COUNTRY NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22717, 1 November 1935, Page 18

COUNTRY NEWS

QUEENSTOWN The weatker has been rather dull during the week, grey skies, with very little sun, being the rule on most days. Temperatures have been lower in consequence. Monday was a glorious day, all sports fixtures being carried through in the most favourable of weather conditions. The readings taken at the local meteorological station for the seven days ended October 27 are:—

Cricket A match between Old and Young players of the Queenstown Cricket Club took place on the local recreation reserve on Monday afternoon. The more seasoned members claimed the honours, though the margin was not large (136 —126). The younger set went in to bat first, the outstanding performance among them being that of a schoolboy, C. Nelson, who made 41, not out. G. F. Murchison 25, W. Nelson, jun., 17, and J. Buckham. 12 were the others who reached double figures. The.eleven representing the older players had three of their num. ber to thank for their win, as W. Nelson, sen., accounted for 61, J. T. Lynch for 26, and J.. Olsen 21, extras being 16. Bowling The official opening of the Wakatipu Bowling Club e season took place on Monday, when there was a large attendance of local and visiting bowlers. The customary ceremony of rolling up the first bowl was carried out by the wife of the president, Mr A. T. Scheib. The green was declared by players to be in exceedingly good condition for the commencement of the season, and some very enjoyable games were got in during the afternoon. There was a big gallery of spectators, which included a number of Labour_ Day visitors. The club and the lady friends of members combined in entertaining everyone at afternoon tea. Lake County A. and P. Society The annual meeting of the Lake Countv A. and P. Society was held' at Arrowtown on Saturday. Mr D. H. Cockburn presided over a large attendance of members. The report covered the activities of the year, all of which had been of a progressive nature. The credit balance, though not as large as that of the previous year, was regarded as most satis tactory in view of the fact that the assets of the society had been materially increased by certain non-recurring expendi-' ture. Office-bearers elected were: President, Mr D. H. Cockburn (re-elected); vicepresident, Mr J. W. M'Lean; field steward, Mr W. S. Reid; assistant stewards—Messrs R. Munro and R. Baird (light horse section), L. Lee and D. Jardine (other sections); press steward, Mc J. H. Douglas; auditors, Messrs J. Reed and L. Lee; treasurer, Mr W. S. Reid; Executive Committee— Dr W. A. Anderson, Messrs T. Houston, R. M. Paterson, W. S. Reid, L. Lee, Alexander M'Bride, J. H. Douglas, D. Jardine, A. W. Scott, R. Shaw, K. Brown, John Reid (Cave Farm), W. M'Lean, J. Grant, T M. Houston, S. Brown, T. D. Scott. R. Munro, K. Haggitt, and R. H, Baird. The date of the show was fixed for March 11, 1936. A recommendation that an excursion be arranged for the week of the Upper Clutha and Lake County Shows was left in the hands of the president, the Queenstown Borough Council to be asked to cooperate.

The president and Messrs D. Jardine, W. S. Reid, R. H. Baird, A. M'Bride, L. Lee, T. D. Scott, and J. W. M'Lean were appointed a Grounds Committee, with instructions to investigate the matter of irrigation. Other matters dealt with included a resolution letting the show grounds or buildings for camping purposes, %vith a scale of charges; the society to pay half the cost of transport of sheep to Upper Clutha Show, cost not to exceed £2; the secretary to communicate with prospective advertisers in the show catalogue, and Advertising Committee to meet in December; a publican's booth sanctioned, also, side shows to be encouraged. ,

