Local and General

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LIX, Issue 89, 8 November 1938, Page 3

Local and General

Because of the holiday next Friday, people's day at the metropolitan show, The Guardian will be published on Thursday afternoon.

On account of the holiday on Friday, the Leeston Public Library will open on Thursday afternoon and

evening,

A small advertisement in The Guardian produced 25 applications for the services of Mr A. Wellbourn, chimney sweep, who visited Leeston on Saturday. Next Saturday Mr Wellbourn will visit Dunsandel and application for his services should be phoned immediately to 10R, Dunsandel. On November 19 he will go to SoutbJbridge and those who wish to have chimneys swept are asked to ring The Guardian.

That the cause of a great deal of flooding in the Ellesmere county was due to the original water courses in gullies being ploughed in, was the opinion expressed by Cr. J. P. McEvedy at yesterday's meeting of the council. If these had been kept open the surface water would have, in a great many instances, Tbeen able to get away quickly and there would not have been half the flooding there was at the present time, he added.

An Ellesmere breeder who was very successful in the Corriedale section at the Ashburton show was Mr F. L. McGregor, of Dunsandel. His prizes included the following:—First, second, third, highly commended and champion for ram above 28 months, first and v.h.c. for ram 16 to 28 months, first arid v.h.c. for ram under 16 months, third for pair ram hoggets, first, second, highly commended and champion for ewe 18 to 20 months, and second for ewe under 16 months.

The New Zealand Meat Producers Board, reporting on London meat markets for the week ended November 3, states: —Heavy supplies of home-killed lamb continue to depress the market; New Zealand prime lamb still selling: above best quality home-killed, but consumption naturally affected. Trade remains slow for wether and ewe mutton, with prices easier. New Zealand light-weight porker pigs are easier with slow trade; prices unchanged for baconers, but tendency is easier.

Mr H. G. Hubbard has an advertisement in this issue regarding transport of stock to the bull sale -at Christchurch.

A reply had now been received by the Ellesmere County Council from the Public Works Department relative to the council's application for a grant towards the cost of repairing storm damage done in Taumutu drainage area. The department declined to give any assistance.

A meeting of the Lakeside Domain Board was held yesterday afternoon, Mr John Heslop presiding. It was reported by the secretary (Mr T. Moorhouse) that an arrangement had been made with the Ellesmere County Council for the employment of relief workers in grubbing gorse round the trees planted in the domain, and that this work had been completed. That part of the domain where the gorse was thick was to be swamp-ploughed and the present lessee had agreed to crop and keep free from gorse the area for a period of at least five years. An approximate summary of the council's financial position and the revenue available for expenditure till •the end of the financial year was given by the clerk at the meeting of the Ellesmere County Council yesterday. Mr Moorhouse said that the money yet to be received, plus the present credit balance was £6532, of which £3554 represented outstanding rates, £1173 highway subsidies, and £1200 subsidy on rates. For the five months of the period remaining, and after making provision for the wages cheque for March, there would be an average of £1270 per month available for expenditure.

Back in the winter members of the Ellesmere County Council waited upon the Minister for Public Works asking that an extensive survey of part of the county in the vicinity of Irwell should be made by officers of the department with a view to improving the drainage system in that locality. The Minister's reply had now been received by the council. The Hon. Mr Semple stated that on account of shortage of surveyors and pressure,of current work, he was not in a position to have any further extensive surveys carried out at present and added that the position could be reviewed in a year's time.

The suggestion was made at yesterday's meeting of the Ellesmere County Council by the engineer, Mr T. Moorhouse, that there were pending several matters and problems that would justify even a special meeting of the council to consider them. In reply to the chairman (Cr J. Heslbp) he mentioned, as an instance, that traffic was increasing considerably on some of the roads other than highj ways in the county and it was becoming a question as to whether the present methods of Shingling maintenance was the best that could be adopted. He suggested that some of the most important could be costed to find the actual position. The chairman iaaid that the council could not do anything until the end of the financial year, on account of the works in operation and it might even mean a curtailment of present maintenance. After the paving of the main road had been completed, the council might be in a position to consider some other major work. A special meeting is to be held on Monday, November 21, to consider any proposals the engineer might have to put before the council.