LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 184, 19 May 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An electric saw, a modern laboursaving device, is being used in Ashburton by one of the building firms.

Three labourers were placed in temporary work by the State PlacementService in Ashburton last week, and t’p’o were placed' in permanent positions, while work was fqiuul tor one casual worker.

The former penny-halfpenny stamp has been over-printed with the figures 2D and has been on sale in Ashburton in the Inst few days. The overprinting of the old denominations has been done to save paper stocks in the Stamp Department.

formally a meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council would be held this evening, but as the final count in. the election may effect- the platings of candidates the meeting has been postponed. The scrutiny :of the Borough roll was completed this morning.

The following application to transfer land was approved at the monthly meeting of the Canterbury Land Board:—The following application for land was approved:—Crown land in'the Ashburton riverbed fronting Lot 11, D.P. 761. IDS. 16128. and part R.S. 4331, 14975) 25344, Blocks VII, -VIII, Wester field Survey District, 40 acres approximately.—A year to year occupation licence to Mrs Bridget- Cody.

Not a single vote was recorded at the polling booth at Coldstream on Saturday. The Returning Officer (Mr GKelly) said that lie had never known such* an occurrence before. He attributed tho lack of interest in this part of the district to the fact that- as there was no riding election people were not prepared to take the trouble of recording their vote in the only other issue, the Hospital Board.

The evening service at the Baying Square Methodist Church yesterday was conducted by the Rev. G. 1. Laurenson (General Superintendent of the Methodist Home and Maori Missions). There was a good congregation. The choir sang the anthem, ‘‘Send Out Thy Light.” This evening Mr iLaurenson will give a lantern lecture, “Pioneering the Kingdom.” To-morrow evening the lecture will be given at VYakanui.

The Rev. Robertson Orr, of Vancouver, spoke on the subjects "Britain’s Future in Prophecy” and “What of Our Investments.in the New Order?” at a meeting sponsored by the Ashburton Branch of the British-Israel World Federation, yesterday afternoon. The Mayor (Dr. J. Connor) presided and on the stage were also Sir William Nosworthy (Dominion vice-president) and Mr ]}. G. Wright (vice-president of the Ashburton Branch).

State house tenants in Ashburton County were eligible to vote at the elections on Saturday through having been placed on the roll of ratepayers. Tho Government notified the Returning Officer of tho names of these State tenants (there wore only three or four of them) and they wore placed on the roll some little time ago. The tenants were able to vote as ratepayers though they were only tenants.

Within 13 minutes of.the closing of the polling booth at Rakaia on Saturdav the figures for the two elections in the County from that district were in hands of the Returning Officer in Ashburton (Mr G. Kelly). As there is a considerable amount of work to bn done after the closing of a booth, the speed with which these figures were transmitted to Ashburton says much for tho ability of Mr H. C. Nelson, who was in charge of the booth at Rakaia, especially as at least 34 persons voted there. It is needless to say that Rakaia returns were the first to bo.received.

Farmers were greatly pleased with the fine spell of weather last week. Spring wheat sowing is at its height in the County and last week many acres of wheat went in. 'Some farmers have already completed their sowing and others ardently hope for a continuation of the fine conditions for a few more days. The aim of 74,500 acres of wheat in the Ashburton County should be attained if reports of some very large sowings are to be taken as an indication of sowings generally. The only snag at present is that manures are not readily available, growers being delayed in some cases because they are unable to obtain adequate supplies.

Only a few days now remain until tho Million Pound All-Purposes Patriotic Appeal is duo to close and the Borough is still many hundreds of pounds short of its quota. It had been hoped that it would he possible to hold a matinee, trotting meeting, but it ha? not been possible to obtain permission so that an avenue that might have provided several hundred pounds has been cut off. It is therefore the more urgent that the public should respond generously to the appeals that have lately been made by circular. On this direct appeal will depend whether Ashburton reaches or falls short of its allotted amount.

'Hie inconvenience caused to farmers in the ploughing of the sides of roads to keep down gorse or broom, because of the placing of poles too far out from the fence line w'as referred to by members of the Ashburton Electric Power Board this morning, when the En-gineer-Secretary was asked why the poles were placed so far out. The reply was that there was no particular reason for this, but the idea was one that had followed from the placing of polos nine feet from the fence line in the town. He stated that the point would he noted for‘future guidance. Members expressed the opinion that while the poles could not be erected close to the fences they could be much nearer than was the case in most places at present.

The Ashburton Silver Band is putting in intensive practice for anotheii broadcast recital from the National Station 3YA on the evening of Monday, June 9. The hand has lately taken a very active part at public functions and during tho past week bandsmen have been out on as many as five occasions at engagements and practices. The conductor (Mr E. T{. Mopwood) said to-day that the band is always pleased to accept broadcasting engagements as it is not only an incentive to members but it also keeps the town of Ashburton to the fore. Tho broadcast programme will be as follows: March, “Punchinello”; waltz, “Queen of Gems”; euphonium solo, by Corporal T. A. Miller, “Land of Hope and Glory” ; hymn, “Bradford” ; contest selection, “Martha”; tenor horn solo by Bandsman R. Williams, “Iona”; march, “The Vanished Army,”