LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 248, 31 July 1937, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The stock sale to be held at Ashburton next week will be a double mai , as in view of National Week in Chris church, there will be no sale m the following week. “I maintain that if the farmers came down to 50 hours a week there would not be sufficient men in New Zealand to do the work,” remained Colonel S. J. E. Closey to Mid-Canterbury farmers yesterday. Two cases of scarlet fever, one of tuberculosis and one of pneumonic influenza were reported to the Ashburton Health Inspector this week. There were ,no notifications in Ashburton County. More than half of the Ashburton County Council’s total area for planting of 3000 acres this season has been planted. The work is well under way. It is being done by contract under the guarantee system of replacements. The amount of palm oil imported into New Zealand was mentioned by Colonel S. J. E. Closey, when addressing MidCanterbury farmers yesterday afternoon. “I do not mean the political variety,” said the speaker. “I refer to the other sort of lubricant.” The correspondent of the United Press Association, writing from Rarotonga, states that the leper concentration hospital at To Samoa, Penhryn Island has now been completed, and seven lepers have been segregated there until they can be transferred to Makogai. The Public Works Department has notified the Ashburton County Council, in reply to its request, that no plant is available near Methven to hire to the Council for the construction of the proposed Mount Hutt water race. As plant in Timaru is said to be excellent for the purpose it has been left to the Engineer' (Mr H. A. Vezey) to make further inquiries to ascertain whether the plant is available. A message from Wellington states that if Government approval can be obtained it is possible that an effort may be made to end the domestic shortage here by bringing to New Zealand a large number of Basque girls. A movement is afoot to bring about 600 of these gii’ls to Wellington, all of them being intended to act as domestics and to enter ’ into an agreement that they will give their services in that field and not seek to compete with New Zealand women in any other, at all events for a term of years.

The installation of the slot telephone at the Ashburton Railway Station for the benefit of travellers and residents in the vicinity has been completed. The telephone, tested yesterday and to-day, is open for general use. Its installation was advocated by the Ashburton Chamber of Commerce some years ago. Mr H. E. Herring, M.P., took the question up and the Railway Department decided to proceed with the work following his representations.

A social room for the benefit of members of the staff has been made available at the Ashburton Railway Station. The room was formerly used as quarters for guards, and is situated near the loading bank in AA’est Street. Although not large the room is comfortably furnished and has complete equipment. There is a possibility that the Railway Department might be prepared to make additions to the room by granting a subsidy on money raised by members of the staff for the purpose.

The replacement of poles in portions of the east side of the Borough is being carried out by the Power Board. The new poles are much heavier than those they replace, and are several feet higher. Residents have been interested in the apparent ease with which the huge poles are handled and placed in position.

Detonations of more than usual severity have been heard in Ashburton over the last several days as a result of log-splitting that is being carried out in tiie Domain, where a number of large pine trees are being removed from the rear of the pavilion. The explosions have been deafening, and havo been heard early and late.

“This is the diagram of a pound note,” said Colonel 8. J. E. Closey, when addressing Mid-Canterbury farmers yesterday afternoon. He held up a diagram of the currency note, saying he had no doubt his hearers would recognise it at a glance. “In the poorer districts I have had to explain it carefully,” he said. “They have not. seen it there so oiten.”

Tentative arrangements have been made for the allocation of the cost of two up-to-date steamers for the Pacific service, said Mr Savage at Wellington yesterday, and “ we are satisfied that finality will be reached. perhaps within a few weeks we will be able to say that agreement has been arrived at.” He added that details had to be submitted to the New Zealand, Australian, British and Canadian Governments before the matter was completed.

The Main Highways Board lias notified the Ashburton County Council that it proposes to revoke the delegation of the control of the ChristchurchTimaru Main Highway as far as the Ashburton sector is concerned. The road will therefore no longer be the responsibility of the County Council. The Highways Board has requested, however, that until their plant is available that the Council maintain the road up to the usual standard.

“The effect of making farming attractive again would be that we would nave immigration started,” declared Colonel S. J. E. Closey to Mid-Canterbury larmers yesterday afternoon. “Butter and cheese have been taken under a promise by the Government to pay the full value for them. When the farmer is recompensed, farming will play a quite different part in our internal economy. When farming starts again New Zealand will take on quite a different aspect. I believe that we will pick up the old trend of improving second class land in this case.”

A very fine species of totara, which turns golden in the winter and res*umes its green coat again in the spring, was discovered in the bush on his property at Aotearoa, 18 miles from Te Awamutu, by Mr James Yates (states the “Aucldand Star”). The specimen was taken from its native habitat and planted in a. suitable spot about six years ago. It has now reached a height of 12 feet, and its bright golden appearance in the winter period has excited much interest and admiration among lovers of New Zealand flora.

“Concerted action is being taken by the northern chambers of commerce to make a change in the name of the North Auckland district, and I think that the time is now opportune to make a move in connection with the Poverty Bay district,” said Air C. AV. Muir at a recent meeting of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce. The suggestion found support among the members present, and it was decided to communicate with the local bodies concerned prior to asking the Mayor (Air D. AY. Coleman, AI.P.) to convene a public meeting to discuss the matter.

The housing survey in Ashburton Borough has been making better progress in the last week or two, and so far 771 houses have been completed, and a. further 68 schedules have been issued. There are about 1400 houses to be surveyed, in the area, and though the work should have been closed by to-day the Borough Council has been granted an extension of time by tlie Government. The survey officer is at present working in the north-east section of the town, and should soon be on the west side, where the work will go forward with greater rapidiy, as the amount of actual survey work to he carried out will be much smaller than on tlie east side.

