LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 249, 29 July 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

, “South Atlantic Legacy” is the title of a netv serial, publication of which will be started in the “Guardian” tomorrow. The author, Sydney Packman has several readable novels to his credit. The story is based on the old belief that money gained by illicit means never does its recipients or their heirs any good, and tells of adventures in tropical seas.

.Prompt recognition of the Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade’s attendance at the outbreak in .his hedge on Saturday night reached the brigade this morning in a donation from Mr E. Stevenson.

Four models were tested by the Ashburton Model Aeroplane Club yesterday. A model owned by T. Thomas did five flights, the longest being of S 3 seconds. It. Neilson’s best flight was HO seconds duration.

Muffled voices floated out over tho vicinity of Baring Square East- this morning and a pedestrian at the south end appeared to be in a state of some confusion as lie swung this way and that trying to locate the speakers. He created laughter for other pedestrians when he suddenly locate the source oi his mystification—the radio in a parked car.

Parcels for Ashburton men who left in the First and Second Echelons have been made up by the Ashburton Bed Cress and are ready for sending overseas. A number of othejr parcels for Ashburton men in the Third Echelon have also been prepared and these will he distributed at a later date, before thie men go overseas.

The Ashburton Silver Band will give a broadcast programme of music from Station 3YA this evening. It will include two marches, a waltz, a hymn, a danse burlesque, euphonium solo and a selection of Neel Coward music. Tho band, under the conductorship of Mr E. Bi. Hopwood, is in excellent playing form and it will present an attractive programme.

The value of reconnaissance aircraft in locating German submarines was discussed by Professor T. D. J. Leech, professor of engineering at Auckland University College, in an address to tho Auckland Creditmen’s Club. He said naval authorities held that on an average fine day in the Mediterranean an aircraft could detect a submarine at a submerged depth of 120 ft. In the North Sea the visibility was about half this figure.

Mr Robert Lock, a young man, of Methven, was admitted to the Ashburton Public Hospital on Saturday evening suffering from .burns to his face and eyes, the result of a blow-back when lie was blasting logs. Because of the injury to his eye, it was decided that Mr Lock should be- sent to a. specialist and he was admitted to the Christchurch Public Hospital yesterday morning. iHis condition last night was reported to be satisfactory.

Like all other local schools Tinwald is playing its part in raising funds for the purchase cf an ambulance. Beside the holding of a number of penny conceits the children have canvassed the townshipi for bottles and other articles which can be turned into money. The headmaster (Mr B. M. Clague) showed a representative of the ‘ ‘Guardian’ ’ the results of the collection this morning. The most striking articles were a rninn ber of cld bicycle frames. To further augment the fund a fancy-djress ball is to be held shortly.

Because earnings with minimum overtime pay in two days can amount to nearly the total of a week’s wages, some girls in clothing factories are inclined to take a holiday for the rest of the week. This is one of the reasons expressed to a meeting of the executive of the Auckland Manufacturers’ Association why some factories will not now work ovfrtimp. Trainee girls earning 17s Gd a week must be paid Is 6cl an hour overtime with a minimum of three hours. So whether they work the full three hours or not, the girls receive 4s 6d for overtime, whoreas their pay for eight hours’ day work is 3s 6d.

Many hundreds of flying hours have been accumulated by Brigadier-general W. Frank, of the air arm of the United States Army, who was one of the official observers on. the American Clipper during her trans-Pacific flight to Auckland. Since becoming a, pilot in 1014, Brigadier-general Frank has been constantly in the air, and, although he is now commander of army aviation at Honolulu, he still pilots his own aeroplane whenever it is necessary for him to make an air journey. Last year he added a further 300 hours to his flying time, and his recent trip is the first by air for four years in which lie has not been the pilot.

Baiding of sheep in the Gisborne district during the past few months has caused some concern among owners, but it is hoped that in one instance the trouble will be at an end, for two dogs caught in the act in Kaiti recently were destroyed. This action followetl a careful watch that had been maintained since the loss of 16 sheep in paddocks near the Kaiti freezing works a few months ago. During the past few days further sheep-worrying occurred resulting in the loss of another 27 sheep. The two dogs caught in the act were both from the town, but came from widely-separated localities.

