LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 79, 13 January 1949, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Groper Stranded on Beach When two men were fishing at the mouth of the Rakaia River on Tuesday evening a groper, which apparently had been chasing small fish, stranded itself on a steep shingle bank, between the two fishermen. The groper was several feet clear of the water. When it began flopping down the bank, the men kicked it further away and killed it. It weighed 2011) and contained two young sharks, about 10 inches long, and two other young fish.

Home for Stray Dogs The Mid-Canterbury Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals lias accepted an offer from an Ashburton businessman to pay the costs of advertising for homes for dogs found straying. The society’s inspector (Mr J. R. Reeves) said yesterday that IS replies were received to a recent advertisement for a home for a stray dog. A horse which was to have been railed last week to the boiling down works at Hornby was in such a bad way that it had to be destroyed:

Meat Killings in Wellington Indications are that . this season’s killings by Wellington meat companies will be better than last year when the two works killed more .than 1,000,000 lambs and sheep. The Gear Meat Company stated yesterday that it was probable that this season would be its best 'Since 1938. An official of the Wellington Meat Export Company said that so far the season had been fairly normal although better than last year, when the drought caused an early collapse. Lambs so far were in much better condition and there was a possibility that the season would be prolonged with lambs being extended into the autumn. —P.A.

Shearers Want Refrigerators Old-time shearers will shake their heads over some of the proposals to lie submitted to the annual convention of the Australian Workers’ Union. A motion from the New South Wales branch suggests that cooks should go into a shearers’ mess after preparing the meal. Another proposal is that the employer instead of the cook, should be responsible for bringing the ’“smoko” lunch to the shed, Other branches seek a reception room apart from the dining room, hot water systems and refrigerators, power irons for all members in shearing sheds, writing tallies in every room, and telephones installed in huts lor use by employees.

State Houses The Minister of Rehabilitation (the Hon. F. Skinner) said last night that 185 State rental houses and flats were allocated during November, 1948 to returned servicemen of World War’ II who were eligible for preferential allocation under the 50 per cent, quota. This brought the total number of State dwellings allotted to such applicants to 9527. The following are the district figures for November (followed in parentheses by the district totals): —Auckland-North Auckland 57 (2761); Hamilton-Rotorua, 1/ (751)’: Hawke’s Bay, 7 (440); Taranaki, 9 (280); ' ’Wellington-Wairarapa-Manawatu, 53 (3290); Nelson-Marlbor-ough-Buller, 10 (246); CanterburyWestland, 23 (1039); Otago, 8 (517); Southland, 1'(203). —P.A.

Triplets Born in Auckland Triplets have been born to Mrs G. R, B. Fisher, of Mercer, Auckland. The babies, two girls and a boy, are the fourth set born in the Auckland district within the /last two years and nine months. They are the first children of Mr and Mrs Fisher, who are a son and daughter respectively of Dr. and Mrs G. J. S. Fisher, of Remuera (who lived in Ashburton some 20 years ago) and Dr. and Mrs W N Abbot, of Epsom. Mr Fisher is farming at Mercer. The mother and children are all doing satisfactorily. Girls have been predominant in the last four sets of triplets born in the Auckland area. The chance of triplets being horn in New Zealand is one. to 0000. Parents of triplets, if British subjects, are entitled to the King s bounty of three guineas.

Sale of Schooner Huia One of the last of her land m New Zealand waters, the 204-ton auxiliary topsail schooner, Huia, owned by the Nobel Explosive Company, is to be sold and replaced with a more modern motor vessel. Since her purchase by the Nobel Company in 1012 site lias carried many cargoes of explosive from Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, to New Zealand and also around the New Zealand coast. She was originally built for the timber trade from Kaipara harbour to Australia and the South Island and in that trade set sail records which are still standing. Another schooner owned by the company, the Miro, lias already been sold and'it is believed that a third one, the Piri which sailed last week for Melbourne, is also for sale. They will be replaced by the 922-ton vessel, laranui, which formerly traded on the Australian coast under the name of Bingera. The new vessel has Diesel engines and was built in 1935. —P.A.