LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 205, 12 June 1945, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

One twenty-fifth of a penny in the £ will be the rate levied by the South Canterbury Catchment Board for the current year on. rateable bodies in its area. Based on the valuation last year, the contribution of tile Ashburton Borough will be £324.

* The quota of the, Ashburton Tyre and Tube' Rationing Committee is more than sufficient to meet the demand. With the cessation of killing at the Fairfield Freezing Works soon, the demand will he even less. Applications for 71 tyres and 46 tubes were granted last evening.

Steady increases in the annual total of attendances of outpatients at the Ashburton Public Hospital during the last five years were shown in the annual report of the secretary (Mr J. H. Chapman) presented to the Hospital Board to-day. The figures are:—l94o- - 9303; 1941-42, 11,903; 1942-43* 14,751; 1943-44, 15,060; 1944-45, 18,234.

Instruction in woolclassing will begin at the Ashburton Technical High School on Friday evening, 12 enrolments for a special class having been received. Classes will continue for about 15 weeks, Friday evening having been selected because of its suitability to country students, who would otherwise be handicapped by petrol rationing. Mr C. C. Werry will be the instructor. Strong support was found for these classes last year, there being one at Methven and another at the air station, as well as one at the school.

A statement that the Army Department had recommended that Grade II farm hands be not mobilised was made by the director of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture in a letter replying to a telegram dispatched by the Auckland District Council of Primary Production on the calling up of farm-hands and the release of mobilised men. The Army, added the letter, had further recommended that cases of recent mobilisation of farm-hands be referred to the district manpower officer, who would make arrangements for the release of the men concerned. The council passed a resolution urging that no further farm labour be withdrawn, and that a priority scheme for the release of farm labour in the forces be instituted. The council also asked for a clear statement by the Government on the position, as uncertainty was adversely affecting farm production.—P.A.

The Anchor Shipping Company’s steamer Titold, which was to have sailed from New Plymouth for Greymouth at midnight on Saturday, was delayed until II a.m. yesterday, when she left for Greymoutli. The Titoki is engaged in carrying coal from Greymouth to New Plymouth, whence it is being railed to Auckland to relieve the shortage there. The trouble, it is reported, occurred at 10 p.m. on Saturday, when waterside workers ceased work on the ship for the day. At that stage there were still about 30 tons of coal to be dischai’ged. The crew were ordered to close the hatches ready for sailing, but refused to do so. The reason was stated to be that they objected to carrying coal back to Greymouth after taking it to New Plymouth. A gang of watersiders was employed yesterday morning to close the hatches. According to the New Plymouth agents the Titoki was urgently required to load coal yesterday at Greymoutli for the Dargaville Gas Company, and it was earlier decided that in the event of an incomplete discharge any small balance would be retained and used for bunker coal by the ship.—P.A.

Because the plan for a proposed lethal chamber for the painless destruction of animals, submitted by the Ashburton branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was considered to he too expensive, the Borough Council last evening decided, on the recommendation of the Works Committee, to recommend the branch to arrange with a local veterinary surgeon or the Gas Company to provide facilities for the destruction of animals.

A collision occurred at the intersection of Wills and ‘winter Streets at 10.15 this morning, between a MidCanterbury Transport taxi driven by Mr Arthur James Lilley and a cyclist, Mrs F. M. Coldicott, of 38 Wills Street, who suffered from shock. The taxi was being driven west along Wills Street and Mrs Coldicott was cycling east along Wills Street when the accident occurred. Mrs Coldicott was taken to her home in the taxi. No damage was done to the car and only minor damage to the bicycle.

It was ascertained officially at Wellington yesterday that although there were still several points requiring consideration by the Government, the general idea behind the payment of gratuities for war service was that the rate of 20s a month should operate for every month’s service in New Zealand, and the payment of 75s a month immediately a man left for overseas, 'the Acting-Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash) said to-day that questions of conditions and the date of payment will be discussed with the Returned Services’ Association, and that a supplementary statement would be issued setting out all the details.

The Minister of Marketing (the Hon. B. Roberts) said last night that the Internal Marketing Division had received inquiries from packers in both the. North and South Islands asking whether butter might now be packed in half-pound pats for the local markets. “The present situation of supplies of vegetable parchment paper, both for local and export packing, is even more precarious than when halfpound pats were originally eliminated some years ago,” said the Minister, “and in the circumstances the division cannot approve the use of the halfpound pack, which requires approximately one-third more parchment paper than the corresponding quantity of one pound pats.” . However, if the paper supply position improved, the matter w r ould be reviewed. —P.A.

What would the world do without tobacco? —the source of so much joy and comfort to the human race. There is indeed, as Kingsley wrote, “no herb like it under the canopy of heaven,” and if, as its enemies allege, it sometimes proves injurious, that is only when there is too much nicotine in it. For nicotine is admittedly poisonous stuff. In such cases the smoker may fail to realise his danger until failing health compels him to seek medical aid. But the famous toasted brands, Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), Navy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog), Cavendish, Riverhead Gold and Desert Gold, also tailormades, never harmed anyone. Qn the contrary, they have benefited smokers innumerable, and will continue their beneficent work indefinitely, for they tranquillise the troubled mind, relieve mental stress, cheer and solace. Their exquisite purity is largely owing to the toasting they undergo at the factory which effectually eliminates injurious excess of nicotine. It also gives these beautiful tobaccos their delightful fragrance and matchless bouquet. No other tobacco at all resembles them. They are unique—unapproached and unapproachable! lx