Local and General

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LX, Issue 17, 3 March 1939, Page 4

Local and General

A 20-acre property at Doyleston is offered for lease by Mr A. S. Lyons, solicitor, Leeston.

To make further arrangements for the fair to be held on April 21, householders and others interested are to meet at the Leeston Consolidated School next Monday evening.

Miss Kathleen Mathews, who conducted a school of dancing last year at Leeston Town Hall with a great deal of success, will resume teaching shortly. The children's classes are to re-open on Monday, March 13, and the ball room classes on Monday, April 17. All the latest dances will be taught, and private lessons can be arranged for. Miss Mathews also intends to form keep-fit classes for young women and married women.

In 1865 the ex-Prime Minister of a European state took up farming land in the Manawatu district. This was Bishop Monrad, who had retired from Danish politics after the disastrous war with Germany, when in 1864, Denmark had Schleswig-Holstein forcibly torn from it. Bishop Monrad chose New Zealand as a retreat from the deep disillusionment of these disastrous events. He came out with his two sons and three other Danes, one of them an agricultural expert, and settled down to develop the estate of Karere on the banks of the Manawatu river. He remained three years, working himself and conducting services on Sundays. In 1868 he returned to Denmark to live, but one of his sons remained in New Zealand, to become a pioneer of the dairy industry.

Auckland housewives in 1844 must sometimes have been in 'despair of making ends meet, the prices of ordinary necessities were so high. Bread was l|d a pound, and fresh pork 3J d, in contrast to beef or mutton which were sd. Butter, if fre3h, was 1/6 a pound, and salt 1/- a

pound, a high price in terms of the higher purchasing power of money nearly one hundred years ago. Milk was hardly cheap at 4d a quart, and sugar was definitely expensive at 4d a pound. The distance from sources of supply, the comparatively small numbers of stock yet imported, and the rudimentary state of agriculture in the infant settlement made commodities dear. Pork and potatoes, which were £2/10/- a ton, were the only foods produced locally in any quantity and these were cheap. But a labourer's wage was still about 3/---a day.

Belfast School held its picnic at Leeston today, the excursionists arriving by special train. There were 146 children and about 100 adults in the party.

The preliminary announcement is made of a clearing sale to be held at Leeston saleyards on Friday, March 31, on account of Mr Davidson Millar, by the National Mortgage and Agency Coy. of New Zealand Ltd.

The Public Trust Office is inviting alternative tenders for the purchase or lease of a farm of 58 acres in the estate of Thomas Dixon. Particulars may be obtained from Mr C. G. Fisher, agent of the Public Trust Office at Leeston.

A poll will not be necessary for the election of the Mid-Canterbury Licensing Committee as only five candidates, the number required, have been nominated. They are Messrs E. Buchanan, W. Johnston, B. McNamara, E,'. B. Newton, and H ; F. Nicoll

One of the duties imposed on police constables in farming districts is the collection of statistics from farmers relative to their agricultural activities. Forms for filling in have been sent to all farmers and those who. have not yet done so should complete and return them as soon as possible to either the police station at Leeston or at Southbridge, according to the district. The forms have to be returned before the end.of this month.

Steady progress is being made with the re-construction of the main road between Doylestoh and the bridge over the Selwyn at Ellesmere. From Doyleston to Irwell school corner, with the exception of a few chains at the mill bridge, the road has received the first sealing coat. Re-con-struction work is in progress between the bridge and the school corner, the main centre of activity being improvement of the corner opposite Meadowbank, while the smaller of the two gullies across the road near the church has been eliminated and the other partly filled in.

For some time interference had been affecting radio reception in the Southbridge district and all efforts to find the cause had been fruitless. 'Last night a further search was made, the party consisting of officials of the P. and T. Department from Christchurch dealing with radio, the inspector from the Springs-EUesmere Power Board, Messrs T. J. Fussell and H. Rowe. They were successful in locating trouble which was originating from a defective apparatus in the power supply service and this has now been put right. This may be the only source of the trouble, but if interference still continues further investigation will have to be made.