CENTRAL OTAGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23883, 10 August 1939, Page 13

CENTRAL OTAGO

QUEENSTOWN Winter Sports ' The first-class ski-ing slopes in the vicinity of Lake Johnston, four miles from Queenstown, are attracting local ski-ers. In the district lately there has been powdery snow over a frozen foundation, which is suited to ski-ing, but will be even better when .there is more warmth in the sunshine to thaw the surface during the day. It is considered that there is enough snow at Lake Johnston to last another week or two, by which time the Crown Range road should be practically clear. This, it is expected, will give six weeks' firstclass ski-ing with spring snow conditions, from the Ski Hut, situated at the top of the Crown Range at a height of 3700 feet. A ski authority is satisfied August and September will prove the best months for ski-ing in the Queenstown district. The pond in the park provided an excellent skating rink for young and old during last week. Several minor accidents occurred on the ice and also through tobogganing mishaps, but nobody was seriously injured. A thaw at the beginning of this week has brought skating and tobogganing to an end in the meantime. Walls of Snow Rugby football enthusiasts who went to Invercargill at the week-end to see the Ranfurly Shield match between Otago and Southland were well rewarded for their enterprise by the view from Kingston to within a few miles of Lumsden, for the country appeared one vast snowfield. Praiseworthy were the efforts of the gangs of gradermen and those in charge of the bulldozers for the manner in which they cleared the main highway. Without a good knowledge of the road's windings it would have been difficult in many places to detect the road at all, for it was covered with several feet of snow, and the tops of fences were visible in only some parts. The roadway for the greater part of the distance was encompassed by walls of snow. The narrowness oj the roadway—sometimes only one-way—makes motoring difficult at present. The slightest mistake at the steering wheel would land motorists into difficulty, difficulty. Personal Miss B. Angelo returned last week from a visit to Invercargill. Mrs McLean returned from Dunedin on Saturday. Mr J. Walsh is visiting Invercargill. Mrs Henderson, of the North Island, has been spending a holiday with Mrs P. T. Lynch. CLYDE Fruitgrowers' Meeting There was a good attendance at the monthly meeting of the Clyde Fruitgrowers' Association. At the conclusion of the ordinary business. Mr W. Lloyd Williams, orchard instructor, addressed the members on the " Faulty Packing of Apples and Pears," and also gave a resume of his various experiments throughout the district. On the first subject Mr Williams went through the list of notices sent to growers, and explained the proper methods where

the errors or omissions had been made. In connection with experiments, some of them had reached a stage where a definite answer could be given of results, while others were still under observation. Mr A. R. Annan, president, thanked Mr Williams for his interesting information. Mr Williams had lost his assistant, and there was too much for one person to attend in the various experiments still under way. It was resolved to apply to the department for an assistant. Growers' thermometers have been tested and returned, about 90 per cent, of these being fairly accurate. The Weather After a full week of severe frost, the weather is now mild, with a distinct touch of spring in the air. Snow is receding from the lower foothills. Oil spraying will now be able to be done. Boy Scouts There was a poor attendance at the annual meeting of those interested in the Boy Scout movement held recently. The troop is now an effiecient one and a credit to the town. Mr W. Thomson (chairman) expressed the appreciation of the committee for the work which was being carried out by the Scoutmaster, Messrs W. A. Harlow and W. M. Lopdell also complimented Mr Templer on the progress shown by the boys. Mr Templer, in his report, thanked Messrs S. Dark and J. Davidson for valuable assistance rendered to him during the year. He hoped to have.a concert by the boys later in the year. A gathering of all the Scouts in the district will be held at Waikari Valley at the Labour Day week-end. The committee appointed for the year was:—Mr W. Thomson (chairman) _ Mr W. M. Lopdell (secretary). Mesdames HQldom and Hendry, Messrs W. A. Harlow, W. K. George, and J. L. Davidson. RANFURLY Miniature Rifle Shooting The attendance at the weekly shoot of the Ranfurly Miniature Rifle Club, held on Monday night, was poor. The average for the first 10 men was 77.6. The shooting, particularly of the topscorers, was of a high standard, as there was only four points down for the first six targets and seven down for the first seven. Possibles were scored by J. C. Kearney and J. P. Kearney, and in the shoot-off the latter shot a further possible to win the rifle button. In. a double shoot-off. the same marksman was successful in winning the handicap button also. The following are the detailed scores:—J. P. Kearney 80—0—80. J. C. Kearney 80—0 —BO. J. E. Kearney 79—2—80. D. Lonie 79—2—80. J. Mulholland 79—1—80. J. A. Cromb 79—3—80. R. J. Hanrahan 77—3—80. E. Murphy 76—4—80. A. Wood 74-4—78 A. Kerr 73—3—76. P. Kane 72—3—75. G. Gilbert 72-4—76, A. Cromb 72—6—78. G. Graham 71—7— 78. A. Millar G. Beattie 65—6 —7l. Curling On Sunday the Ranfurly Curling Club successfully defended the Black

and White Cup against a challenge from a rink of the Central Otago Club. The match was played on the local winter stiorts dam, where the ice was in splendid order, being fast and true. The rinks were as follows:—Ranfurly (A. McLachlan. A. Macdonald, R. Templeton, I. Fraser s.) 22. Central Otago (G. Creighton, S. Blanchard. A. Winchester. T. Graham s.) 13. Ice Skating As the result of the hard frosts exDerienced for the cast week, the local ice-skating enthusiasts have made the most of the ice available' on the dam. The ice has been particularly good, as the slight thaw each afternoon has had the effect of making clear black ice with frosts in the evening. During the week-end a .number of visitors were attracted from as far away as Dunedin and Oamaru. and on Saturday and Sunday evenings the numbers on the ice totalled well over 100. A sudden thaw, followed by rain, set in on Tuesday evening. However, with the amount of ice on the dam, it will be some time before it completely disappears, and one night's sharp frost would have the effect of making even better ice. Frosts may still be expected, as there is still a heavy coat of snow on the surrounding mountains. J. R. Benson, dentist, will visit Ranfurly again on Tuesday. August 22. — Advt. Mr Anderson, dentist, will visit Ranfurly again on Friday. August 18.— Advt. (. 'i