GENERAL NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 22 June 1926, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

The Director-General of Health (Dr. I’. IT. A. Valintine) will pay a visit to Timaru at the- end ol' the week.

Scarlet fever is still prevalent in South Canterbury, and at present there are fifteen cases at Talbot Hospital.

Several important harbour matters will be discussed at the next meeting of the Timaru Harbour Board, which will be held on Friday next.

An Invercargill message states that the number of men on the books at the Government Labour Department totui 121.

The Waimute Ploughing Match Assoe'atmn has decided to abandon the ploughing match this year. This course was malic necessary owing to the lack of support forthcoming for the fixture.

The North End Go’f Club have under offer to them at the present time, a property of 80 acres at the ’north end of the Borough, on which to make new. golf links. The Club’s present links are too small.

Following a special report submitted by the Borough Engineer, the Palmerston Borough Council decided to raise £601)0 in loans to provide work for unemployed in the town, who number 171 (with 349 dependents).

At the Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr D. McLennan, J.P., a first offender charged with drunkenness, who had been bailed out, nas fined Ilia amount of Ins bail (10s), and costs, in default 21 hours’ imprisonment.

At the opening of Parliament, Umberto Bidone, the Argentinian Consul, appeared in a vivid green uniform 'with a wealth of geld braid and medals that quito shamed the drab vestments of the Parliamentarians, and the starched bosoms and black coats of the Legislative Council.

Farmers and graziers in South Canterbury are well pleased with the winter so far as it lias gone, there having been plenty of feed and nothing to cause a ‘'break” in the wool. It similar conditions prevail for the rest oi the winter, it is predicted that next season’s woo! clip will be olio of the best for many years in this district.

It is hoped, to make a start with the erection or the new Sunday sehooL loi St. Mary’s early next year. Subscriptions are coming in very satislactoniy. The new school is to be built on the vacant section in Church Street between St. Mary’s Church and the South Canterbury Shoo Company’s factory.

Mr J. J. Burrows, whoso business it is to test the eyesight ol railway ofhcials, spent ihe lust row days m Uniaru doiny this work. He left yesterday for Dunedin. The Bailway Department insists on regular eye ic>st«, recognising tile importance ol its olncers Having normal eyesight, and the necessity tor ascertaining any change in the eyes.ght oi any of its officials, especially those who have to do with signa. s.

The Power Board is pushing on the work of reticulation in the Levels County, and expects to light up Pleasant Point m auout a month’s time. Several country areas have given the necessary guarantee to assure a supply, and there is a very keen demand on the part of country residents to have their properties electrically lighted'. ’

Yesterday was, according to the calendar, the “shortest day' 1 of the winter, and those who have been feelin"' the cold in an uncomfortable degree, will welcome the prospect of an 0311" v retuiM to longer unci wanner days. Possibly the change will not be noticed lor some iiLtle time. Jnly is usually the coldest month of the year, but when the shortest day lias been passed, consolation is found in the fact that as the days lengthen, the sun strengthens, and the cold does not seem to be felt so much.

The Mayor and Councillors returned to Timilru from Christchurch last evening, liuvmg acquired a good deal of “bus information’’ in the Cathedral eitv. Yesterday morning they paid a. visit to tho Ulenmoro quarries, and. wore somewhat astonished, us well as pleased, at the efficiency of . getting stone from quarry to street. The roads between Tmiarii and Christchurch were found to he very good for motoringbetter, the Mayor says, than lie has ever seen them before.

A visit of inspection to the Boys’ High School and the Girls’ High School was mndo "yesterday by the Board or Governors. At the former school the visit coincided with the morning interval, when the hoys were seen indulging, under the direction of their masters, in “jurhs” and other iornis of exercise calculated to stimulate the c.rcillation and mental energy. At the Girls’ School the same air of cflieieney as prevailed at the former institution was also apparent, the chairman and members or the Board expressing themselves as highly pleased with the results apparent.

Shortly before 11 o’clock yesterday morning,' two motor-ears collided near the intersection ot Bank and Church Streets, it appears that a live-seater touring ear 'driven by .Miss Briest, was proceeding up Bank Street going north, and a threc-soutor ear belonging to Mr A. Cross, and driven by a lad named Harding, was coming up Church Street travelling west, when they crashed. Tlio heavier ear, wlpeh was equipped with a bumper, hit the other car on the running board, which was damaged, but not to any largo extent, it was indeed iortunntu that the. bumper met the force of the impact, otherwise the. heavy ear must have been damaged, hut beyond a bent axle and a flat tyre, nothing <.f a. serious nature was the result. The sinal'er car also .suffered three Hut lyres and a slightly bent wheel, but luckily nobody received bodily injury.

