LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 201, 3 June 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Methven Pipe Baud' made its first appearance in Christchurch yesterday, whom, it took part in a display presented by six hands.

/During the war Communion will boconducted on Wednesdays and intercession on Friday afternoons at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church.

A narrow holt of thick fog lying across the County at Maronan on Saturday evening caused delay to motorists. A diriver from Ashburton had to stop to clear his windscreen in the middle of the fog, but at Lismore there was no sign of fog.

“Some people have thought so little of our. dental clinic that they have sent along as little as lid in an envelope in a year,” said a speaker at the opening of the Point Chevalier school dental clinic. For some time the clinic in his district was conducted on a subscription basis, but owing to the pool response it had been decided to substitute a charge of os a year for each family.

Lack of consideration for the tyres of motor.vehicles was shown by some person, who on Saturday evening dropped a beer bottle on the roadway in front of the Post Office. A bus and three or four cars in close order ran over the bottle and their tyres must have suffered a good deal of damage. Two pedestrians who were standing near the Post Office cleared away what they could see of the broken gl_nss in the dark.

Afte'* a lapse of two Sundays owing to a shortage of coal the excursion trains between Christchurch and T'imaru .‘were resumed yesterday. About 30 people joined the Christ-church-Timaru train at Ashburton in the morning, and about 50 the other. These figures are considerably lower than is usually the ease. The train from Christchurch set out with 254 passengers and the one from Tiniaru with 161 passengers.

At the Haring Square Methodist Church last evening the Itev. A. Mcßean referred to the recent death of two of the senior members of the church, Mrs Evans and Air W. Btiinett. Air Aloßenn paid a trihute to their fine Christian character and their loyalty to the church and its various organisations. The hymn, “For Ever With the Lord,” was sung by the congregation, as being in keeping with tile confident faith of the deceased members.

To avoid confusion and to thoroughly organise patriotic work in the County the Ashburton County Council is collecting particulars regarding: patriotic committees and the areas over which they operate. Having collected this information the Council will be able- to keep committees informed of the regulations of collecting funds and the requirements of the provincial patriotic council,

Fourteen men were passed as fit in a medical examination for Territorials in Ashburton on Saturday morning. Five were classed unfit.

With all the oaks felled and a good deal of the debris removed, Baring Square is being pegged out. Preparatory work on the new lay-out is being commenced.

One of the front windows on the premises of Buxton and Thomas, Ltd., of the Triangle, was broken some time during; 'Saturday night. None of the articles in the window was touched. It is not known hew the damage was done.

All the piles for the Potts River bridge, which will gi.ve long delayed easy access to settlers in the baekcountfy, have been driven and the work of building the approach on the north side should be completed by tomorrow, when a start will be made with the south side approach. It is believed the bridge will be available for traffic in about two weeks.

“How old are you?” asked the recruiting sergeant. “Oh, upwards of 40,” replied the man who wished to offer his services. “Married?” was the next question and the answer implied an admission. “How many children?” pursued the sergeant, “Oh, about six,” he was informed. “Good heavens, man,” his interrogator gasped, “we could got a blinking colonel lor what we would have, to pay you.”

The value of having a trained detachment of V.A.D. nurses, prepared to go anywhero at almost a moment’s notice, was demonstrated in Ashburton to-day, when the Red Cross Society received an. appeal for six V.A.D. nurses to go to the soldier hospital at Bottle Lake. Misses M. Findlay, J. Lane, B. Milliohamp, E. Lemon, ,J. Bruce and E. Lewis left on the train this afternoon to take up duty at the hospital.

Protests against the increased gambling facilities in New Zealand are contained in the latest issue of “The Outlook,” the official journal of the Presbyterian Church. There is an editorial on the subject, and also included are motions of protest passed by the Oamaru and Southland Presbyteries. The Oamaru Presbytery resolved that ministers should discourage,,their people from supporting raffles and other forms of gambling, whether they were to raise funds either for a patriotic or any other purpose.

Fair progress is being made with the work of installing two additional turbines at Arapuni. The penstock tunnels through the rock between the waterraee and the power station have been pierced, and the penstock gates have boen placed in position. There may be delay in securing steel for the lining of the tunnels, while the turbines have not yet arrived. The six turbines in operation at Arapuni are working at full-pressure to meet the growing demand for electricity, which increases as the winter advances.

A statement that, owing to shortage of tljic labour necessary to conduct a pig-raising sideline, two farmers in the Waikato had laid pipes to the river to drain off the skim milk from large dairy herds was made at a, meeting of the Poverty Bay Executive of the Farmers’ Union recently by Mr W. A. McCliskie. The speaker was referring to handicaps upon production of the highest volume of dairy produce, and said , the cases he quoted were authenticated. His fellow members of the executive expressed amazement that such waste should be permitted, in view of the importance with which the pig-raising industry was regarded throughout the country.

The construction of a military hospital at Narrow Neck (Auckland) is to bo started immediately, a contract having been let by the Public Works Department to Mr A. G. Grinter at a prico of approximately £6OOO. The building will comprise two wings with a connecting entrance hall. It will bo of wood and single-storey. In one wing will bo a six-bed ward, a two-bed ward and three single rooms lor patients. There will also bo a dispensary, consulting room, laboratories and . offices. In the other wing will be bedrooms for orderlies, sitting room, dining room, kitchen and offices.

When playing golf at the Manawatu Golf Club’s links at Hokowhitu recently, a member had the unique experience of having his dog, tvhicli had been accompanying him on his round, present him with a rabbit after ho had plaved out on his last hole. The dog, after being ordered bv its owner to keep away from the accompanying members as they played their shots, immediately retired to a nearby group of trees, where it apparently pounced on the rabbit in some scrub. The animal came out from the trees near a green, where the players were holing out, but before proceeding to its owner to present its prize in true hunting style, it waited until the players had finally holed their putts.

Some university students, uncertain about the future owing to the war, have been exercised in their minds about their studies in view of the fact that they may be seriously interrupted at any time. The Registrar announces that university students who propose taking examinations this year are advised that, under special war legislation, the sei/Ae is empowered to take into consideration the conditions of work during the year lor students who may he called on either for active service or for a period of special training. Students concerned are advised to continue university study as long as is practicable, and, when the defence authorities call upon them, they should advise both tho University of New Zealand and their own university college of the fact.

With the season not yet finished the total number of killings of sheep and lambs at tho three freezing works in Southland—Makarcwa, Ocean Beach, and Alataura—is already substantially in advance of tho figure for the previous best year, and (says the “Southland Times”) the indication given several months ago that this was to be a record season has been amply borne out. The killings of sheep and lambs in Southland this season total 1,485,000 carcasses compared with 1,391,000 for the whole season last year. This shows an increase of 94,000 carcasses, and no doubt this figure will he considerably increased by the end of the season. As the number of killings last year compared favourably with that for any previous season and as this has already boon surpassed with some weeks yet to go, the increase is the more impressive,