LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 247, 30 July 1937, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hon. P. C. Webb stated at Wellington yesterday that arrangements had been made for the employment of at least 6000 men for a period of four months at full-time work with local bodies.

Good progress is being made with the felling of the tall trees behind the Domain pavilion. The removal of the trees, which was started this week, will enable younger trees planted near to grow, apd will also allow more sun on to the Oval. The trees being cut down are over 50 years old.

Lovers of band music will have the opportunity of comparing the tone of the old and new instruments of the Ashburton Silver Band at a concert to be given on August 4. Selections will be played cn both instruments. It will be the occasion of the handing over ot the new instruments to the band, and this ceremony will be performed by the Mayor (Mr W. H. Woods), associated with whom will be the County Chairman (Mr F. Frampton).

There was another large attendance at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church last evening for the second presentation of the morality play, “Everyman,” the 14th century writing, and the production created as deep an impression as on the first evening. Those responsible for the play have earned the warm appreciation of everyone who saw the production, and the hope has been expressed that something similar will be given at an early date.

Although the new dairying season has not yet commenced in the north, difficulties of obtaining labour are again stated to be exercising the minds of farmers in the Waikato. One farmer from the Cambridge district said this week that he knew of a number of instances where producers were culling their herds extensively in order to bring them down to a size which would be easily manageable by members of the family. The extra grazing that was them available was being utilised for the raising of sheep, and on a large number of farms where dairying was formerly the sole occupation, flocks of breeding ewes were now being run.

There is some vagueness as to the names of Wellington’s early streams (long since enclosed in culverts, but still existing unseen) says the “Dominion.” The Kumutoto Stream flowed down .the line now followed by Woodward Street. The little Waipirau stream flowed down the line of Bowen Street. Commencing from the northern end of the city the Pakuao stream flowed through Queen’s Park; the Tiakiwai spilled itself into the harbour by its two mouths on Thorndon Quay; and the Pipitea stream flowed into the harbour opposite the end of Davis Street. Then, passing the two streams already mentioned, there was the Waikoukoti stream, which met the sea just about where “The Dominion” office stands; the Te Aro stream flowed into the hay about half-way between Cuba and Taranaki Streets ; and finally, the sluggish Waitangi, which took Die storm-water from the whole of the Wellington south area and Kent Terrace, found its way to the sea at a point now covered by the city corporation yards, at Clyde Quay.

Sustenance payment will be made to 337 unemployed in Ashburton next week. The number this week was 378 and last week 366.

“River erosion is one of the greatest problems New Zealand has to solve." said the Hon. W. K. Parry, speaking in Hamilton recently, “and it is a problem which must be faced and overcome. That problem, with the question of willow and ragwort control, represented a tremendous task facing local bodies and the national Government.”

A Press Association telegram from Dunedin states that the Otago Retail Fruiterers’ Association, after discussing the Fruit Marketing Committee’s report, carried a resolution that compulsory limitation of the profits on the sale of fruit is unnecessary and impracticable, that the cost of an attempt to enforce such regulations would add a further burden to the industry, and that the executive take all necessaiy steps to oppose such legislation.

Advice has been received by the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society form the Department of Internal Affairs that the opossum trapping season in the society’s district has been extended to September 1. Representations for an, extension to August 31 were made last week by the society, which had been approached by trappers, who complained that the recent adverse weather had restricted their activities. Three trappers had taken out licenses, and the season would normally have been for June and July.

The chairman of the New Zealand Fruit Export Control Board will in future be paid £125 per annum, and the other members of the board £75. This was announced in regulations issued with the “Gazette” last night. In addition,, the chairman will receive two guineas a day and other members one guinea a day "when engaged on the business of the board in New Zealand, other than that connected with ordL nary board meetings. The regulations also fix the amounts of other payments and travelling expenses to board members.

The Cabinet has decided to pay one shilling a head for all wild pigs destroyed in certain parts of the North Island during August, September, October and November, in accordance with the scheme formulated to relieve settlers in outlying districts from the ravages of these animals. In making the announcement the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) said that settlers in outlying districts in New Zealand, particularly in portions of Taranaki, Wellington and lower Auckland, were likely in the early spring to suffer severe stock losses to rough the depredations of wild pigs.

A Bluff man who reads the English Reynolds News lias come across a curious piece of information in the issue for May 2, 1937. Someone in New Zealand " (says the “Southland News”) has either a wonderful turn of imagination, or else is an adept practical joker. Here it is:—“An alarm clock is being sucessfully used bj T a farmer near Invercargill, New Zealand, to wake his dog and give himself more time in bed in the morning. He used to get up in the morning and send: his dog out to the fields to bring the cows in for milking. Then he put an alarm clock in the dog’s kennel, making sure that it went off at the moment that he shouted to the animal to go and fetch the cows in. Now the dog accepts the alarm clock alone as a signals to fetch the cows home. The farmer stays in bed, and when he gets up the cows are already in the yard.”