At a sitting of the Timaru Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr 1). McLennan, J.P., Edmund Stanley Brown, lid years of age, was charged that on June 19, at Geraldine, he was doomed to be an idle and disorderly person with iiiisuffic.ent visible means ot support. A plea of guilty was entered. The evidence of the police showoil that Brown arrived in Geraldine a. few weeks ago, and had repeatedly acted in a strange manner. He had been given permission to sleep ill an empty bui’diug. He had been in the habit'of taking off his boots and socks, and parading the streets baroloot. He was requested to leave the town, which he dill, later taking up residence at the Oran Gorge Station, where again his eccentric manner was causing concern, as lie was in the habit of visiting houses there, Ins strange ways living resented by the women occupants. As a result of complaints received by the police, lie was placed under arrest “Such men,’' the Bench remarked, “are clearly a.

nuisance in any community." Accused was sentenced to one mouth's imprisonment in Timaru prison.

Another valuable town property lias just changed hands, the Oddfellows Hall, with the section on which it stands, at the corner of AVoollcombe and Barnard Streets, having been sold for £IOSO.

A Dunedin Press Association message says that a letter from the Rev. O. Michelsen to the Foreign Missions Committee of the Presbyterian Church reported that during bis absence Horn Tongoa, New Hebrides, one uf the natives had laid claim to prophetical powers, and had predicted the imminent destruction of the Island, a calamity to bo averted only by “repentance and hard cash.” In this way he had secured a substantial sum from credulous islanders.

At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Friesian breeders Mr Tresdalc. ( Auckland), suggested that it would pay to give bulls' away in order to put the breed on the market. If a poor farmer came along breeders should be prepared to sell at a low. price and push the breed ahead. Bulls had been killed in preference to putting them on the market, which was poor business, farmers had to be educated to use purebred bulls instead of scrubs. Another speaker held that they would not establish the breed by giving bulls away. The Government should bring down legislation to eliminate scrub bulls. A lively discussion ensued, several members remarking oil the cost of leaiing bill's, which it was stated reached as high as £25.

An interesting illustration of the fact that law which is not in accordance with the will of the people is dilficu't to enforce was given by Mr G. P. I‘inlay in the course of un uddress to Auckland J.P’s. When motor accidents became common the only provision in the law for the punishment of drivers was bv means of a charge of manslaughter. But time after time .pines refused to convict until the Judges became concerned for the honour of their Courts.’ The reason was that jurymen felt instinctively that drivers, who made an error of judgment were not criminals, whereas manslaughter was a. serious crime. At last, special provision was made so that the punishment became more commensurate with the offence. As a. consequence, concluded Mr Finlay, five persons sent for trial at the. last'session of the Supreme Court in connection with deaths caused by motor vehicles were all convicted.

Quinnat salmon are spreading naturally in the snow rivers of New Zealand, but the natural process is not being left unaided by the Chief Inspector of Fisheries (Mr L. F. Avson), who has just returned from Marlborough, where he has been supervising the hatching of 400,000 quinnat- salmon eggs at the Maori Creek, hatchery (says the AYellington “Dominion”) A further consignment'of simila'r dimensions .is to follow this first distribution to Marlborough. Maori Creek is a tributary of the Timms River, which runs into tife M airau. Over 1,000,000 quinnat eggs were secured at the Hakataramea Government hatchery before the heavy floods suspended operations, and the Marine Department has had a sufficient supply for distributive purpose.'’,. Mr C. Ayson (manager of "the Hakatarafiica Hatchery) is at present making an inspecion of the Uiipcr Clutlia River, to see what fish have reached the many fine, e'ear, shingled rivers that-join to form the ClutluV. Tile Chief Inspector of Fisheries is leaving shortly with a consignment of Atlantic salmon eggs for the Wanganui River.

The Salvation Army Citadel was packed last evening on the.occasion of the band festival, and the excellent fare p.rovided fully warranted t-ho attendance. Brigadier AValls, AI.C., of wel.'ington, was chairman, and in welcoming the large attendance, spoke, very highly of the Timaru Band’s performance at the \\ cllington Congress, and remarked that they were the envy of the whole of Wellington. Besides anumber of fine selections by the wellbalanced band, under the direction oi Bandmaster Hawkey, various vocal and instrumental items were contributed as follows: —Bandsmen D. Keay, J. Hay, G. Hawkey, E. Hawkey, Bell, G. Simpson, and IT. Holmes. A feature of the evening was tho instrumental and vocal quartettes, whose work called lor much well-deserved appreciation. At the conclusion the Brigadier made complimentary reference to the excellent 'programme rendered that evening, and hoped that if tho loyal support the band received was continued, they would prosper even more. Bandmaster Hawkev responded, and eulogised the excellent service rendered by Brigadier Walls, stating that the Timaru •Band could not get a finer man in New Zealand to preside over their festival. (Applause.)

To sit in a draught is to invite a cold. 'ldle finest excluder of draughts is tlio “Potts” Automatic Door Pad, which may bo fitted to any ordinal-}’ door in a few moments. By its use, your rooms will be rendered cosy, and the danger of catching cold will be reduced' to a minimum. Obtain comfort and cosiness in your rooms during the cold winter evenings, by calling at the Progressive Hardwaro Store and equipping yourself with the Potts automatic door pad. England, Mcßae, Ltd. can supply these door pads at tlio reasonable figure of Cs Gd each.