GENERAL NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, Issue 17693, 6 July 1927, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

I The Government are offering £250 reward for information leading to the conviction of the Burwood murderer. The four £IOO 5i per cent, debentures which the Timaru Borough Council advertised for sale last week were sold in less than 24 hours. The triangular flower garden, at the junction of Sophia and Elizabeth Streets, is receiving attention, n ith a view to makii , a fine display of spimg flowers and shrubs, which should considerably add to the attractiveness ot that locality in the- coming season. Bankruptcy fees collected at the Timaru Supreme Court for the quaitei ended Juno 30 totalled £B6 10s. Administration fees received amounted to £287 Is 6d, sheriff’s fees los and other fees £163 14s sd, making a total tor the quarter of £538 Os lid. For the period, April 1 to June 30, eight bankruptcy sittings were held at the Supremo Court at ‘ limaim Debtors’ petitions filed totalled 8 and creditors’ 1 petitions 4. There were three adjudications on creditors petitions, and two discharges granted. Duriim the summer the congestion on the public tennis courts on Caroline Bay ?s very great. With a view to overcoming this mcpnvenience, it js understood that the improyementofthe Maori Reserve will embody the pio vision of a number of public tennis courts. It is understood that the Caroline Bav Association are anxious to spend a portion of their funds in the 1I «P 1 ' 0V ®- ment of the Maori Reserve, and that work will be commenced at no distant date. The return of civil business transacted at the Timaru Supreme Com t tor the quarter ended June 30 showed thao the totaL amount claimed was £96J4 17s 6d and the amount recovered £7427 19s Hd. One civil case only vas tried by a judge, and one by a judge and, jury. An Order-in-Council was gazetted yesterday, prohibiting the importation of potatoes into New Zealand except in accordance with regulations designed to prevent the introduction of tubeis affected by disease. The following aie added to the list ofl diseasesFusanal diseases, mosaic diseases, powdery scab, potato moth, stem wilts. Press Association). A Press Association message from Wellington says that it is ported that Rose is an unlikely starter ioi the team to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games next year. He cannot give up the time necessary foi the Kto Amsterdam. His farming duties also prevent him taking pait m this year’s cross country championship of Australia and New Zealand. Notice of mcition is to be given to rescind the resolution which was passed at the last ordinary meeting ot the Borough Council, calling upon the owners of kerb-side petrol pumps to remove them by the end of next March. It is probable that a deputation representing the Garage Lroprictors’ Association will wait on the Council, or the Works Committee, m connection with the matter. During the quarter ended June 30, four criminal sittings of the Supreme Court were held in Timaru. The number of “true bills” returned was six and “no bills” one. Convictions totalled four, and acquittals two. Divorce cases were few, three dissolutions only bellicr granted. No fewer than 38 probates and letters of administration were granted, while chattel secuiities filed totalled 148 and satisfactions filed 23. Climatic conditions in Timaru yesterday were quite mild, following on the cold days lately experienced. _ This can be attributed to a nor’ west wind which sprang up in the morning, and continued throughout the day, a yery unusual occurrence at this time of the year. The milder conditions will be welcomed in country districts, as well as in the town, as they will serve to give added warmth to the crops, and thus facilitate their growth, as well as feed for, spring stock. Whether your bathroom is only in course of construction, or whether it already has that “often used” look, one of the new complete sets, of bathroom fittings will enhance its convenience and appearance. England, Mcßae, Ltd., can supply these sets, each set containing a white enamelled mirror, strong cprk mat, glass shelf, towel rail, toilet paper fixture, and all necessary hooks and screws — and at the modest price of 30/- the set. Call at the Progressive Hardware Store to-day. .... Mr G. H. Bradford, honorary secretary of the New Zealand Poultry Association, is now making arrangements for the export of eggs from New Zealand to London, for the coming flush season, that takes place from September 1 to the end of November. There is a good sale for New Zealand eggs on the London market at high rates, owing -to the quality of .previous shipments. This, no doubt, is due to the high standard set by the Government graders acting under instructions from Mr F. C. Brown, Chief Poultry Instructor of the Department of Agriculture. ■ As evidence of the severity of the frost iii the Albury district this winter a stream in one of the fields there i,;tS <• ■ .1 I ‘•■‘O ■■ ’ <■'- ' of sufficient thickness to bear the combined weight of five horses which cross ' it-daily i - go'to tno.r u-eu.jig pi ce. In the' Mackenzie Country this winter | the cold has reached 8 degrees below zero —equal to 40 degrees of frost. At one homestead there, where snow had fallen on the verandah, a sparrow settled oil the snow and was frozen in so fivolv that a luiHp ugd-to. be useu to liberate it. The road from ■’.lie Hermitage to the top of the Long Cutting, at. Burke’s Pass, is under snow, but buses are able to get through. In one part of Central Otago, it is reported, a car containing five persons was driven over the frozen ice on n 111 anon.