After being curate at St. Benedict’s Church, Ardwick, England, for three years, the Rev. J C, A. Zimmerman, who was formerly curate of St. Stephen’s Church, Ashburton, returned by the Rangitata on Wednesday. Referring to Mr Zimmerman’s departure, the rector of St. Benedict’s, in the parish magazine, says: “This month we are to say good-bye to Father John. I would like to take this opportunity of expressing my thanks to him for his unfailing loyalty to me and for all he has tried to do for you and the parish generally. I feel sure that we shall all miss his genial friendliness and his unfailing desire to be of help to all and sundry. We shall all remember him in our prayers and ask God to bless him in his ministry in the land of his birth. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful spots on this earth. May he help to make it one of the most religious.’’

Without explosives modern civilisation would have been impossible, said Mr R. H. Stokes, when lecturing on explosives before the Auckland University College Scientific Society. The feudal system, waned cities and body armour had all been rendered obsolete by tliei invention of gunpowder. Mr Stokes said, that the attribution of the invention of gunpowder to the ancient Chinese was probably the result of a mistranslation of texts, but there was definite evidence of it being used in the siege of a Chinese city in 1232. The development of explosives was slow, and even at tho time of the Napoleonic wars there was no high explosive. Guncotton, which was prepared by the action of nitric and sulphuric acids on cotton waste, uas first made in 1838, and nitroglycerine eight years later. The full implications of these discoveries were realised by the Swedish chemist Nobel, who pursued his experiment regardless of accidents to the factory, workmen, or family „

Reference to the proposals framed by the Government for local body amalgamation was made at \\ ellington by the Minister of Internal Affairs (the lion. W. E. Parry). He said that some objections had been raised, but- what had been pleasing in the conferences which he had had with local bodies on the question was the enthusiasm they had shown. “1 feel that the thought given by members of county councils and by the' various boards to the proposals has, despite their long experience in local body administration, given all a greater knowledge than was perhaps previously possible of the higher principles governing the functions of local government. When the Bill is being dealt with by the Legislature next session all concerned will have a complete grasp of the reforms the Government aims at achreving in the interests of the people.” Mr Parry said lie had yet to meet the wishes of local bodies in tho Bay of Plenty, Manawatu, and North Canterbury to address them on. the Bill, and would do so as time allowed. Before the session opened he proposed to make public bis impressions on the result of the conferences lie had attended in both Islands.

“When the vicar falls clown on his job wo hear about it,” said the Bishop or Nelson at the Nelson (Synod, "The sms and deficiencies of clergy have been set to popular music, but wo do not hear so often of the obstacles that are sometimes set in the way of effective work by the failure of some of our laity to do their duty by the minisxt r and by their Churcn.”

There was no occult significance in the Pyramids, said Mr J. I. Craig, an Egyptian Government official, in the course of a lantern lecture at Wellington. Some people sought to read from the all sorts of things and to make mathematical calculations in proof of various theories. The fact was, however, that the Pyramids were designed simply and soleTy for the purpose of concealing the entrances to the tombs of kings.

An interesting collection of aboriginal curios was displayed by Mr Dickson, of the Australian National Travel Association, in addresses which he gave at Ashburton schools to-day. Mr Dickson lectured to appreciative audiences at the Technical High School in the morning and the Ashburton High School in the afternoon, describing something of the attractions of Australia. His travels have taken him no less than 34,000 miles on a bicycle, although his present trip was made by car.

The cordiality of New Zealand’s welcome to visitors might be gauged from the fact that for every £IOO sterling they brought into the country they received, an additional £25, remarked Mr B. L. Cummings, a member of the English-speaking Union, in a humorous reference to the exchange rate at the lantern lecture given at Wellington by Mr J. I. Craig, an Egyptian Government official. He hoped that when Mr Craig returned to Egypt he would be able to persuade the Government that in return New Zealanders visiting Egypt should receive at least £3O additional to every £IOO they took there. (Laughter).

Cast overboard by a member of the crew of the Union Company’s liner Awatea just before last Christmas, when she was approaching the North Cape, a bottle requesting the finders to send a message to an address in Ireland was picked up by some children on one of the. Great Barrier Island beaches on April 3. and a message was sent (states tjie “New Zealand Herald”). The bottle was thrown overboard by Mr M. A. Comroy, whose message asked that the finder should get in touch with his mother in Galway, and on Tuesday he received a letter from his home stating that the bottle had been found about four months after it had been thrown into the sea.