LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 158, 17 April 1947, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Convicted and Discharged In the Magistrate’s Court in Christchurch yesterday, Robert Quentin Dawber, a labourer, aged 29, was convicted and discharged by Mr F. F. Reid, S.M., for failing to comply with the terms ot a probationary licence. Mount Somers Domain Board Over 30 persons attended a public meeting at Mount Somers on Tuesday evening to elect a new Domain Board. The following were elected: —Messrs J. A. Mears, .T. Donoglme, T. Graham, IVI. Collison, and A. Wood. Brief Sitting of Land Sales Committee Business was very brief at a sitting of the Canterbury Rural Land Sales Committee at Ashburton this morning. Four applications were set down foi hearing, but two were Withdrawn and the other two settled without coming to public hearing. Messrs W. Osborne Rennie and B. T. Robertson were the sitting members.

Rotary Club Addresses Members of the Ashburton Rotary Club were guests of the Timaru Club at a tea last evening, when the speaker was Mr Angus Mitchell, of Melbourne, a past director of Rotary International. The Rev R. F. Chisholm, M.A., 8.D., Dominion secretary of the British and Foreign Bible Society, was the speaker at the weekly luncheon of the Ashburton Club to-day.

Cat Swims for Life Marooned on the last portion of dry land near the Karapiro dam to disappear below the rising waters, _ a black cat made a cool survey of its shrinking island. It took a neat header into the lake, broke surface and swam strongly to reach the west bank. The cat’s battle for life was in contrast to the mute acceptance of fate by a rabbit and a mouse sitting peacefully on the same log. They plunged to death together over the roaring spillway.—P.A.

Baby in Court One of the witnesses called before the Electoral Court in Hamilton adjourned for lunch on Tuesday was a married woman who had waited most of the morning in Court with a young baby in her arms. When the mother went forward to the witness box, the baby was entrusted to the experienced care of Mrs Hilda Ross, M.P. for Hamilton, who sat among the large attendance of the public at the back of the .Court. The baby remained without a whimper in the arms of Mrs Ross — herself a grandmother—until the mother had completed her evidence and was able to leave the Courtroom.

British Pacific Air Service

The inaugural flight of the Auck-land-Vhhcouver service of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines, Ltd., will leave Auckland at 9 a.m. on April 25, says the secretary of the company, Mr J. H. Kemnitz, in a letter received in Auckland. He intends to come to Auckland from Sydney on Saturday to complete arrangements for the inaugural ceremony. Mr Kemnitz says that MrA, W. Coles, chairman of the company, and Sir Keith Smith, a director, will come to Auckland for the inaugural function, and it is intended to hold a board meeting while members of the board are assembled in Auckland. It will be the first time the board lias fiiet in-New Zealand P.A. Queer Pilgrimage A queer pilgrimage, attributed to the Tibetans, was referred to by the Rev. A. E. Beard (secretary of the British and Foreign Bible Society for Canterbury and Westland) speaking in Ashburton last evening. By lying flat'on the ground and making a mark in the mud or dust with their hands, then walking to 'that mark, and then repeating the operation all over again, he had heard of Tibetans covering hundreds of miles, said,Mr Beard. He had calculated on some of these lpng trips they would make as many as 200,000 prostrations. Only the power of Satan could give these Buddha believers strength to do that, he said. That was misplaced zeal, said MiBeard, who then turned to a Chinese convert who had read the Bible through 15 times, so captivated liad he become by it. This was an example of righteous zeal. If, in an ordinary Bible, the lines were placed side by side they would reach about three miles, so this Chinese had read about 45 miles of print.