LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 223, 28 June 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A new serial will be started ip the “Guardian” to-morrow. It is “Eden for Profit,” by Sylvester Cairn. A cheerful and colourful story of the adventures, romantic and commercial, of two girls who sought wealth, health and pleasure bv running a nursery garden.

No infectious diseases have been reported to the inspector for the Borough and County for over two weeks.

The dismantling of the superstructure of the old bridge over the llakaia River is proceeding slowly. About onethird of the railings have been removed-

The meeting of St.; : Stephen’s Anglican Missionary Union yesterday took the form of a .short service in the church. Tho Rev. C. L. Mountfovt spoke of the home life of the natives of Melanesia.

There has been an active inquiry in Ashburton lately by motorists who are going into the possibilities of installing gas fuel equipment in their cars to take the place- of petrol: The need To economise with supplies of petrol has roused interest in the gas fuel system, which has been made use of fairly extensively in thei North Island.

One of the stewards in the Niagara, Mr F. Horkman, lnnded at Auckland minus his false teeth. It was The tomato juice that did it. “Seasick? Not often,” he said. “But an empty stomach, then tomato juice, then a small boat rocking on the sea —perhaps I was seasick. At any rate, when 1 started to look around a bit and nibble at a hard biscuit I found that a perfectly good set of teeth were keeping the Niagara company at the bottom of the sea.”

The. wharf police are still busy issuing passes to people -who have business on the wharves, and listening to the arguments of those, who think . they have (savs the Wellington “Evening Post”). All sorts of ancient permits issued by authorities no longer in existence, are produced in evidence toy applicants, the one .with most whiskers being issued in 1896, enabling the holder to go anywhere on th/2 wharf to examine, on behalf of the Glass Importers Association, cases of glass that may have been damaged in transit. He was informed gently that tho pass was no longer valid.

A request for payment of expenses to two witnesses who did not need to appear in Court was declined by the Magistrate (Mr H. Morgan,' S'.M.) in Ashburton this morning. It was stated that the two witnesses w r ere tramway employees in Christchurch and th/ay had. had to sign off yesterday so that other men could be called to take their places to-day. After that, however, they were told that they would not he required as the. defendant in the case would plead guilty. The Magistrate said that the regulations permitted payment of expenses only to. persons who actually gave evidence in Court. It was stated, that the witnesses would lose a day’s work and pay.

Ip response to ah appeal issued by New Zealand Registered Nurses’ Association for the assistance of non-prac-tising registered nurses in the- operation of a hospital scheme in time of national emergency, there have been about 20 answers from the Ashburton County. In the event of need, established mursing staffs would he transferred to emergency hospitals, their places Using taken by volunteers. A list of all registered nurses available to assist in this work was compiled at. the beginning of the war, hut this did not include many non-practising: nurses. Mrs G. M;. Breezei is 'in charge of the appeal in the County.

Deference to an appeal by the Minister of Supply, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, for the greater use of many products of which there is now a waste, was made by an Auckland flock manufacturer, who said there was a distinct shortage of rags. The Government needed rags for various purposes and the public, could help to overcome the scarcity by marketing its own supplies. The elimination of imports of rags had contributed to the position, which was a matter of some concern to the Government. The Railway Department was a big user of rags for cleaning machinery and other purposes. It was also obvious that the forces needed rags for cleaning arms and machinery.

At a meeting of the council of the United Kingdom Manufacturers and New Zealand Representatives Association (Inc.), held in Wellington, the recent ruling of the Minister of Customs (-Mr W. Nash) that goods shipped from the United Kingdom in vessels scheduled to leave for New Zealand not later than May 29 would be admitted under second-period licences, was considered and in view of the changed circumstances in the United Kingdom it was decided to make further representations on the subject. The fueling of the meeting was that in view of the tremendous, efforts being made, by the United Kingdom to maintain, if not increase, export trade, every possible relaxation should be granted in New Zealand for the admission of United Kingdom imports. Accordingly it was decided to ask the Minister to allow United Kingdom goods, in respect of which licences have been granted, to entqr New Zealand irrespective of the date of shipping or arrival, without deduction of the goods from future licences.

Objection to the term refugees being applied to the children whom it was proposed to bring out from Great Britain was voiced by the Mayor (Mr T. C. A. Hislop) at the annual meeting of the. Wellington branch of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society. Mr Hislop said that the term was used in the best spirit but it was incorjrect. The children were not refugees but the children of neoplo who were in the front line whilb they in New Zealand were in, the 'back; the children of fathers in the fighting forces or in immediate support of them and of mothers who were also doing their hit where the danger was now greatest. The term refugees as applied to those children was an insult and misnomer. Refugees were those Avho had been driven out of their countries and many great people had come in this class, but not these little people; in the Homeland. He hoped that hid would not again hear them referred to as refugees. They must get the right name for these sons and daughters of neioplis now in the front line of the battle for existence. A suggestion made to-day by Mi* L. T. Watkins was that the term “kindren” (children of our kin) might be adopted.

The breadmaking industry including the making, distribution, and sale of bread, is now a. controlled industry under the Supply Control Emergency Regulations. Notice to this effect is contained in last.night’s Gazette.

To - raise funds for the Lady Galwav refugee children’s fund, produce and other articles are to be sold by the Ashburton Plunket Society in a shop in the Arcade every Friday. The shop was open to-day.

“The Government asked us to get in more wheat and I was going about it when the Inspector came along and caught me,” said a farmer in the. Ashburton Magistrate’s Court this morning whien he was charged with having operated an unregistered • tractor on the road. “I suppose you were being paid for the wheat, so you can pay the fine, out of that,” retorted the Magistrate.

Arrangements are being made for Ashburton High School basketball teams to play Christchurch and Timaru Girls’ High Schools and for football teams to play Timaru Boys’ High School. These games are expected to be played next month. Ashburton Technical High School basketball and football teams will probably, go co Timaru next week to pliiy the Technical School there.

An Auckland radio listener claims that on oversea, short-wave radio station calling itself “The New British Broadcasting Station” is the fount of most, rumours which have circulated in tine city during the past few days. A cable message from London on February 27 last stated that this anti-Brit-ish propaganda station was low in powCV and was operated from the Continent. It is said to have been heard daily in Auckland recently.

Twin girls aged 12, who live in England, are to be brought to Ashburton for the duration of the war by an Ashburton family. The girls are children of relatives of the Ashburton neople. The Ashburton Borough Council office is still receiving applications from prospective foster parents' who are anxious to have English children for the period of the war, and it seems that this town will fill its quota without difficulty.

Although there has beten no activity in boxing in Ashburton so far this season the annual meeting of the local association is expected to be held shortly. There has been very little, of this sport in thoi Dominion this winter* only four associations in the North Island and one in the South Island being active. The national championships have been abandoned, according to information received by the secretary of the Ashburton Association.

No teacher joining the forces will suffer professionally by enlisting, and his-interests in .respect to promotion, grading, and superannuation will he fully safeguarded. This is the essence of the Teachers’ Emergency Regulations, gazetted last night-. The regulations cover, inter alia, appointments to vacancies caused by enlistments, the acceptance of reduced period training in the case of training college students who enlist, and the relaxation of pass conditions for the teachers’ certificate examination for teachers .enlisting. Teachers in, the forces will have the right to apply for positions in .' the customary manner.