LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 249, 2 August 1937, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Ashburton High School will close on August 20 for the second term holidays, and will resume on September 6 or 7.

One of the giant K in use on the Main Trunk line to Wellington has eight drinks on the way to Wellington, and swallows more than 5000 gallons in the course of the trip. It also burns up 1251 b of coal a mile in the 425-mile run.

The noise of a busy lawn mower was an unusual sound heal’d in one part of Ashburton yesterday. A local resident had found the growth of grass had been so favourable on his property lately that he took the opportunity of making an early mowing of the lawn.

The warm weather recently experienced in Ashburton is having its effect in hastening spring growth. Many trees are already in bud, and all the indications are that there will be early flowering. Spring bulbs are well above ground in some cases. The ground has dried well recently, and bears only slight traces of the recent rain.

About 30 members of the Baring Square Methodist Young Women’s and Young Men’s Bible Class Union w r ent to Timaru on Saturday to attend the annual meeting of the South Canter-bui-y Centre, and returned to Ashburton last evening. They were entertained at tea and a combined social on Saturday evening, when the annual meeting was held. The Young Men s Executive, which has been centred in Ashburton for the last four years, was transferred to Timaru.

“Dublin is just the same, only there are heavier taxes every time the Government meets,” states a woman residing in Dublin in a letter to a friend in Napier. The letter continues: “In fact, the poor milk vendors now have to pay a licence and Is 4d for every quart of milk they sell, and one woman was telling me that the authorities ordered her to put glass windows in the cow house, and sue asked them if they would like curtains on them. They really cannot think of enough little tilings to tax—God save Ireland.”

There is an interesting story attached to New Zealand’s largest gold nugget, discovered at Ross toward the close ot the last century. At a recent lecture in Nelson, Mr H. Foston said that two prospectors found a narrow strip of land that bad been left by prospectors. On either side the ground had been thoroughly searched. One of the men casually poked at the narrow strip with a stick, and to his amazement unearthed a 99-ounce nugget. As the two prospectors had not taken a mining license they hastily buried the nugget, and on becoming registered returned to the spot. The nugget was sold to a Ross hotelkeeper for £4OO, who decided to use it as a door stop. New Zealand’s largest nugget proved such an immense attraction that within a week the bar takings had paid for the nugget. The nugget was raffled in an art union to raise funds for the Ross Hospital, and finally sent to Queen Victoria

A fir tree near the tree planted in the Domain to commemorate the Coronation was removed to-day. The tree that was taken out was within a few yards of the Coronation oak, which will now be given a better chance of growth.

A further gift of stock, two fine Corriedale two-tooth ewes, has been received by the Ashburton High School farm. The sheep were given by Mr ;P. J. Andrew. Appreciation of the gift was expressed by the headmaster (Mr E. A. Cockroft)' in his report to the Board of Governors to-day.

For the first time this season the Public Works senior football team played a match without its well-known “barracker” being present. This man has followed the club round all this season, and is quite a well-known figure on the side-line, from which he gives a great deal of well-meant advice in tones which leave no room for doubt about his intention to make himself heard.

About 50 members of the Christchurch Working Men’s Club paid a visit to the Ashburton Working Men’s Club and M.S.A. on Saturday. In thh afternoon they took part in billiards, crib and euchre contests with their hosts, and in the evening they were entertained at a social, at which a number of musical items were given. The visit will be returned at an early date.

An unusual accident, fortunately without serious consequences, occurred on the Ashburton traffic bridge yesterday. A car driven by Mr R. Sheehan, junior, was coming from Tinwald at an easy pace when a tie broke in the lefthand back axle, the wheel coming off on the Ashburton approach. The wheel was picked up about 20 yards ahead from where the car stopped. The brake drum was bent, but the car pulled away under its own power.

An assurance that the introduction of national superannuation and healtn insurance would not be prejudicial to the friendly societies was given by the Hon. W. Lee Martin (Minister in Charge of Friendly Societies) at a dinner cf Court Sir George Grey, A.0.F., in Wellington on Saturday. He said that provision must be made for those who for health reasons had no chance of getting into a friendly society; but the societies would be consulted about any move.

“Interest shown in the stage in New Zealand is impressing” said Mr Ray Henderson when he left Wellington in the Maunganui for Sydney. He had toured the Dominion in the interests of Miss Katherine Cornell, the American actress-manager, who is contemplating a world tour next year f “Wherever i have been I have been surprised by the activity of local groups of players presenting excellent plays and by the drama tournaments held in various sections of the country,” he said.

At the Timaru Ploughing Match Committee’s contests held at Northdown, near Timaru, on Saturday, the following Ashburton County residents were placed :—Double-furrow, open (cut as you please), five entries, J. Merrin (Timvald), who also gained the prizes for feering and finish; same, coulter cut, plain cast shares, nixie entries, W. Irwin (Rakaia) 4, E. Croy (Rakaia) 5; three-furrow, open (coulter cut, plain cast shares), two entries, E. M. Duncan (Rakaia) 2; tractor, open (coulter cut, plain cast shares), seven entries, W. J. Stewart (Rakaia) 1. Mr W. Merrin (Tinwald) was one of the judges of the ploughing.

