LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 246, 29 July 1937, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Two pupils of the Mount Somers school recently met with accidents, Keith Reveley fell on some ice and broke a leg, and George King fell and broke an arm while playing football. Both are inmates of the Ashburton Hospital.

A Pres 9 Association telegram states that on account of the serious shortage of West Coast bitumenous coal in Wellington, us a result of the difficulty in obtaining transport through weather and bar conditions on the West Coast, the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) made arrangements for the Railways •Department to make 150 tons of coal available to Wellington dealers.

Very little work remains to be done at t'iie new Post Office at Mayfield, and it is expected that the building will be ready for occupation in two weeks. The facilities the new office will provide will be a advance on those at the old office, where the quarters were much cramped. The public office is commodious, and users will be able to transact thejr business much more easily.

A Press Association telegram from Oamaru states that at a special meeting of the Borough Council a motion that the Minister of Railways hold an inquiry into the erosion on the foreshore was lost, and a motion that the Minister of Railways and the Department, with the officers concerned, be thanked for the work done to date, and assuring the Minister and the Department that the council had everyconfidence in their efforts to safeguard the foreshore, was carried. There has been considerable criticism recently by a small section of the community, and this is the council’s reply.

No lack of ingenuity was revealed by spectators who arrived at Eden Park, Auckland, on Saturday afternoon to (hid every natural vantage point occupied for the opening match of the Springboks’ tour. Two middleaged men clambered on to the crossbar of the goalposts on an adjoining ground, from where they enjoyed an unimpaired view of the match, while another man showed no hesitation in lashing together a temporary stand by means of twine and fence palings. His attempts and those of a woman companion to clamber up on the staging thoroughly entertained the crowd on the terraces, whose laughter, was redoubled when a pair of young men trotted across the park currying between them a packing case almost large enough to hold a piano.

There was a good attendance at the weekly meeting last evening of the St. Stephen’s Literary and Social Club, at which the president (Mr S. M. Cassidy) presided. A report was made on the debate with the Oddfellows’ Lodge. A letter wns received from the Winchmore Public Works camp accepting a challenge to a ping-pong tournament next Wednesday. Messrs C. R. Childs, C. Attw'ood, G. Long and A. Bright were appointed a sub-committee to make arrangements for a dance. One new member was elected. Arrangements for the annual sports meeting toward the end of the season were left in the hands of Messrs Childs and J. Hamilton. It was decided to hold a banquet in October. The following programme was arranged:—August 4, ping-pong match with Winchmore Public Works camp; August 11, mock court; August 18, stump speeches; August 25, debate with Ashburton Catholic Club. It was decided to challenge the Foresters’ Lodge to a debate on September 1. Ping-pong matches were played and the club ladder drawn up.

As July is one of the quietest months for the Government Tourist Bureaux, the department is taking the opportunity of preparing to meet the demands that will be made upon it next season by rearranging itineraries, reviewing hotel tariffs and redrafting time tables. In fact, all steps are being taken to ensure that the department will be able to cope with the record number of tourists who are expected to visit the Dominion during the coming season.

“I am all in favour of placing an embargo on some of the records of broadcast numbers that are made in America and sent to New Zealand and Australia to be rebroadcast,” said Mr Matthew A. Smith, an American business man who is touring mominion, to a reporter. He said that many of these items did not give a very good idea of American speech and might create the impression that all Americans spoke like the inhabitants of the Bowery in New York. Actually, ha said, the speech was not very different from that of British people in many cases, and there was an award each year for the announcer with the best voice.