Reserved Judgment Mr H. J. Dixon, S.M., has Riven his reserved judgment in the civil action brought in the local court early in the present month by Mr Hastie, farmer, Pine Hill, Dunedin, against W. Veint, butcher, Queenstown, in which he claimed the gum of £29 10s, being the price of a grey gelding (£25) purchased from defendant, and' £4 10s freight on same from Queenstown to Dunedin. Upon its arrival at Dunedin, the horse was found to be bleeding, this being due to hemorrhage of the lungs, according to the evidence given by the veterinary surgeon called. The horse died about three weeks later, and a claim was based upon the contention that defendant gave plaintiff a guarantee of soundness when the negotiations for the sale and purchase were proceeding. - Mr Dixon's judgment is as follows: — In this case the plaintiff claimed £29 10s damages for breach of warranty in connection with the sale of a horse by the defendant to the plaintiff. The facts showed that the plaintiff bought a horse from the defendant in March, 1935. The plaintiff claimed that it was warranted sound by the defendant. The evidence for the plaintiff was to the effect that the defendant had stated that the horse was sound. It would be unlikely that an experienced dealer like the plaintiff would buy an unknown horse from a stranger without requiring some guarantee. The defendant admitted that he said to plaintiff that the horse was all right. I hold that there was a warranty as to soundness given except for a blemish on the leg. The horse was shipped when required by plaintiff some days after the purchase. When it arrived in Dunedin there was a lot of blood in the truck, and, according to the evidence, the haemorrhage had been from the lungs, and this would indicate congestion of the lungs. The horse recovered a little, but died about three weeks later. A post mortem was held, and showed that the lungs were congested, and thaff this was the cause of death. The evidence is not clear as to whether the horse was unsound at the time of the sale. The plaintiff relies mainly on the evidence of an unqualified veterinary surgeon. His evidence was ' taken on commission and was not convincing. He states: " From the condition that I found I would not say that the horse could have been sound three months previous. There had been a weakness throughout his adult life." In cross-examination, he stated: "A hemorrhage from the lungs may be a sudden onslaught. Taking an external examination, I would say he had no stamina in him. I would say that this apparent lack of stamina would be seen through his adult life. A purchaser would not necessarily notice the lack of stamina. ... I agree that hsemorr-

hage of the lungs can come on suddenly in a horse as it can in a human being.' Mr, Dayus, the Government veterinary surgeon, stated: " Some form of congestion of the lnugs is a preliminary to a pulmonary haemorrhage. In racehorses, with sudden over-exertion, one may get a sudden pulmonary haemorrhage. That could happen with an otherwise sound horse. ... A horse otherwise sound

could have a sudden haemorrhage. I do not think that a horse could appear perfectly sound to a layman when suffering from a febrile condition or some bacterial disease. A congested condition of the lungs can take a horse suddenly, just as it does a human being." Evidence was given that a few days before being shipped, but a week after the sale, the horse had bled from the nose, but this would not be evidence of unsoundness. There was also evidence that the horse had at no time before the sale showed lack of stamina. Under the circumstances, I am not satisfied that the congestion was not a sudden attack without any prior unsoundness or weaknessPlaintiff wil' be nonsuited, with costs in Dunedin (£2 2s), solicitor's fee at Queenstown (£3 3s), and witness's expenses (10s). District Aerodrome Site At a special meeting of the Queenstown Borough Council held during the week it was decided that the council approve the action of the Queenstown racecourse trustees in revoking their trustee-

