LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 20053, 19 December 1928, Page 11

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Eire early, yesterday morning completely gutted premises at Carterton owned by tho Stempa Estate and occupied by J H. Russell as a fish shop and restaurant. The insurance on the building was £6OO, but tho contents wero not insured. The presentation of diplomas at Canterbury Agricultural College, which was made yesterday on the occasion of the fanners’ arfnual held day, showed the extent to which the college is being utilised by students from distant parts of the dominion. Of the fifteen diplomas awarded no fewer than seven wont to students from outside tho province, tho North Island districts represented being Stratford, Ma.tamata. and Wairoa. Other outside locahties were Henot, Dunedin, Marlborough, and Nelson. The college, under the assistance provided recently by the Government, has extended its activities, and a much increased amount of research work is now being conducted in regard to wheat, cocksfoot, red clover, and ryegrass. Animal nutrition is also receiving close attention, and definite results have been produced in regard to tho economic pasturing and feeding of sheep and pigs. The new laboratory in connection with wheat research is now well on'its way towards completion. The master of the Awarua, which arrived, at Bluff yesterday morning, reports that a launch and its crew attached to the vessel have been missing since the afternoon of December 12. Tho missing men are:—D. Browne, Shetland Islander; J. Phillips, Stewart Island. When tho launch did not return in tho early evening of December 12, another launch manned by fishermen set but in search, but without success. At 4 o’clock next morning three launches searched every locality in which it was considered the men wero likely to be. One boat picked up an oar on the oast side of Five Finger Peninsula, but no trace of the missing men was discovered. When the launch was last seen all seemed to be going well, and it is difficult to surmise what lias happened.