SOUTH CANTERBURY

Otago Witness, Issue 3899, 4 December 1928, Page 32

SOUTH CANTERBURY

NOTES FROM THE DISTRICT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) TIMARU, December 1. The weather during the week has been unsettled, and showers —falling mostly at night—have been followed *by beautiful days. The consensus of opinion is, however, that the rains will do untold good. Crops are looking splendid, and a healthy forward growth is everywhere in evidence in the wheat fields. It is reported that a small paddock of oats —about five acres in extent—was reaped at Hadlow last week for chaffing. Shearing operations are in full swing. Prices realised at the first sale of the season have induced pastoralists to hurry forward their clips for the Christchurch and Tirnaru sales. Prices for fat lamb for December killings have been fixed as follows: Up to 361 b, lOld: 361 b to 421 b, lOd; overs and seconds. Old. It is said that lambs are doing better in South Canterbury than in North Canterbury this season, and it is expected that there will be quite a lot of good lambs fit for kililng in December. A GOOD SAVE. The Tirnaru Fire Brigade, under Super intendent P. Campbell, effected a good save a't the New Zealand Refrigerating Company’s works at S nithfield shortly after five o’eloc’ ’"'-f Saturday evening. The fire broke out in a storeroom containing a quantity of machinery. It was practically gutted, and about 30ft of an. adjoining drying shed, which fortunately was practically empty, was also damaged. A stack of coal containing about one thousand tons also caught alight, but only a portion of it was destroyed, prompt work by the brigade suppressing the outbreak. It is estimated that between £4OO and £5OO worth of damage was done. SMALL BIRD PEST. The small bird pest has been given con‘iderable attention by the South Canterjury Farmers’ Union, with a result that the nuisance has been abated to a very large extent, and South Canterbury farmers have expressed gratification at the results achieved by means of phosphorised oats obtained from the Department Agriculture. The campaign commenced in August last, and over 200 71b tins of poison were distributed throughout the district. An indication of the results obtained by the use of phosphorised oats is the fact that on one farm in the Tirnaru district the contents of one tin alone was responsible for the destruction of 35 dozen birds.

NETTING TROUT. Although a few’ quinnat salmon are caught by rod lisherm'en now’ and again on the waterfront at Tirnaru, the taking of trout from the sea, either by net or rod, is an entirely different matter, and any person doing so is committing a breach of the Fisheries’ Act, and is liable to prosecution by the Acclimatisation Society. On Saturday evening Mr L. B. James, a member of the council of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, while walking along the foreshore on Caroline Bay, saw two men, using a net, bring in two brown trout, each of which subsequently tipped the scales at 51b. As a member of the society, Mr James asked the men to return the trout to the water, and produced his authority to make such a request. The men became abusive, and one of them began to talk fight, thieatening to assault Mr James. The latter, however, stuck to his guns, and confiscated the fish. AN AERO CLUB. The Mayor of Tirnaru (Mr G. J. Wallace) mentioned at Monday night’s meeting of the Tirnaru Borough Council that he thought the time had arrived when the forming an Aero Club in Tirnaru should be gone into. Possibly the Otipua lagon reserve at Saltwater Creek wouid be a suitable place for an aerodrome. They should encourage' civil aviation, and if they did that they would have men trained if they were ever needed. in time of war. Cr Gee endorsed the Mayor’s remarks, and expressed the hope that some active steps should be taken in the matter without delay. Aero Clubs were being formed all over New Zealand. Cr Satterthwaite said he took it that if an Aero Club were formed here that body would negotiate for the necessary property; the council had plenty to do without that.

VIRTUE AVENUE. At a meeting of the Tirnaru Borough Council a suggestion was made by Cr Foote that the short street running from the top of the hill on Wai-iti road, above the bay, down to Beverley road, be named after'-the late Mr D. W. Virtue, who had been town clerk of Tirnaru for 20 years. Cr Satterthwaite- said their late town clerk was well worthy of such an honour, but he would like to see something better done to perpetuate Mr Virtue’s memory as, for instance, naming nn avenue in the ■ park after him. Mr Virtue had loved the flowers and trees in the park: it was a spot which he had frequently visited, and it was there that his memory should be perpetuated. It was agreed that the matter should be considered in the near future. NATIVE LAND COURT. The Native Land Court (presided over by Judge Gilfedder), which ifts been sitting at Temuka, concluded its business last week. Fifty-eight orders of succession were made, and one section (Arowhenua Sb) was partitioned. It was decided to recommend the Government to grant a Native section in the south to the Ackers family, as it was found impossible to include them in South Canterbury lands as provided under Section 60 of the Native Lands Amendment Act, 1'027.