The tuna, found extensively in Californian and to a less degree in New Zealand waters, was a perfect example of streamlining in nature, said Mr A. W. B. Powell (assistant director of the War Memorial Museum) in a lecture at the Auckland Institute, when discussing the possibilities of tuna fishing on a commercial scale in New Zealand. The body was almost completely rounded, and the fins fitted so tightly into slots that they had to be prised out with a knife. The mouth and eyes were also specially designed so as to offer no resistance to the water. At the base of the tail were two narrow ridges, which divided the flow of water before it passed to the propeller-like tail.

The last of the Fortieth Foot Regiment. which landed in psew Zealand in 1860,' Mr Enos Holloway, of Morrinsville, reached the age of 100 years on Saturday. Mr Holloway has not been beyond his gate for a year or so now, but he is still interested in the affairs of his district and will talk readily on a variety of subjects. His hearing isperfectly good, and, as befits an old soldier, his grip is firm and his back straight. There w»as no prouder man when the Morrinsville ex-servicemen and territorials held their Coronation Day parade a few weeks ago and when, as an ex-serviceman and an old soldier who has lived for four coronations, Mr Holloway was made a special presentation by the returned soldiers.

“I would advise you to accept with the very greatest reserve estimates of speed in anything like miles an hour,” said Mr Justice Callan when addressing a jury in a negligent driving case in the Auckland Supreme Court recently (reports the “New Zealand Herald”). Emphasising the difficulty ot making any such estimate, his Honor suggested a possible test for the jury. If he invited them to stand by a public road and estimate the speed of passing vehicles he would undertake, be said, that he would get 12 different estimates of speed more often than ,not. In such a test they would be prepared to exercise their' best judgment, but witnesses in these cases had had their minds on something else altogether.

A live detonator was found by an Auckland householder a. few nights ago in a shovelful of coal which was about- to be placed on the fire. Luckily, it was discovered and removed before it could be exploded, but its presence among coal bought for household use caused much concern, especially as its discovery was quite by chance. When the incident was brought to the attention of leading Auckland coal merchants, it was suggested that the detonator might have been lost in the coal after the latter had been transported from the mine, since strict precautions were taken by mining companies to ensure that such things never came away from the mine head. Detonators could be too dangerous for any laxity in this respect to be allowed, and merchants supplying household coal always ielt quite sure that nothing dangerous to their customers was included in their supplies from the mines. A man Familiar with explosives advised that tiny detonators found by children or adults at any time should be taken at once to the police, since they were too dangerous to be handled by those not aware of their potentialities.

Earlier in the season than usual, um enticed out by a stiff northerly breeze, a number of kite-flyers, the first seen in Ashburton this year, were busy yesterday afternoon. Four or five kites in the north end of the town were taken to fair heights by the wind.

Apparently any hopes that were held that the payment of the unemployment levy plight be discontinued will be dashed by the receipt of the new coupon books in Ashburton. These provide for the payment of the levy for three more years. The forms in the book start in November this year and go on to August, 1940.

The Ashburton Ministers’ Association met this afternoon, when the Rev. A. Mcßean presided. Arrangements for an after-church rally to be held in St. Stephen’s Hall on Sunday,' August 15, were finalised. The address is to be given by the Ven. Archdeacon A. J. Petrie, and the Rey. A. Meßean will preside. The association expressed good wishes to Archdeacon Petrie in his new work at Akaroa.

For many years the opportunities for young men to join the New Zealand Police force have been limited, but owing to changing conditions the service is now being augmented, with the result that applications are now being received from men >vho desire to join the force. Applicants are required to he not less than sft 9in in height, with an approximate weight of 11 stone and with a normal chest measurement of 38 inches. They must have reached the proficiency standard of education.

News travels fast in these days, but no news faster than football results. As an example of this, players taking part in the game between Public Works and Old Boys at Winchmore on Saturday knew that the Springboks had beaten Taranaki and that Southland, had won the Ranfurly Shield before their own game was over. The spectators followed these games from con-veniently-placed wireless sets, and were able to give the players progress and final scores during intervals in the match. Then, as players were leaving the field, news came through of the result of the game on the Ashburton Domain.

Referring to the expression, "The good old days,” in the course of his sermon at the Baring Square Methodist Church last evening, the Rev. A. Mcßean said it was by not by any means a modern saying, as in writings found under very ancient ruins said, "Alas, alas, the times are not what they were.” Every generation used the words, he said, and he instanced the general progress that was being made in conditions under which man lived. Even 100 years ago the people used the expression, and those were the days when ministers held shares in slave ships and nobody thought it was un-Christian for them to do so. At the same time the sweat-shops were in operation, and children of tender years worked long hours, up to 16 in a day, with a man going among them armed with a whip to see that they did not slacken in their pitiful tasks.

Mr A. H. T. Rose, F.5.M.0., F. 1.0., London, of Messrs J. R. Proctor, 'Ltd., Christchurch, is at present in Ashburton, and may be consulted on all defects of eyesight at the Somerset Hotel to-morrow. —(Advt.)