SOUTH CANTERBURY.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18401, 6 June 1925, Page 4

SOUTH CANTERBURY.

TIMARU.

Social and Personal,

Mrs G. J. lo Crcn (Grey road) has returned from Hanmer.

Miss Jean de Lafour left for Orari yesterday.

Mr and Mrs "Walker (England) arc the guests of Mrs A. C. AVigley (Park lane). Miss Hooper (England) is staying with the Misses "Woollcombe (Trafalgar street). ,„...., , v • Professor Shelley (Christchurch) is the guest of Mr and Mrs E. J. Minima (Beverley road). Mr and Mrs R. A. Dixon (Woodbury) are spending a few days in Timaru.

Mr and Mrs J. Oliver, who had been staving with Mrs H. TgWinter (Avenue road), returned to :North Canterbury this week.

Mrs Vernon Gabites v who had been the guest of Mrs F. C. May (Elizabeth street), returned to Lyttelton yesterday.

Mrs E. C. D'Auvergnc and Miss D'Auvcrgne, who have been staying with Mrs W. Priest (Bank street), returned to Waimato yesterday. Mr and Mrs A. M. Satterthwaite (Christchurch) and Mr, Mrs, and Miss Tilsley (Bournville, England) returned from Mount Cook yesterday afternoon. Mrs F. S. Davidson (Wai-iti road) gave a bridge party at the South Canterbury Ladies' Club rooms. ' Thos6 present were:—Mesdames H. W. Hall, R. Priest, C. Maitland, R. H. Joyce, Bannerman, Malfroy, W. D. Revell, C. G. Gurtis, H. Thompson, Philpj, W. Johnstone, J. Lindsay, and Miss Philp. The first prize was won by Mrs Curtis and the second by Mrs Hall.

Arbitration Court. At the Arbitration Court yesterday, before his Honour Mr Justice Frazer, and Messrs Wm. Scott (employers' representative) and Hiram Hunter ( employees' representative), the Court heard the claim of Herbert R. Collins for compensation from J. Paterson and Co., Ltd., for the loss of an arm. the result of an accident while rabbiting on a farm owned by the defendant company. Mr F. W. Ongley (Oamaru) appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr W. J. Sim (Ghristchureh) for the defendant company.

In evidence plaintiff said that while out rabbiting on the Te Aka Station, owned by the defendant company, he had been carrying a loaded gun, which was accidentally discharged while he was releasing a dog from a chain. After the accident he had been taken to tho Oamaru Hospital, where his left ann had been amputated between the elbow and the shoulder.

, For the defence, Mr Sim said the case for the first time opened up the question of whether a rabbiter was a servant of the station-owner. The onus in this instance was entirely on the plaintiff to establish that he was a servant., The rabbitera were quite different from the other station hands. They had their own camp, used their own methods, and worked in their own time. They were there to make an income for themselves. There were three headings under which they might come: they might be servants or independent contractors or licensees of tho rabbit rights with a free run of the estate. The latter suggestion was probably the one fitting tho present case. Mr Burnett, who was managing tho station, would deny that had ever issued any orders to tho rabbiters, for ho had no' authority, to do so. Donald Burnett, manager of the estate, gave evidence as to the payment of wages to the rabbiters, but stated that he had no control over the working of the gang. Judgment was given for plaintiff for tho full amount of the claim, £575 13s 9d, and costs. '

Tanners' Union. A meeting of the Timaru branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union was held yesterday. Present: Messrs P. R. Talbot (chairman), W. B. Jones, W. Moore, R. "W. Gainsford, R. Hammond, W. IT. Orbell, J. King, P. Porter, and W. Black. The chairman made sympathetic reference to the deaths of Messrs C. N. Orbell and H. Baker. Motions of sympathy were, carried in silence. The resignation of Mr Bruce Gillies, on hisleaving the district, was received, and held over in the meantime. Messrs D. McPhedran, J. Bell, and W. Pearce were elected members of the branch. ,

The Wairarapa branch wrote asking for particulars of the commission and yard dues charged by auctioneering companies on sales of wool, live stock, both studs and flocks, in yards and paddocks.

It was decided to obtain the information required from the Stock Auctioneers' Association.

The North Canterbury branch wrote stating that articles on wheat-growing, by Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, had appeared in "The Press," and the president had suggested that the Timaru branch,might take the opportunity of securing some copies of the articles in leaflet form. The chairman said that Dr. Hilgendorf had been doing wonderful .work in connexion with wheat-growing. However, he did not feel that the branch would be justified in going to the expense of procuring 350 copies, as it had only 91 members.

It was decided that no action should be taken.

With reference to the proposed cooperative wheat marketing scheme, the chairman said that North Canterbury was strongly in favour of an organisation to assist in the marketing of all kinds of produce, and not only wheat. It had been decided that growers and millers should meet early in December to discuss the fixing of prices.

Members considered that December would be too late for such a conference, and that the end of October would bo the latest date suitable to farmers.

The chairman expressed the opinion that next year's wheat prices had been fixed very satisfactorily. The only trouble was that the prices had not been fixed earlier. Mr Porter said there seemed to be a good deal of dissatisfaction over the wheat question. He did not think the Government had any right to say when wheat-growers should sell their crops.

The chairman said the Government, which was holding the anti-dumping regulations against flour, was assisting the farmers to get better prices for their wheat. There was a very short supply, and they knew that if flour were allowed to come into the country wheat prices would go down.