MAORIS DISSATISFIED. A great deal of dissatisfaction has been expressed by the Temuka Maoris with the action of the Government in placing a proclamation over Punaomaru sections to prevent the sale of them to John Johnson, of Oamaru, to whom meetings of assembled owners unanimously resolved to sell. As the proclamation was issued subsequent to the confirmation of the resolution to sell and the lodgment of the purchase money, this action was regarded as arbitrary and high handed, and it was indicated that it was intended to apply to the Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus to remove. PERSONAL. Mr J. M. Hardcastle, associate editor of the New Zealand Herald, spent the week in Tirnaru. It is understood that the Mayor of Tirnaru (Mr G. J. Wallace) and Crs A. L. Gee, H. A. Innes-Jones, P. B. Foote, and G. D. Virtue will not stand for reelection at the termination of their present term of office. Members of the Fairlie Amateur Swimming Club gathered last week and made a presentation of a case of pipes to Mr A. J. Grant, their late club captain, who is leaving Fairlie for the North Island. Because of home circumstances, Miss J. B. Cunningham, science mistress at the Tirnaru Girls’ High School for the past four years, has been compelled to resign from her position. Her resignation was accepted with regret by the Board of Governors. Miss Cunningham was presented with a gold wristlet watch

by the school, the presetation being made by Peggy Howden, head prefect. A presentation of a necklet was also made by the school choir. At the annual meeting of the Arowhenua Runanga held at the pa the following officers were elected:—Chairman, Mr N. Waaka; secretary. Mr H. T. Paiki; joint treasurers, Messrs T. Renata and H. Mamaru. A large number of members representing Waimate commercial, banking, and farming interests met last week to bid farewell to Mr A. Hume, prior to his leaving for Christchurch, where he has been transferred. Mr Claude Harrison, secretary of the Temuka Co-operative Dairy Company, has been appointed manager-secretary of the Hawera Hospital Board. Mr Harrison, who 'has taken a keen interest in most local affairs, will assume his new duties on January 1. TOWN AND COUNTRY. As a result of a fall while working in a foundry, Thomas Dowler, aged 38 years, who resides at Wai-iti road, was admitted to the Tirnaru Hospital suffering from a fractured leg. Three excursion trains carrying picnickers arrived in Tirnaru during the week. A party of 1200 came from Oxford, and on Saturday 1500 from Rakaia and 1000 from Leeston.

During October the estimated average attendance in the news room a t the Tirnaru Public Library was 7056 persons, or a daily average of 227. Books issued totalled 11,681, comprising 10,583 fiction and 1098 class, In the juvenile library

1923 books were issued, 7991 fiction and 132 class, making a grand total of 13,604 volumes. The total quantity of potatoes shipped from Tirnaru during the past season was 97,410 sacks. Most of these went to Auckland. Holiday bookings for the coming season are exceptionally heavy in Tirnaru this year. In most cases hotels are fully taken up foi- several months, and in one instance rooms for this Christmas were booked in August of last year. At an adjourned annual meeting of the Tirnaru Competitions Society it was decided to suspend the competitions for 12 months. At the monthly meeting of the Tirnaru A. and P. Association the secretary submitted the following financial statement in connection with the recent annual show, last year’s figures being given in theses: Receipts—gates, first day, £3l 17s 6d (£35); second day, £647 10s 3d; railway, £45 4s (£58); total, £724 Us 9d (£658). Entry fees, side shows, exhibitors’ space, etc., brought the total receipts up to £1475 8s 9d (£1399 10s). The expenditure this year amounted to £1225 Ss 9d, compared with £1275 in 1927, leaving a credit balance this year of £250 as against £126 from last year’s show. At Wednesday’s night’s meeting of the Temuka Borough Council tenders for the construction of the Temuka waterworks extension were received, that of Messrs Moyes and Walsh, Linwood, Christchurch, being accepted. The price specified was £5,661 13s 4d, but the Council decided to deduct £3077 6s from the amount of the tender for the purchase of the pipes, so that the actual tender is £lBB4. The work will be commenced almost im-

mediately, and is expected to be completed by the end of March next.

Fire at Geraldine on Tuesday morning destroyed a motor car and did considerable damage to the building which was used as a paint shop. The premises where the fire originated were occupied by Mr D. Brett. The motor car, which was the property of Mr E. Undrill, was being re-painted. The buildings were covered by insurance, but both Mr Sutherland and Mr Brett are heavy losers. Mr Brett was working on the car at the time, and the origin of the fire is a mystery. For the first time in the history of Waimate a Sunday train is to be run front Waimate to Tirnaru to allow people to spend the day at the seaside. Strong comment was made at a Tirnaru Borough Council meeting when it was reported that a volume of the “ Encyclopedia Britannica ” had been mutilated, 25 pages of an article on shipping having been cut out. SPORTS AND PASTIMES. The Temuka Caledonian Society has this year secured the one and two-mile New Zealand cycling championships, which are considered the most popular event in the wheel races. Amongst the dancing and* piping events will be the South Island championship Highland fling for girls under 16. The Oldway Park swimming baths,which were opened last Labour Day, are evidently proving very popular with West End residents. The engineer reported to the Tirnaru Borough Council at its last meeting that the takings for the month were £l7 13s lOd, of which £3 7s 6d was for season tickets.