ship for the purpose of having the racecourse area declared a district aerodrome site. ■ f'- . " General Election °> On Saturday afternoon a meeting of Uiose interested in the formation of a branch of the Labour Party was held \t Arrowtown, when some 20 people were present. Mr James Anderson, sen., occupied the chair. It was unanimously, decided to establish a branch, and the following were elected office-bearers:—Presi-dent, Mr James Anderson, sen.;, vicepresident, Mr Claude Sims; secretary and treasurer, Mr W. Hannah; committeeMessrs J. Fletcher, M. Fitzpatrick, W. Maim, It. M'Allister,.and James Cowie, New Post Office Much satisfaction is felt here that Cabinet has seen fit to authorise the 'erection of a new post office in Queenstown. The existing building is very old, and the convenience and comfort it offers both the public and the office staff is quite out of keeping with present-day needs and the big.volume of business being transacted. Dance The Labour Day sports fixtures were' finished last night with- a dance held in the Garrison • Hall in aid of the local cricket club and- fire brigade. There was a good attendance, and a very pleasant evening was spent doing the old and new measures to music supplied by Reg. Romans's orchestra. Mr James C. Scott was M.C. The door prizes were won by Mrs C. M. Inglisand Mr I. Norris. Business Change The boot and shoe business carried on for many' years under the name of M. E. Gavin has been sold, by Mrs Gavin to her son, Mr F. J. Gavin. Railway Transfer Mr H. Knowles, of the stafr-of the local railway and shipping, office, has received notice of his transfer to Invercargill. Mr Knowles will .be much missed in local sporting circles, having been a participant in field games 83 well as acting in a'secretarial capacity for various clubs.- He has also been very popular with the travelling public, as he has been a most courteous, obliging and efficient officer. Personal Mr and Mrs E. C. Smith, of Gore, have been in Queenstown for a few.days. Dr and Mrs Barclay, Invercargill, have been in occupation of their Queenstown bungalow over the week-end. .. Mr D. Cuthbertson and Mr M. Mitchell came from Invercargill .for the Labour Day week-end. Mr and Mrs A. H. Cooke and Miss Margery Cooke motored.to Oamaru for the Herbert—-Macpherson wedding, which took place at Oamaru on Monday night. Mr Li W. Spencer, manager of the Invercargill office of the U.S.S. Company, was among those who came to Queenstown for the Labour Day holiday. , , .."-.. Mr and Mrs H. Geddes, of Invercargill, have been "on a ■ visit to Mr Geddes's sister, Mrs J. S. Royds. : Mr and Mrs R. Stroud, Invercargill, liave been the guests of the hitter's parents for the week-end.. Dr M'Nickle, medical superintendent of the Southland Hospital, arrived here this morning by plane and returned to- the Southland capital this afternoon. Mr and Mrs John GUldson, Invercargill, have been the guests of the latter's sister. Miss J. C. Thomson. They were accompanied by Miss Gilkison. Mr Geoff. Hoddinott, of the Wellington office of the New Zealand Shipping Company, is spending a few days in Queenstown*. He spent part of his boyhood here, and his visit is being made after an absence of 17 years. Mr Hoddinott is accompanied by his mother, Mrs F. W. Hoddinott, of Dunedin. Mr and Mrs A. Poole; of Invercargill, and Miss Eva Poole and Miss Le Petit motored to Queenstown for the week-end. Mr H. V. Shaw, one of: the principals of Messrs Armour and Co.* London, paid a visit to Queenstown on Thursday last. He was accompanied by Mr Einlay, of the Auckland branch of the company. Mr Turnbull, manager of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, was also with him. ~ Mr Peter M'Cormick, proprietor of Closeburn Station, Lake Wakatipu, returned during the week from a visit to Great Britain. ' . Messrs George Thomson (chairman of directors of the Arthur Point Sluicing Company, and Messrs Varcoe (Dunedin) and James M'Mullan (Oamaru), two other directors of the company, visited the district at the week-end on business connected with this and other mining interests in the district. - Captain and Mrs Hazard, of Bluff, are visiting Queenstown. , - 11ANFUKUY Lawn Tennis The following teariis will represent Raufurly Club. in inter-club matches on Saturday:— . • " A Grade. —Ranfurly v. Middlemarch,. at Ranfurly: G. A. Wilson, R. Sutherland, J. Redding, D. Lome, Miss J. Mawhinney, Mrs Gilchrist. Mrs Wilson, Mrs Gilchrist. :' B Grade.—Ranfurly v. Middlemarch, at Middlemarch: L. Bell, W. Elliott, A. Jordan, R. Gibb, Miss M. Mawhinney, Miss M. Mullin.. Miss E. Forrester, Miss F. Scott. ,

Date. Bar. (corrected) Dry bulb Ther. Wet bulb Ther. Max. Ther. Miu. Ther. Grass rain. Ther. Rain Sun hours.

21 30.038 47.4 42.2 59.0 38.2 27.2 — 3.3 22 20.840 63.0 40.0 60.4 42.4 32.8 — 2.2 23 20.760 50.fi 40.0 53.2 47.8 .45.2 .01 — 24 20.300 51.0 47.8 02.2 47.2 44.4 — .07 25 29.206 53.8 52.G 58.6 02.8 45.8 .11 — 2i> 2D.G20 54.8 S3.6 59.0 44.0 40.4 — 6.8 27 20.5S2 50.4 50.0 61.8 44.2 33.8 — 1.4