I Light-hearted as Polyanna, numerous amateur gardeners in Timaru got lioe and spade and rake to work yesterday morning, when the sun shone warmly., and a nor’ west wind gave promise oi a return to spring. Certainly there was the smell of spring-time in the air, and despite, the exceptionally cold winter, there is sufficient warmth m the ground to have promoted growth to a •surprising extent. An early spring is predicted, but there is likely to be more cold weather before the winter is past. The quarterly meeting of Court Southern Cross, A.0.F., was held on Tuesday night, 13ro. J. Wakefield presiding over a good attendance. 'llie sick report showed a satisfactory state <(f affairs, one member having declared off the list since last meeting. The quarterly report and balance sheet were read by Bro. Davey, and were considered very satisfactory. One candidate was proposed for membership and approved. Accounts amounting to £262 Is lOd were passed for payment. Members of the Canadian Association football team were yesterday morning taken on a tour of inspection of the Timaru Woollen Mills, and yesterday afternoon were taken for a drive round the district, partaking of afternoon tea at the residence' of Mr and Mrs J. F. Iv. Jamieson j Kinnoull, Tycho, Valley. Last night the team was entertained at the Theatre Royal, and at the conclusion of to-day’s match, they will be entertained at dinner at the Dominion Hotel. To-morrow morning the visitors will be shown over the works of the Colonial Motor Company, and they will proceed north to-morrow afternoon. Eighteen cases of infectious disease were notified as existing in the South Canterbury district during June. Of the eases reported, nine wero scarlet fever, three diphtheria, three tuberculosis, one erysipelas, and two pneumonia. They were from various part of the district as under: Timaru Borough—Two scarlet fever, three diphtheria, and three tuberculosis. Geraldine County—Three scarlet fever, one erysipelas, one pneumonia. Waimate County —Four scarlet fever, and one pneum nia. No cases were notified from Geraldine, Ternuka, or Waimate Boroughs, or Levels or Mackenzie Counties, or Pleasant Point district. A social evening and presentation were tendered Mr and Mrs W. Wilkie in the Hook Memorial Hall | on Friday last. Mr and i Mrs Wilkie are leaving the district after a residence of over seven years, and will be greatly missed by a large circle of friends. In making a presentation of a wallet of notes to Mr and Mrs Wilkie, Mr W. H. Bell spoke of the departing guests: and tlxeir good work for the district. Mr H. Nicholas and Sir J. Simmons spoke in similar vein. During the evening musical items were contributed by Mrs J. Meyer, Miss Smith and Mr l Spiers and were much enjoyed. Mosdames H. Nicholas, J. Simmons, Miss Grant and Mr Seward supplied music for the dance. The half-yearly meeting of the H.A.C.8., Society was held in St. John’s Hall on Monday night. After routine business had been dealt with, opportunity . was taken to present an illuminated address to Bro. Patrick Kane, in recognition of his Ion" and faithful service in various offices during i his 44 years’ membership. In addition I to filling junior offices, Bro. Kane was president on seven different occasions, ’ and was also a trustee of the lodge for ' 24J years. It was -to mark his retireI ment from the last mentioned office that the presentation, which, was made , by Past President Bro. J. Batchelor, i was arranged. Eulogistic reference to I the valued service 'rendered' by Bro. Kane was also made by several members present. “I have driven a' car in London and in many European towns, but I have never driven in a place where there is so much risk of accident as iii Timaru. There appears to be no rule of the road here, and people walk all over the place, or stand talking in the •middle, or at the side of the road. Push bikes at night I find particularly annoying: some 'of them carry no light, but those that carry no reflector at the rear are the most troublesome, as in the absence of such an indication of their presence on the road, it is most difficult at times to prevent running over them, and entails a continual strain on the part of the motorist.” So said a visiting motorist to a representative of the “Herald”, yesterday, and he added that in the event of an accident, it was always the motorist who was Blamed, never the loitering pedestrian or the careless cyclist. At present in Timaru, discharging bulk oil, is the oil tanker Malistan, from Singapore. The Malistan left 1 ; Singapore on June 1, with a cargo of ’ 7,000 toils of oil for New Zealand ports. Her first New Zealand port of calL was i New Plymouth, which town thus received its first bulk oil consignment. I She then proceeded to Miramar (Welj lington), Bluff and Dunedin. She left I Dunedin on Monday morning, and arrived at the roadstead here the same evening, berthing yesterday morning. I She has 1100 tons of oil for discharge at Timaru and is expected to sail today for Balak Papan (Borneo), and thence to Singapore. The Malistan s complement consists of the captain (Mi A. C. Myles), three officers, five engineers and a crew of twenty. ihe nett tonnage is 3438 tons, and her speed is 10 knots. The steel construction of the vessel, with decks of a special structure, and specially constructed tanks to hold the oil, is necessary to ensure safety against fire, while the engine-room as a further precaution is situated right aft. “Sigma Octans” writes:—On Sunday the earth, was at its greatest distance from the sun, on which day it was about 3,000,000 miles further away tuan it will be in January, a, difference of over twelve times the distance of the moon from the earth. This, or course, affects the heat received from the sun, and unfortunately for us in the Southern Hemisphere, the carm travels slower around the sun when further away, so our southern winter is about a week longer than the noithein winter. This may account for our ' glaciers and perpetual snow levels being much lower than in the Northern Hemisphere in corresponding latitudes. To-day the sun rises at udouc tne same time as it rose on the shortest day, but tne evenings have been slowly lengthening since June 15. The sun, however, at noon is appreciably higher than it was on June 22, the shortest day, by about one and a quarter of its diameter. Tlic weather is local; and to a great extent depends upon winds, state of atmosphere and other causes, but just as tile greatest heat of dav is generally an hour or so after noon, and I the cold at night is after midn ght. s i I the heat of the summer is generally after Life sun is at the shortest distance, and the cold of the winter is generally after it is at its longest distance but local weather conditions are more important in this respect.