In his annual report to Parliament the Director-Generai of Health (Dr. M. H. Watt) says that the value and popularity of the milk-in-schools service continues toi be stressed by medical officers and head teachers. Last year milk was made available to 223,694 pupils, representing 79.3 per cent, oi the school population, in comparison with 67 per cent, for the previous year Bottled pasteurised milk was available to 214,665 of those attending 1202 schools; malted-milk powder to 5351 attending 117 schools; and milk foi cocoa-making purposes to 3678 attending 23 schools. Three fines occurred in macrocarpa hedges on the, west side of Ashburton within a few minutes of each other on Saturday evening. The first was in a fence on the property of Mr B. J. Rae, of 21 Deter Street, and was extinguished with buckets of water and a garden hose. Tho Ashburton Volunteer lire Brigade turned cut to the second fire in a. wide fence in front of tho house of Mr E. Stevenson, 9 Wills Street, about two blocks away from where the first fire broke out. A few minutes later the Brigade received a call to the third fire in a fence near tine home of Mr A. G. Cambridge, in Belt Road. It is thought that the fires must have been started deliberately,

Positions for 10 men were found by the Ashburton Placement Office lastweek. Of these six were placed per manently at 'the woollen mills, two were given railway construction work on the West Coast and two were placed temporarily on gorse-cutting.

With the addition of about 200 books the Tin we Id School library has been placed on a sound footing. The School Committee made a grant of £ll for this purpose recently. To give the girls of the school further scope in their sewing classes the Committee has obtained a sewing-machine.

Mine members of the Ashburton Baptist Girls’ Bible Class went to Christchurch on Saturday to attend a combined Bible Class rally. They returned to Ashburton last evening. A sum of £23 collected in Ashburton during the year for Indian missionary funds was handed in.

Although they are nominally separate charges upon income, the social security and the national security taxes are to be assessed as “a combined charge at the rate of one penny for every sum of tenpenee or part thereof.” This compilation of the taxes not only simplifies calculations in large establishments, but it also avoids doubling the odd penny in amounts exceeding multiples, of tenpence.

Members of the Ashburton Tramping Club spent a vigorous day in and about Peel Forest yesterday. The beautiful sunny weather Was ideal for the outing. Some of the trampers visited the Emily and Rata falls -and eight made the ascent of Little Mount Peel. The descent was made on the side which was in the shadow and the ice was found to be in a very slippery condition.

Probably there is not another band in the Dominion that has such ua low average for the ages of its membevs as is the ease with the Ashburton Silver Band. The oldest member is 42, there are two or three who are 13, and the average works out at 21 years for the whole band. Fifteen members will this evening take part in their first broadcast with the. senior band, though they have broadcast with the junioi band.

A?i urgent appeal has been made for 2800 pairs of gloves for men in the Air Force and it is expected that 121bs of wool which the Ashburton Centre of the Red Cross Society lias asked for from Wellington will come to hand tomorrow so that distribution can be made to those who are willing to knit Ashburtop’s quota of the .g'loves required. The gloves are wanted within the next month, and it is hoped that quick knitters will answer the appeal and call at the depot for wool.

A particularly mean theft is reported from the Taieri. A woman resident at Springbanlc, East Taieri, recently cut up a large quantity of blueguni into suitable lengths, and stacked it, and her surprise can be imagined when she found on her return from a visit to a neighbour, a lorry moving off with her wood'. A plantation near the bouse' provided cover for the thief until lie had loaded his lorry. This is said to be only one instance of similar thefts that have taken place recently.

F'ire hose is most difficult to obtain at the present time and Brigades are doing all they can to save the hose they have. It was pointed out by the Superintendent of the Ashburton Brigade (Mr H. Hefford) to-day that 450 feet of hose was used in attending to fires in hedges on -Saturday night and tho wear and tear on the hose is considerable. Some day in the near future this hose might be urgently needed in a ease of serious fire but it might give out at a critical time through having been damaged in attending to a hedge firei maliciously started.

During his travels Mr Colin Lambert, New Plymouth, who returned last Saturday from a .cycle tour of the Dominion, mixed with New Zealanders of every creed and calling, and he can claim to speak with authority when lie states that he found South' Islanders vastly more generous than the people of the North Island. In the South Island, particularly on the West Coast, he said, not only would anyone provide a traveller with a meal, but he would insist on giving him a quantity of rations to help him on his way.

“I think greater attention should be paid to the question of vventilation,” said Dr. J. P. Hastings during a discussion at a meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board. Dr. Hastings said there was an appalling lack of knowledge on this subject and criticised people for sitting in halls, rooms and motor cars where the air was stuffy and unhealthy through the fact that all windows "and doors were closed. He thought that, in some cases, people might be asphyxiated were it not for the fact that there were chimneys in the rooms which they were occupying.

A solo competition for members of the Ashburton Silver Band will be. held shortly. For the A grade players there will be as a prize a handsome silver cupi donated by Mrs A. O. Cameron as a memorial to her husband, who was an enthusiastic supporter of the band over many years. The winner of the cup will have his name engraved on it and lie will hold it for a year. Each winner will also' receive a gold medal, and this year’s award has been donated by Mrs Cameron. The competition will be in four grades, the first and second being introduction, theme and one variation, the third far slow melody and the fourth will be for members of the junior band, and probably held on a separate evening.