LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 147, 3 April 1948, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tinwaid Mare Sold

On account of Mr T. W. Gudsell, Tinwalcl, the b m Aaronese, 14 years, by Rovdon-Ferino, was sold to Mr J. Were, Christchurch, for 100 guineas at the Easter bloodstock sale at Christchurch yesterday.

Fat Lamb Schedule A reduction of 1-8 per lb in the South Island fat lamb schedule from April 5, making the top price 12.1 d, was announced last evening by the N.Z. Meat Producers’ Board. The reduction has been made because of a decrease in the value of slipe wool.— P.A.

Trans-Tisman Service According to advice received from Auckland, there will be no transTasman. charter flights from April 5 to April 7. There will be daily charter flights by Trans-Australian Airlines from April 8 to April 11. The company is endeavouring to arrange other charters. —P.A.

Ashburton Fat Collection

Only about 3cwt of fat was received at Ashburton this week and this has been despatched to the soap works. Numerous inquiries are still being received from country districts for tins in which to pack fat. One district, Mount Somers, has ordered 24 tins. There are some tins on hand at the municipal chambers and these may be obtained from the Town Clerk (Mr R. C. Major).

Surrey Hills Siphon Opportunity was taken by the Public Works Department to di’ain the water from the Surrey Hills siphon during the Easter holidays when the water was not required s 6 urgently for power. An inspecton was made and apparently everything was in order, for the water was again turned on at the headworks and is running full capacity to the power station at Highbank, except such as is required for the Winchmore irrigation area.

Plunkef Society Meeting A meeting of the Ashburton Plunket Society was held yesterday, Mrs L. A. Charles, president, being in the chair. The nurse’s monthly report was presented, and read as follows: —Visits to rooms: Town, babies 323, adults 371, pre-school children 40; country, babies 124, adults 131, pre-school children 8. It was decided to hold the annual meeting on Friday, June 4. Members stood in silence as a mark of respect for the late Mrs H. W. Smallbohe and also for the late Lady Nosworthy.

Forest Fire Checked Falls of rain on Thursday night near Ashhurst and good work by the Public Works Department, the State Forest Service, and the Palmerston North Fire Brigade checked the spread of flames of a forest fire which, raged in parts of the hillside on the left face o'f the Manawatu gorge, throughout the week. The outbreak is now under control. Gorge road remains closed, but the number of falling boulders which presented a hazard to traffic and workmen yesterday decreased considerably.—P.A.

Derailment at Bluff

As the Invercargill - Bluff train was pulling into the Bluff station at 10 o’clock yesterday morning the switching points were inadvertently moved, with the result that part of the train broke away and moved on to the next line of rails, striking a rake of stationary trucks. A UB truck containing the AAvarua Boating Club’s pairs and fours, and the Southland eight boats were derailed and left lying at an angle across both sets of rails. The truck was extensively damaged, and the woodwork of all the boats was bally splintered.—P.A.

More Cars Registered The total registrations for motorvehicles in New Zealand at March 31, 1947, were 330,922. This represented an increase of 15,422 on the number at March 31, 1946. The registration figures for private motor-cars at March 31 in the years 1945, 1946 and 1947 were 199,418, 201,425 and 202,437. The total car registrations at December 31, 1947, were 210,027, but about 4000 of that total would not he private vehicles. These figures were given by Mr C. D. Pedersen, • district officer, Transport Department, in evidence before the No. 3 Transport Authority at Christchurch yesterday. Tuarangi Home Returns Inmates of Tuarangi Home on March 31 numbered 119, of an average age of 73.2 years. The two oldest men were aged 93, and the youngest 47. Included among the men were two Boer War veterans, one Maori War veteran, and. a man aged 93, who served with the British forces in India. There were also 18 former servicemen of the 191418 war. The numbers in the various age groups were as follow: From 40 to 50 years, 5; from 50 to 60 years, 5; from 60 to 70 years, 35; from 70 to 80 years, 39; more than 80 years, 5. The average daily number of inmates during the year was 119.7. Urge for Education “To-day there is a tremendous urge throughout the whole country for education,” said Mr J. S. Nicholson, a visitor to Dunedin from Nigeria where he has been carrying out missionary work. “It is not coming from the Government authorities or from the missionaries, but from the natives themselves. It is hard to say what the reason for it is, but that is the spirit over the whole of Africa to-day. It has not been pressed by the Governments or by the missionaries, but it is there.” The northern areas of Nigeria were very backward, said Mr Nicholson. It was in this part that British rule was carried out by indirect control. That was rule through the chiefs as far as possible. This system was working out very well. Interpreter Needed When Mr E. Niewidze, with his wife and 18-months-old son, landed in a Skymaster at Auckland from Sydney yesterday, they had everyone bewildered, because of their inability to speak English. Officers tried stumbling French and extravagant gestures without avail. Finally Squadron Leader Levy, medical officer at Whenuapai, spoke to the family in German. A Tourist Department official put through a telephone call to Hastings, and Mrs Niewidze spoke in Polish to a relative who had paid their passages to New Zealand, and guaranteed their train fare. An airways car took the family to a railway station, with a letter to the guard of the train: Mr and Mrs Niewidze told the doctor that they had been in concentration camps. The husband, who is a bootmaker, once had to dig his own grave, but scrambled away before the shooting party arrived. They are Poles from a displaced persons camp in Austria. They made their way to France, and travelled, in shocking conditions, in an Egyptian ship to Australia. Mrs Niewidze spoke to the doctor who said: “She wishes to thank everybody for their kindness. It is such a change.”—P.A.