LOCAL & GENERAL

Western Star, 10 April 1934, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL

The monthly meeting of the Riverton Progressive League will be held on Thursday next.

•The Warden’s Court was occupied to-day in dealing with a number of applications for water races and prospecting licenses Altogether there were sixteen applications.

The downpour of rain which set in on Sunday - evening will be beneficial for both farming.and mining purposes. The water supply at Round Hill has decreased owing to the fine weather.

The New Zealand Railway Department advertise in this issue that the issue- of week-end excursion tickets to Queenstown will be discontinued after Saturday, 14th instant.

Owing to the death of . Mr J. C. Thomson the official opening of ? the .Riverton Golf Club, which was to have been held . to-morrow, has been put* off until Wednesday week.

At the monthly meeting of the Athenaeum Committee held last evening feeling reference was made to the death of the late J. C. Thomson by the chairman, and a motion of sympathy was passed in the usual manner.

A cablegram was received by Mr Jno O. Clapp on Monday announcing the death of his sister, Mrs R. N. Herring, of Syndey. The deceased lady was the youngest daughter of the late L. •F. Clapp, of Riverton, and spent her early days here.

A police raid at Waiau during the past fortnight unearthed a store of nearly 400 gallons of home-brewed honeymead. As a result, it is stated, action will be taken by the police against the owner. The raid was the work of a Christchurch constable, who visited the locality in the guise of a swagger.

“A visit to the Holy Land to-day is interesting to anyone versed in the Scriptures, but at the same time it is disappointing in some respects,” said a Scottish visitor to Christchurch the other day. /“A great many claims are made, by those Wishing to exploit the tourists, that are .not authentic, and many tourists are deceived by the most absurd claims that are made.”

The Japanese boata recently reported off the north Australian coast were believed to be smuggling Japanese into the northern part of Queensland, Mr A. N. Stephens, of Brisbane, told a representative of the Christchurch Press in an interview. ~ Japanese were fairly numerous in Thursday Island and Northern Queensland, and were good farmers, and fishermen, but the Commonwealth Government. has placed a check on their immigration. ' It was generally believed that the boats seen off the coast were engaged in smuggling additional immigrants.

According to Mr P. J. O’Shea, » prominent Brisbane solicitor, who is a through passenger by the Niagara to Vancouver, Queensland is emerging from the depression, and business is in a much healthier condition than has been the case for some years. “All the balance sheets I have seen for some time are shbwing improvement,”; he said, “and the people are again commencing to spend. The wool men are right up in the air, ,as they have received Is 3d a lb. as against prices which ranged from &£d to 7d. We are producing 95 per cent, of the sugar made in the Commonwealth, and find it necessary to export 48 per cent. Last year Queensland produced nearly 600,000 tons of sugar.”

Giving evidence before a Western Australian Royal Commission on tbo aborigines, Mr A. G. Clifton, retired warden and magistrate, ridiculed the criticism of the chaining of aboriginal prisoners. Witness said it was not cruel, and the natives did not suffer in any way. It was the only safe method of securing them in bringing them in from the bush. Even then they to be carefully watched to prevent escape. He gave instances of natives who, using strength and cunning when unchained, had got away from vigilant custodians. If natives were not chained while being marched in from the bush, he said, unscrupulous police with a grudge against the aborigines might shoot them and state. afterwards that they were shot- while trying to escape.

The Riverton Racing Club made a profit of £I6OO on its Easter meeting.

The annual meeting of the Riverton Plunkett Society will be held at Mrs Gray’s residence on Thursday. The Society has carried out excellent work during the year and at Thursday’e meeting office-bearers for the ensuing year will be elected. Afternoon tea will be provided.

The Oiautau Golf Club held its official opening on Saturday last when there was a large number present. Over thirty couples took part in the mixed foursome.' This resulted in a tie between AngUß and Miss Chisholm and Lewis arid Mrs Giles. The president congratulated the winners on their performances. A dainty afternoon tea was provided by-the Club.