Mr Porter ,said the Hon. W. Nosworthy had stated in Dunedin that flour was to be brought in duty free. This was not a fair thing.

The chairman said the intention of the Minister was to import wheat and make the millers pay for it. The mill-/ ing of the wheat would provide the bran and pollard which was badly needed in the country, and the duty on flour would reimburse the millers for the extra cost to them. The farmer would rj*t be penalised. Referring to f.o.b. charges, Mr Talbot said that the Department, and not the Farmers' Union, was responsible for them.

Mr Porter said that under the present system of charges it would not pay farmers to grow wheat.

The chairman: What will you do

when the bottom falls out of the sheep market?

Mr Jones said that if he had gone on growing wheat he would have been in the Bankruptcy Court. He would see the (own starve before he would put wheat in. Mr Porler: We may as well let the Government know that the wheat is not being sown.

Mr Black thought that farmers ought to make some attempt to grow wheat for the sake of the industries dependent on it.

The chairman said that it had been the unfavourable climatic conditions, rather than the prices, which had deterred farmers from growing wheat. Mr Jones said he thought that farmers should club together and get a small mill of their own, to lessen threshing costs.

Mr Jones referred to the seizure of 20,000 lambs in various freezing works by the Bank of New Zealand, as security in the Kaye and Carter case. He thought that the Government should be asked to protect the small farmer under such circumstances.

The chairman said he thought the Meat Board should be asked to take some steps towards protecting the producers. . Mr Jones accordingly moved that the Meat Board should be consulted regarding a stipulation that all lambs sold for cash should be paid for within 14 days, and should remain the property of the vendor until paid for. The motion was carried, and it was also agreed that the Meat Board should be informed that a considerable number of small farmers had been left in a precarious position through the action of the bank. The chairman brought up the matter of sheep-worrying, which had become a serious matter in his district. He knew of a Morveu farmer who had lost 100 sheep ..through worrying by dogs. Three farmers in the Claremoiit district had also lost sheep.

CLANDEBOYE. The annual prize-giving ceremony of the Clftiideboye Presbyterian Sunday school was held in the hall. There was practically a full attendance of children who, with their parents and well-, wishers of the Sunday school, spent a pleasant time in games, interspersed with musical and elocutionary litems. The Sunday school scholars gave several items in a most pleasing manner. After supper h?.d been partaken of, Mr J. Anderson, home missionary, Orari, addressed those present on the work of the Sunday school and presented prizesas follows :—Mr Shaw's class: Colin Sherriff, Cyril Donehue, T. Wallace, Neil Hooper, George Coochey and Sidney Horner; special prize, Colin Sherriff. Miss Goldsman's clas<s: Georgina Flett. Audrey Liddle, Elsie Sherriff, Phyllis Arscott, ■Clara Coochey, Ellen Liddle, Mona Chester; Mrs Dunn's class: Emily Flett, Edna Bocock, Leila Donehue, Joan Henderson, Charlotte Keith. Bertha Coochey, Ethel Hooper, Alan Arscott, Arnold Hoo'per, and Fred Coochey ; special prizes, Emily Flett, Leila Donehue, Alan Arscott; Mrs Shaw's class: George Millard, Linda Millard, Beverly Arscott, Edward Barrett. Willie McMillan, Sefton Hooper, Winifred Maclrie, Shirley Donehue, Mavis Boocock, Mary Chester, Muriel Henderson, John Henderson. Mr J. Coochey, on behalf of the parents, proposed a, very hearty/ vote of thanks to the superintendent of the Sunday school (Mr Shaw) and his stair for the work they were doing in giving the children some "knowledge of the (Scriptures. The motion' was carried by acclamation. The residents of Clandeboye- met in the hall to bid farewell to Mr and Miss Goldsman, who are leaving the district The large number present testified to the esteem in which the guests of the evening were held a.nd the regret that was felt at their departure. Mr J. G. juarry, who presided, in making the presentation, said the organisation of the function that evening had been necessarily .rather hurried, but they had met with such ready and hearty support that, though partings were occasions for sadness, their work had been indeed a. pleasure. Mr Goldsman and Miss Goldsman were leaving Clandeboye with the respect and esteem of everyone in the district. a neigKbour., Mr Barry said their guests had been always most courteous and obliging and every ready to lend » helping hand. In matters affecting the' public interest and the welfare of the district generally, Mr and Miss Goldsman had taken their full chare. He had much pleasure in asking Miss Goldsman to accept a toilet set and case and Mr Goldsmati a shaving outfit and a wallet of notes. Others who testified to the worth of the denartirig guests were Mr N. Cuthbert, Mr J. Ctoochevy Mr C. Prestidge and Mr W. H. Cartwright, reference being inade to Mr Goldsman's work on the Hall Committee and for the Technical Association classes and to Miss Goldsman's work in the Sunday school. Mr Shaw, speaking on behalf of the teachers and children of the Sunday school, thanked Miss Goldsman for her untiring efforts on their behalf. The school would miss Miss Goldsman very much indeed, but their loss would be someone else's gain, as he had no doubt that Miss Goldsman would carry on the good work elsewhere. He had much pleasure in asking her to accept a fountain, pen as a small token of appreciation. Mr Goldsman, in responding, thanked the speakers for the very kind things they had said and the people for the very handsome presents which had been made to them that evening.