TOWN AND COUNTRY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 58, 1 December 1933, Page 7

TOWN AND COUNTRY NEWS

Items of Interest From All Quarters

It is believed that a fortune of £1,000,000 awaits New Zealand claimants, and among those claimants are the descendants of Charles Crawford, a pioneer who came to New Ze aland on the Philip Laing in 1848 (states the Dunedin “Star”). It is k“own that Mr. Crawford resided on the Otago Peninsula about 18b0-<o, but little is known of his that period. A firm of local is making inquiries on behalf oi cei tain descendants.

Iliccarton in Ayrshire. Scotland after which the Deans Brothers (the first settlers on the Canterbury Plains) named their property in 1«3, was visited by Mr. C. C. Manson, oi Christchurch, during his stay overseas, Mr. Alanson, who returned to Chnstchuich at the end of last week, after an absence of some years, said on Saturday that the main similarity between Riccarton in Christchurch and Iliccarton in Scotland was the flatness ot the surrounding country.

The fact that mothers were averse to allowing their daughters to work in factories was mentioned by Miss I’. L. Cooper, secretary to the Womens Auxiliary of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, at the annual meeting of the association the other evening, She said that as one who had been a factory worker all her life she could say that conditions in some factories were better than in some offices. The status of factory workers had risen in recent years and mothers now could feel that they could safely send their daughters to congenial employment in factories.

“I am not troubled by the thought of a quota,” said the Governor-Gen-eral, Lord Bledisloe, when speaking at Waikari on Saturday afternoon, “because I am perfectly satisfied that the capacity for absorption of the English market will soon be so great that we shall not be troubled by any limitation on the export of our dairy produce. He added that so great was the population of Great Britain that the British farmer .could not possibly produce more than one-third of the meat, one-fifth of the cereals, and an infinitesimal part of the wool required.

At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, Miss IP. L. Cooper, secretary of the women’s auxiliary, said that many people did not know what the auxiliary stood for. The work really resolved itself into the job of popularising New Zealand goods and breaking down the barriers that unaccountably existed, she said. It was the policy to mix among women and children. Interest was taken in the children because it was in the children they would have the future buyers. Talks were also given over the air, and these had been much appreciated by country women. Complaints about Dominion goods were investigated, and every endeavour was made to get the shop assistants to take a pride in New Zea-land-made articles.

Although the river Avon is comparatively shallow throughout its length and does not offer any danger to boating enthusiasts, it can be exceedingly unpleasant to those who are sufficiently lacking in respect as to change seats in mid-stream. A young man and woman—visitors to Christchurch —who were rowing near the Botanic Gardens on Saturday afternoon, decided to change seats without taking the precaution of pulling in to the bank. The boat capsized, and both were thrown into the water. Oars, cushions and other paraphernalia floated downstream while the young man floundered about in, an effort to regain them and his partner struggled, dripping, up the nearest bank,. Both were helped by on the banks and took . the mishap in a very goodnatured spirit.

Some time between 5.30 and 6.30 a.m. on Sunday evening, while the members of the St. Hilda life-saving team were away having tea, some individual with a perverted sense of humour, and apparently with nothing better to do, occupied his time by knotting the club’s life-line, Which had been left standing on the beach, into a tangle that eventually took nearly an hour and a half to unravel, reports the “Otago Daily Times.” When ib is considered that the members of life-saving clubs give their services gratuitously to assist bathers who get into difficulties, and that a life-line is required immediately an alarm is received, the mentality of the perpetrator of such a piece of stupid mischief Is difficult to understand, for the line and the reel were left in such a condition that they would have been quite useless in an emergency.

It. seldom happens that a ship arrives at the port of Otago carrying six certificated masters and a deck crew composed of certificated officers, remarks the “Otago Daily Times.” The Com'mouwealth and Dominion Line’s fine motor-ship Port Gisborne, which reached Dunedin on Sunday from London, via Panama and Suva, holds a remarkable record in that respect. In addition to Captain AV. G. Higgs, master of the Port Gisborne, three of the officers hold masters’ certificates, and two passengers, one of whom is Captain C. W. Burleigh, D.S.O, R.D, la‘e of the P. and O. Company’s service, hold deep-sea master’s certificates. As on her previous voyage to New Zealand, the Port Gisborne’s deck crew comprises IS certificated officers. These men were forced to accept such positions as a .result of the depression causing ship owners to lay up ships. ’The Port Gisborne left London on October .12, and made culls at Curacao, Balboa, and Suva. The passengers bad a very pleasant trip, as excellent weather was experienced on the trip across the Atlantic. and also on the run from Balboa to Suva and New Zealand.

When the old Union Company’s ship Waltomo sailed from Auckland ou June 29, under the colourful Chinese merchant Hag and renamed the Meishun, she carried with her as wireless operator a young New Zealander on his first trip abroad. The old ship, which lay in the harbour for five years and accumulated a load of mussels weighing over 100 tons, was bought by a Chinese shipping firm, taken first to Newcastle to load coal for the Philippine Islands, thence to North Borneo for timber and coconuts to be shipped to Hongkong. The latest letters just received by the boy’s moflier in Auckland stated that he had arrived at Shanghai on September 20, unloaded firewood from Hongkong, and was then taken 2SO miles up the Yangt.se River at a small village loading 6500 tons of iron ore for Watamatsu, in Japan (states the “Star.”) Evidently the Chinese owners had found the old Waitomo too big and old for coastal trading purposes and had already sold the ship to Japan, whether for scrap or repair is not told. After giving delivery of the vessel at Osaka, the crew were to return to Shanghai by passenger steamer.

The demand for farm labour .in South Canterbury at the present time is stronger than it has been at any time in the past three years, soa re " presentative of the “Timaru Post was informed. Domestics were keenly m demand, and very often positions "me not filled. Wages for this type of work were rising, and £1 a week was common, while 15/- was about the average. Applications for gardeners and cowmen were constant, and ploughmen were getting 25/- and 30/- a It appeared as if wages were gradually getting back to the pre-slump level.

When Airs. 11. E. Holland, widow of the Leader of the Opposition, arrived at Invercargill on Thursday night she met her half-brother, Mr. H. McLachlan, whom she had not previously seen in a period of almost 50 years. The introduction was effected by Air. T. O’Bryne, at whose home Airs. Holland is staying during her visit to Invercargill. It appears that Airs. Holland is a daughter of Air. AlcLachlan’s father by an earlier marriage, and went to live with relatives before Mr. AlcLachlan was born. The relationship was established as a result of a published statement at the time of Air. Holland’s death that his wife was formerly a Aliss Annie AlcLachlan.

The demand by single men for relief work on farms in South Canterbury at present is not nearly so acute as at the corresponding period- last year, the secretary of the Timaru Unemployment Committee informed members. At this period last year there were fully 150 men engaged on farms, but at present there are scarcely 50, the others having found private work in the meantime. The department hoped to close down the Brinklands camp in a fortnight, and the Clandebove camp a week later, and by Christmas to finish up the No. 4a scheme in the district. This would leave only the Glen Lyon and the Briggs’ Gully camps still in use. This information was given to the committee in answer to a statement by Air. H. G. Naylor, who commented that it was remarkable. in view of the fact that so many single men were unemployed in the district, that he had been unable to secure through the committee a man to go out on a farm as a cowboy at 10/a week, which would be raised to 15/when shearing was started.