Complaints that grass grub had completely ruined several fields of subterranean* clover in various parts of North Canterbury were expressed yesterday by several speakers at the meeting of the North Canterbury Executive of the Farmers’ Union. It had been said, several speakers added, that the grass would re-establish itself, but it seemed doubtful: if there would be enough seed left after the best for the growth to begin agaip. The chairman (Mr I. L. M. Coop) suggested that the trouble might be caused by the balance of Nature being upset by magpies killing off the small 1 bii’ds; but other members disagreed with that, stating that in some districts there was an absence alike of grass grub and small birds. It was decided to pass on the reports delegates had given to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Saying that the history of the meeting house was known to the elders, Sir Apirana Ngata explained for the benefit of the younger people assembled at Wai-o-matatini, in the east coast district, to view the dedication and opening of the Porourangi meeting house that all the timber work was carried out by human strength, there being no lorries and such like modern equipment yi those days. The original building took 10 years to construct, but the rebuilding took only a short time. He said that the rebuilding could not have been carried out without the assistance of the Government. He hastened the opening ceremony because the only surviving elder who assisted in the "building of the original house, Mr Pene Hayes, was declining in years.

Speaking at a reception aboard the new Japanese motor-snip, Kozan Maru, Mr J. T. Martin, representing the Wellington agents of the owners, said that whereas in 1931 New Zealand exports to Japan were valued at £267,899, they had grown to £1,551,346 last year. He was confident that trade would continue to increase through advances made in the shipping service. Mr A. D. Bayfield (Acting-Consul for Japan) said the increase in exports was actually greater than had been stated. This year 125,000 bales of wool, valued at £22 to £23 a bale, had gone to Japan, giving a total of nearly £3,000,000.

“Indications are that during the coming season we may expect marketing conditions and price levels to approximate to those of the season just passed, provided the expenditure in Great Britain is maintained at somewhere near the existing levels and British trade continues to improve,” said Mr H. D. Acland (president of the New Zealand Sheepowners’ and Farmers' Federation) at the annual meeting at Wellington yesterday. “This is, of course, an unknown quantity at the present time, in view of the exceedingly complex conditions of world trade, but we can only continue as in the past to use our best efforts to improve the quality and, where possible, increase the quantity of our product in order that we may continue to meet the costs of production for export, and leave ourselves a sufficient margin on profit on which to live and carry on our business.”

The widely-held belief that gannets return to the sanctuary at Cape Kidnappers in the greatest numbers at the period of the full moon was discounted l.y Mr A. C. Duff, one of the rangers at Cape Kidnappers. The birds always returned at approximately the same date every year, he said, and came gradually in flocks of a few hundreds. There were not long intervals between the arrivals, and they came more rapidly after the first 300 or 300 had arrived. Weather and winds particularly had a great influence on the birds’ returns. Mr Duff said fie thought the gannets followed fish. Often a single bird would come as a scout before the other arrived, appaieniiy to see how the fish were. He would then return out to sea to join the main flock. Not half the birds weie at Cape Kidnappers yet. it would probably be the middle ct August before they had all arrived.

The problem of how to deal justly with a deaf and dumb prisoner was raised in the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington, when a man came before Mr W. F. iStilwell, S.M., on charges of breaking and entering the Victoria Hotel by night, and of being a rogue and vagabond, in that he was found without lawful excuse on the premises. The first charge was withdrawn. When the second was shown to him, he wrote, “I walk sleep to the street.” Counsel (Mr C. O. Bell) intimated that accused could not understand signs, and could only lip-read slightly. “In that case the evidence will have to be taken by typewriter, and handed to the accused, who will be entitled to make liis answers in writing. The prisoner must in all cases be acquainted with the evidence, said the Magistrate. Sub-Inspector C. E. Roach said that accused was fuddled with liquor when lie had -ffeen found in the sitting-room of the Hotel at 2.50 a.m. on Sunday. He had got in through a window. At the Magistrate's suggestion, the second charge was withdrawn, and one of being unlawfully on licensed premises after hours substituted. The accused said in writing that ho knew nothing of the incident. He was convicted and ordered to pay costs.

A forest fire swept through Norbuek, Canada, recently, forcing its ( 200 inhabitants to leave their homes, most of which was destroyed.