LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 117, 2 March 1950, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Abattoir Killings Killings at the Municipal Abattoir for the month of February showed a deci’ease of 44 on those for the same month last year. Detailed figures of killings for the month with last year’s in parentheses were: Cattle 128 (132), vealers 2 (2), sheep 888 (925), lambs 60 (78), pigs 45 (30), total 1123 (1167)

Rifle Shooting Championships At the national rifle shooting championships at Trentham yesterday, J. E. Bishop (Ashburton) won £2 in Match No. 1. In Match No. 3 W. N. Holland (Ashburton) won £1 10s and S. D. Porter and G. E. Lusk secured £l. Holland has qualified for the service championships with a total of 206.

Auckland Harbour Deficit, A record deficit of £124,615 was incurred by the Auckland Harbour Board in the 1948-49 financial year. Financial statements submitted to a board meeting by the treasurer (Mr A. P. Lees) yesterday showed that £116,714 of the deficit was in the Waitemata harbour operations and £7901 in workings on' the Manukau harbour. —P.A.

North Island Mail Post Office private box holders at Ashburton who did not receive North Island mail in their /boxes yesterday, but found it there this morning, have been exercised as to what happened. It transpires that the North Island letter bag was inadvertently carried on to Dunedin by the limited, which has not a mail van, and by which, since the inauguration of the service, the mail from the north has travelled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Empire Games Film , “It is a first-class pictorial representation of the Empire Games and something to be thoroughly proud of,” said Mr Arthur Porritt, chairman of the British Empire Games Federation at Auckland yesterday after he had seen the film, says a Press Association message. Admittedly there were certain technical faults in the film, but considering the rather limited facilities available to the unit, “a jolly good record of the games has been produced.” H.M.A.S. Bataan Arrives Four hours earlier than expected the powerful Australian destroyer Bataan arrived in Wellington late yesterday afternoon. Earlier separated from the rest of the Australian fleet by a rudder defect, the Bataan had had to return to Sydney for repairs. Her arrival has brought the number of visiting warships in port to six.' Her stay in port will be short as the fleet is expected to sail about 8.30 a.m. on Friday to meet the New Zealand squadron in Cook Strait. —P.A.

Grit and Dust Stop Work Grit from the King’s Wharf power station chimney and occasional clouds of phosphate dust from King’s Wharf brought cargo work on two overseas ships berthed at export wharf to a standstill yesterday afternoon. In accordance with the windy weather clause of' the Waterfront Industry Commission’s order waterside workers on the Barn Hill and the English Prince held meetings and decided by vote to stop work. The employers decided at 3 p.m. not to resume work until 8 o’clock this morning.—P.A.

The American Touch

“Compost Magazine” in its latest issue tells an interesting story of a farmer in Ohio who has transformed a derelict farm. “His neighbours said he was crazy, but he restored a wornout farm to such productivity that its fame has spread far and wide.” This, of course, is all to the good, and similar projects multiplied a thousandfold would materially help to solve the problem of world food supply; but the American touch is given the story by the information that the State university has conferred on the enterprising owner the title of Master Farmer.

Ship Diverted From Auckland Port congestion at Auckland resulted in a decision yesterday to cancel the visit to Auckland of the Port Line’s refrigerated motor-ship, Port Alma, due to arrive from Adelaide next week to load a full cargo of produce, for Britain, says a Press Association message. It was considered unlikely that the Port Alma would obtain a suitable loading berth for some weeks. Loading of produce is at its seasonal peak, and the Port Alma was to take 16;000 boxes of butter, 8800 crates of cheese, 70,000 freight carcases of meat, and general cargo for London and Avonmouth.

Rehabilitation Loans • Rehabilitation Loans totalling £16,120 were approved at the last meeting of the Ashburton Rehabilitation Committee. The total amount of loans approved since 1944-45, when the scheme was initiated in Ashburton, is £960,080. Of the recent approvals, eight furniture loans totalled £760, three housing loans £3750, three farm loans £10,310, and two business loans £I3OO. In the grand total, 361 loans (£33,660) were for furniture, 217 (£237,659) for houses, 137 (£645,378) for farms, and 84 (£43,067) for businesses. Miscellaneous loans amounted to £316.

Imports of Books The Minister of Customs (Mr C. M. Bowden) yesterday told booksellers assembled, in Wellington for the annual conference of the Associated Booksellers of New Zealand that the Government -was anxious to abolish restrictions on the importation of hooks, but it was impossible to do so at this juncture, says a Press Association message. Earlier the president, Mr H. W. Osb,orn, had said that he hoped that before the week was out the Government would announce the removal of import restrictions on books. Mr Eowden’s statement was made at a luncheon held as part of the conference. The Prime Minister, Mr Holland, also attended and spoke briefly.

Ashburton Successes Members of the women’s section of the Ashburton Tennis Club journeyed to Christchurch yesterday where, at the invitation of the Cashmere Tennis Club, they took part in an all-day tennis tournament, organised by that club to raise funds for a pavilion. Over 160 players participated. In the A section Mrs M. Wall, of the Ashburton Club, was runner-up, while her team-mate, Mrs W. Drummond, Avon the B section. During the afternoon, Mrs W. G. Todd, on behalf of the visitors, thanked the Cashmere Club for their hospitality., A competition Avas won by Mrs D. Riddell (Ashburton) with Mrs I. McDonnell (Ashburton) runner-up.