GENERAL NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19451, 28 March 1933, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS

A wool sale is to be held at Dunedin to-day. The total amount to be offered is 137,000 bales.

The Timaru Borough Council has received advice from the District Public Works engineer that the - matter of cleaning down the front of the Timaru Post Office would be gone into with the Post and Telegraph Department, when other proposed renovations to the building were being considered.

During the period ended March 17th, the Timaru Borough Council connected up nine new consumers of electricity, bringing the total number of consumers in the Borough to 3832. Four new electric ranges were also installed during the period, bringing the total to 461.

The estimated attendance in the newsroom at the Public Library last month was 6391 persons. Book issues lor the month totalled 15,501 volumes, which included 1768 juvenile issues. The total number of borrowers on the adult roll at the end of February was 3807.

Reporting to last night’s meeting of the Timaru Borough Council, the Borough Engineer (Mr T. O. Fox) stated that work at the Otipua Lagoon outlet was proceeding satisfactorily. All the piles were in place, and the work of driving those used for staging purposes down to their proper level, was in hand.

The Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) last night informed the Timaru Borough Council that the officers and crew of H.M.S. Dunedin had expressed themselves as having had an enjovable stay in Timaru, and he was glad to hear that Timaru’s reputatioh for hospitality had been maintained.

The chairman of the Dunedin Band Contest Committee has forwarded a letter to the Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) stressing the exemplary conduct of the members of the Timaru Municipal Band while in Dunedin recently. The letter stated that the presence of the band contributed largely to the success of the contest.

The Timaru Borough Council last night decided to extend the period for the payment of rates until Friday night. After that period, the ten per cent penalty will be imposed. Referring to the decision, the Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) said that he was sure it would be appreciated by a number of people who had been unable to meet both rates and income tax in February.

In the course of an address at yesterday's weekly luncheon of the Timaru Rotary Club Mr Harold Oddle mentioned that whereas Germany was the largest manufacturer of fine chemicals and dyestuffs before 1914, it could be safely said that now 90 per cent, of the chemicals used in New Zealand came from Great Britain. British manufacturing drug houses had of late years gone in for research work, and could produce quite as good a product as the Continental manufacturer at a much lower price.

It was pointed out by Harold Oddie. in the course of an address to members of the Timaru Rotary Club yesterday, that if in dispensing a doctor’s prescription there were a mistake in dose or an incompatibility in the mixture, the onus was on the chemst to correct this, and the chemist was liable, not the doctor, if a mistake were made. To-day all drugs and chemicals were tested for purity and effectiveness, most of these tests being carried out by the manufacturing houses. Here again, however, the onus was on the chemist to see that the preparation being used was up to standard.

During a lecture on pharmacy to members of the Timaru Rotary Club yesterday, Mr Harold Oddie explained that the constitution of New Zealand pharmacy was governed by the Pharmacy Act of 1908 and by the Dangerous Drug Act of 1927. For many years chemists had been trying to get the sale of dangerous drugs such as morphia, cocaine, etc., tightened up by Act of Parliament, and it was not until six years ago that this was brought about. The menace of the drug fiend so far had not touched New Zealand to any extent, and it was only by laws such as these that the danger could be controlled.

In the course of a statement to last night’s meeting of the Timaru Borough Council, the Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) said that the Council had received advice from the ValuerGeneral that no decision had been come to that the Borough was to be revalued. He thought they should make a very strong protest against any delay in revaluing the Borough. It was essential that a revaluation should be made in view Of the claims, inquiries and objections that were received to the present valuation. The Council passed a resolution again urging the Valuer-General to have a revaluation carried out without delay.

At last night’s meeting of the Timaru Borough Council, the Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) said that he had been requested by the Mayor of Geraldine to convene a meeting of representatives of all local bodies and businessmen’s associations in South Canterbury to go into the question of petrol prices, with a view to the removal of the inequality in prices, and the declaration of Timaru as a main port. He had consented to convene the conference, and desired the Council to appoint representatives to attend. The Council appointed Councillors J. R. Hart, H. J. Mathers, F. B. Hawkey and M. H. Richards to attend the conference.

Regret that many of the original names of mountains and lakes in Canterbury were being changed was expressed by Mr C. H. Tripp in the course of an address to the W.E.A. last night. Mr Tripp said that the ‘■Two Thumbs," two mounds of rock about 8400 ft high, from which the “Two Thumb" range took its name, used, when the speaker was a boy, to be known as “Butler’s Thumbs," as they bounded the back of the run owned by Samuel Butler, the author. Mr Tripp also mentioned that the lakes on Mount Possession station, which were discovered by the speaker's father and the late Mr Acland in Easter, 1857, were now known as Lake Clearwater and Lake Emma, while on the Government survey maps they were shown as Lake Tripp and Lake Acland.

Already many of the winter sports clubs have had their annual meetings, and are now making arrangements for the first practice matches. So it will be a busy time for England, Mcßae's sports department from now on, supplying the sports, needs of players and club officials. At England, Mcßae’s you will find footballs—all sizes and grades of footballs—including Gilbert’s ! Match 11. the "School's Special," boys’ I footballs and practice footballs for clubs. There, too, you will ree 'the 1 hockey players leaning on England, Mcßae's fine new range of hockey sticks and looking over hockey shin-pads. And of course the golfer—irresistibly drawn to take a swung at a new club or two. Yes, winter's coming. Let's go down to England, Mcßae's

“There are still many people in Timaru who are not on the roll, because they think they are not entitled to a tote, as they are not ratepayers," said Councillor M. H. Richards, at a meeting of the Timaru Borough Council last night. “I think it is the duty of the Council to enlighten these people." The Mayor said that the Council had already done all it could In the matter.

Fire caused fairly extensive damage to a wash-house at Mr G, A. McConachy’s home in High Street about 10 o’clock yesterday. The flames had a strong hold in one wall and the roofing rafters when the Fire Brigade arrived, but after removing one of the sheets of roofing iron, the brigadesmen were able to attack the seat of the blaze which they quickly suppressed. A certain amount of clothing which was lying in the building was damaged, but fortunately most of the clothes were immersed in water in the copper and tubs.

An interesting meeting between one of Canterbury's early settlers and Samuel Butler, author of "Erewhon," who was a sheep farmer in the province in the early days, was recounted by Mr C. H. Tripp in the course of an address last night. Mr Tripp said that in 1860 Butler spent a night in a hut on what is now Coleridge Station, and there he found five men. The next morning he discovered a Greek book under the bed of one of the party and. on inquiring, found that the owner had taken a degree at Cambridge two years prior to the time when Butler himself was at the University. The man, who was then a driver of a bullock team, was the late Mr William Rolleston (later superintendent of Canterbury), father of Mr F. J. Rolleston. the speaker's partner Butler described him as “a most human and judicious bullock driver."

The following letter from Mr F. W Thermott. of the Rotary Club of Wni-ton-on-Thames (England) was read at yesterday's weekly luncheon of the Timaru Rotary Club: “During the Great War a hospital for New Zealand troops was established in this town and many New Zealanders, in consequense. made an acquaintance with the neighbourhood and its people. Some of your countrymen, alas, found their last resting place here, and so we have in Walton a corner which will be forever ‘New Zealand.' Thus we feel we have a link with your country and we are writing in the spirit of Rotary to ask if we can be of service to any of your members or their friends, who would like to have news of any old acquaintances or associations, or if there are any who would like any service done in memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice, and who lie in that little corner already mentioned. We should be only too happy to do what we could."