“There is one form of criticism in some sections of the press to which l take exception,” said Colonel S. J. E. C.osey, addressing Alid-uanterbury farmers yesterday afternoon on the compensated price. “It is suggested that if farmers get a form of compensation other industries will want it. These industries have this compensated price now. The farmers are 30 years behind in their claim for compensating treatment. They suggest we are acting unfairly in making the demand. There has never previously been a claim on the Government to reduce cost. If the compensated price is established and if it is made incumbent on the Government to pay out, a stabilised cost level will be maintained.”

The first scientific department to be formed in New Zealand in the early days of the colony’s history was the Geological Survey Department, remarked Professor H. B. Kirk during the course of a lecture on the history of the AA 7 ellington Philosophical Society. it was under the charge of Dr. Hector, and its main object was to get as much gold as possible and then to find out where even more gold could be obtained. “In fact,” he said, “it was.a gold-hunting Department, and the tendency was then, as it is now too often when any new undertaking in science or research is mooted, to gauge the value of such work by the £ s d that is to eventuate from it.”

Acting on the stage is apparently anything but easy, if the number of points to he taken into consideration by actors is anything to go by. Some of these were dealt with by Airs Bernard Beeby in her remarks after judging the Mid-Canterbury AVomen’s Institute drama festival last evening. Mrs Beeby urged competitors in tiie festival to pay attention to these small points. Among the things she enumerated was the arrangement of the stage ; one institute had its setting and players all on tlie one side', leaving the other bare. There were many other points, such as actors speaking upstage, or not speaking out •enough, or not moving round the stage enough. The enunciation and movements of practically all the performers came in for attention by Airs Beeby, and those taking part in the festival must have found her advice particularly helpful and constructive.

The North Beach Basketball Club’s team visited Ashburton to-day. The team played a friendly match with St. Stephen’s juniors this afternoon.

A "Gazette” notice states that the season for the killing of opossums in the Ash burton Acclimatisation Society’s district has been extended to September I. The season hitherto was fixed to close on August 1.

"Since we are faced by a war between manufacturers and the trade unions there is no great stabiliser for them than to remember that they will have a day of reckoning wijjdi the farmer,” was the remark passed by Colonel S. J. E. Closey (organiser of the compensated price campaign) in his address in Ashburton yesterday.

At the request of the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association the Ashburton County Council has decided to remove 32 large pinus trees at the Ashburton saleyards which are overshadowing and causing damage to the society’s buildings on the boundary. The Council has invited tenders for trie removal of the trees.

Some good advice about pronunciation was given by Mrs Bernard Beeby to the' competitors whom she judged in the Women’s Institutes’ drama festival last evening. In particular, she referred to vowel pronunciation, saying she had noticed in particular that the dipthong in such words as "endure” and "jewel” was neglected. Competitors tended to make these words "enjoor” and "jool.” Competitors must also speak up, said Mrs Beeby.

At the Hotel St. George, Wellington, a dinner was tendered by the branch managers of Dominion Motors, Ltd., to their general manager (Mr W. N. Norwood), who, with Mrs Norwood, will leave shortly for England and America-to visit factories with which Dominion Motors. Ltd., is associated. On behalf of the organisation, Mr W. D. Gordon presented Mr Norwood with a gold dress watch, as a token of the esteem in which he is held throughout New Zealand. Opportunity was taken to wish Mr Norwood a successful trip and safe return.

Mock suns—an unusual meteorological phenomenon —were widely visible in the sky above Christchurch yesterday afternoon. Just before 4 p.m. a bright coloration"in the sky was visible rather north of the sun and at the same altitude. Later this became fainter, and another bright mo,ck sun appeared at a similar distance from the sun but to the south. Observatory officials state that mock suns are caused by the ice particles in the high cirrus clouds creating a halo round the sun, which on favourable occasions may cross the mock sun circle. This mock sun circle is parallel to the horizon. Where the circle cuts the halo bright rainbowcoloured patches show up, with the red toward the sun and the other colours more remote from the sun. Measurements made at the observatory showed that the angle between the real and the mock suns was 22 degrees.

A wooden model of the hold < and cargo gear of the steamer Durham, in the hold of which a watersider named Gordon Manning was fatally injured on March 3, was used in the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington yesterday for the hearing of a prosecution against the. New Zealand Shipping Company. The company was charged by the Marine Department with failing to comply with the Wellington Harbour Board’s regulations governing tlie securing of the hatch beams. After evidence was heard, the Magistrate (Mi J. H. Luxford) gave his finding oil the fact, namely, that immediately preceding the accident there was only one bolt securing the hatch beam, although it was fastened at some stage. He intimated he would hear counsel on Wednesday as to whether the company’s liability was absolute.

An incident of his boyhood days was recalled by Mr C. H. Williams, president of the Poverty Bay Sheepowne-rs’ Union, during his introduction of Dr. David Miller to a large audience of farmers at Gisborne. Mr Williams referred to the science of entomology, of which Dr. Miller is a distinguished, exponent, and stated that at the ago of about ten years he was on holiday in Hawke’s Bay, and there encountered Professor Koeble, a German scientist, who, with two colleagues, had been sent to Australia and New Zealand to find an insect capable of controlling the San Jose scale, which was ruining the citrus industry in California. It was in Hawke’s Bay that Professor Koeble found the ladybird, which eventually proved the saving of California’s great groves, and enabled the State to develop an industry which today is valued as one of its greatest assets.