obtaining fresh supplies. One dealer remarked: “We’ll be patching up the old ones for some time yet.”

If is probable that a lenrn-to-swim campaign, similar to that of last year, will be conducted- by the Ashburton Swimming Centre next month. Instructors will be appointed to give tuition to adults at the local baths. Methods of conducting the campaign will be discussed by the Centre shortly. When schools open, it is understood, their staffs will organise tuition for the children.

About 120 young women from various parts of the Dominion will attend the Girl Guides’ Centennial Camp at Tauherenikau, starting to-morrow, for a short period of training for services in time of emergency. The camp was originally intended 1 to celebrate the Centennial, arrangements being in hand for 600 Dominion and overseas guides to take part. Because of the war, the camp was reorganised to allow leaders to bo trained in services useful in war time ;

The shearing of the lambs is now the major occupation of the sheep farmers of the Northern King Country, states the “New Zealand Herald.” A considerable percentage of the season’s crop has been consigned, in the' wool, to tho freezing works for the export trade Those now being shorn represent the class that have not yet reached the standard of condition required for export. The weatheir is ideal, but there is a shortage of skilled shearers.

The removal of weeds from the sides of roads and from footpaths was carried out in portions of Ashburton last week by members of tile works staff of the Borough Council. Weeds that bad grown through the asphalt or had encroached on the paths were cut off and the stumps treated with a poisonous mixture. There has not been the same amount of growth on the sides of the unpaved (roads this year, and the work of keeping the grass down lias been comparatively simple. Nearly half the eligible men in the employ of the Ashburton Electric Power Board have enlisted for active service. The chairman of the Board (Mr E. F. Nieoll) reported this morning that of 53 men on the staff, 24, including 10 married men, were eligible. Of this number ll had already joined up. One had gone overseas with the first echelon, four were in camp training for tho second echelon, two had joined the Navy, and one the Air Force while thye? others were waiting to he called up.

“We have heard much of late of the pitiful streams of Chinese war-refu-gees,” states the “Outlook.” “Recent missionary reports from China reveal another aspect of the world’s tragedy. Over fifteen thousand German and Austrian. refugees, refused entrance into any European country, are crowded together in relief camps in Shanghai, and the number is steadily increasing. It is a terrible indictment of our European civilisation. The National Christian Council of China, aided by a number of devoted Christian missionaries, is doing all it can to help these unfortunate people. But their need is desperate and the means to meet it very far from adequate.”

For alpine climbing considerable stamina is required, not solely to enable a person to scale rugged heights without .suffering distress, but to enable easy conveyance of heavy packs of gear and food along rough ways only infrequently trodden by man, states the Dunedin “Star.” These packs vary in weight, depending on the period of time a base camp will be used, but the average is somewhere between 701 b and 901 b—no light weight, even for an athletic young man to carry any distance. A party of alpinists in a certain isolated valley in north-western Otago received something of a shock during the recent holidays. Packing (and verbally protesting against) some 751 b apiece, they trudged along a valley floor and suddenly encountered another climber. This individual was a man of 55. and he was carrying a pack which looked like the side of a house. All protests about weight on the part of the younger men were dispelled when the elderly one stated that his pack weighed 1251 b —and this was proved when the pack was later weighed in their presence.