LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 70, 4 January 1950, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Drop In Poisoned Grain Sales Poisoned grain sales by the Ashburton County Council last year totalled only 595 packets, a substantial drop from the aggregate of 910 in 1945.

Progress Reported The condition of Lindsay Marshall, the small child . who met with a serious accident on Saturday last, is reported by the Ashburton Hospital as “improving.”

County Driving Licences Driving licences issued by the Ashburton Cohnty Council during the six months of the licensing year to December 31 totalled 3545. For the 12 months ended last June 30 (expiry date of licences) the total was 40G9.

Double Dividends Yesterday Double dividends paid at yesterday’s race meetings (all to units of £1) were as follow: Kurow J.C. (Lovemorn-Bosun) £lO ss, Southland R.C. (Naughty' Lady-Signal Officer) £23 3s, Marton J.C. (Yasda-Arcara) £35 18s. Keas Killed In County Judging by the number of beaks handed in during the last two years, keas are on the increase in Ashburton County. A payment of 6s per beak is made by the County Council, hut 5s of this is refunded by the Government. Last year the cbuncil purchased 208 beaks, compared with only 151 in 1948. Cold Weather in North America ' Temperatures in central British Columbia dropped to 57.6 degrees below zero to-day—a record —but residents of Snag, a tiny settlement in the Yukon, were not impressed. They had to endure a temperature of 62 degrees below zero. Snag’s thermometers last year registered 83 degrees below zero. —Vancouver, January 2. Many More Dogs Registered i Dog registrations,, in Ashburton Borough and County increased by 905 last year, compared with (.hose in 1948, and the total of 3512 is easily a record. County Council registrations, with possibly one or two more to come in from agencies, totalled 3220 last year, while the 1948 total was only 2335. The Borough Council figure for 1949 was 292 an increase of 20 on the previous 12 months. Ashburton Dancer’s Success Competing at the New Year sports carnival of the South Canterbury Centre of the Piping and Dancing Association, Patricia Arnst, of Ashburton, was placed first in the Highland Fling under 8 years and second in the Sword Dance under 10 years, has competed in 13 events, from under 8 years ‘to under 10 years, at vaiious sports meetings during the holidays, and has been placed in every one, with 10 firsts, two seconds and one third. Cyclist? on Holiday Holiday-makers energetic enough to take their vacation a-wheel have been seen in goodly numbers passing through Ashburton during the last few days. Some Have carried complete camping outfits, including small tents and the inevitable billies. It is truly wonderful what a bicycle in good condition will carry without serious risk to the rider. The travellers, by the way, have not all been of the sex mysteriously but generally described as the sterner.

Holiday Weather in Auckland Auckland is sweltering under the hottest Christmas and New Year holiday period for the last 25 years. Extremely light winds have done little to ease the heat. There was record traffic to all beaches yesterday, and ferry and bus services were packed. At 5 p.m. the beaches were crowded with swimmers cooling off in the warm water. The city was deserted. Sales of ice cream, soft drinks, and other refreshments have boomed at beach resorts. In the city beer sales have been 'very heavy and hotels at holiday resorts have reported record sales. Sunburn lotion and sun glasses have also been heavily in demand. —P.A.

Sunset Glory A remarkable sunset sky was to be seen last evening. In the west-soutli-west, the quarter which at mid-sum-mer sees the disappearance of the sun, the clouds, mostly stratus and cirrus, were') tinted with rose deepening to red. A north-west arch disclosed a clear arc of blue comprising nearly a quarter of the horizon, while to the north, low down, was an area of purple and gold 'which faded as the sun sank. From the zenith to the north-east horizon a canopy of flowing cloud, tawny and changing to an ominous red, presaged the south-west wind which sprang up with the fading of the sunset glory. Radar in Model Plane A feature of the New Zealand model aeroplane championships at Rukuhia last, week was the guiding of a model aircraft by radar. The machine, which was designed by Mr L. Wright, of Wellington, was sft Sin long, with a wing span of 10ft, and weighed sJlb. It had no propeller, hut was borne aloft by towing and then released. Mr Wright connected the electrical apparatus in the machine with a beam from the ground and directed it at a height oi 1000 ft for 21 minutes until an amateur radio transmitter operating on the same wave-length jammed the beam. The machine was temporarily lost, hut after a search it was found undamaged in a gully over a mile away.

Choosing a Parliament . “The Commonwealth,” published in the U.S.A. and calling itself the magazine of democracy, suggests a method of electing representatives ,to Parliament which is certainly novel, and is claimed by its originators to “end the organised political party with its triple evils —chicanery, patronage and misrepresentation.” The community, it is suggested should be divided into five groups, Labour, Producer, Middleman, Retailer, Educator and Professional. Each should nominate representatives, and the final choice in each group should be by lot. Biblical sanction is adduced for this last step, Proverbs 18: 18 being cited: it reads “The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.” This “recognises the control of Providence in the doings of man, and protects the commonwealth from anticivic minority dictatorship and totalitarian government.”