LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 5, 17 October 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Soldiers of the forces for overseas who are on leave are to be entertained at the Soldiers’ Club by the Returned Soldiers’ Association to-morrow evening.

As one of the organisations asked to spud delegates to a public meeting in connection with the formation, of the Home Guard in the Ashburton Borough has not yet had a meeting to select its representatvies, the date of the holding of the public nijeeting has not yet been decided on.

Early this year the Ashburton Rotary Club donated a number ol' books" for the establishment of a library at the Ashburton Soldiers’ Club. Further private donations of books havp been made and the Social Committee has the work of marking and checking the backs well in hand.

“The men of the Royal Air Force are, at the moment, the shining power and glory of our fighting forces,” remarked thp Mayor of Auckland, Sir Ernest Davis, in giving a toast at the jubilee rally of the Auckland Orphans Club on Saturday .night. Sir Ernest said that all the forces mejrited our admiration, but the men of the Royal Air Force were standing supreme in the defence of Britain,. 1

A suggestion that residents in various parts of the Dominion be permitted to “adopt” a particular brawler or minesweeper for the purpose of supplying this crew with comforts has not been found practicable, states a report issued by the New Zealand Navy League. Residents had desired this to be arranged so that comforts could be forwarded through the league, which has undertaken that responsibility. The report states that .naval policy prevents the idea being adopted.

The Union Company’s inter-island express service will be rearranged next week when the turbo-electric vessel Rangatira will be withdrawn for about a month and will come under Government control. The Rangatka will be withdrawn on October 23 on her arrival at Wellington, and will he replaced by the Wahine. The latter vessel’s running will be taken up by the Maori, which will he recommissioned at Wellington on October 22.

Already about 2000 books and magazines liana been despatched from Ashburton by the Returned Sbldiers’ Association fob use' of men on transports and overseas. A further pilei of books has been collected. These will be forwarded to the Christchurch Public Library from which they will he distributed where it is thought necessary. The literature was formerly sent to the Returned Soldiers’ Association headquarters in Christchurch.

The Lower Hutt Borough Council last evening, on the suggestion of Councillor H. V. Horlor, decided to suggest to the Government that the law should be amended to fix a Saturday for the holding of the local elections poll. The Mayor (Mr J. W. Andrews) remarked that in addition to suiting voters, Saturday would allow of School teachers and others being available as polling officials.

Several workmen are busy tidying up Baring Square and preparing for farther planting. . At present the tulip beds, of various shades, lining the east and west sides, make a remarkably fine sight. Some apprehension was felt when the oak trees were removed, as they were generally regarded the first indicators of spring, but the beauty of the flower beds will amply offset their loss. Together with the new and up-to-date buildings on the east, side, Baring Square is to-day one of the prettiest spots in Ashburton.

For the benefit of Netherlands subjects and persons understanding the Netherlands language, the Netherlands Consulate at Wellington advises' that the 'Netherlands Giovernment in London has made arrangements with the British Broadcasting Corporation for a national Netherlands broadcast (Radio Oranje) which is emitted daily at 18.15 G.M.T. (6.15 a.m. New Zealand' Summer Time) over wave-length 30.'86 metres. This broadcast can also he heard, relayed over Java stations, on wave-lengths 19.80, 27.27, 29.24 and 31.40 metres at 12.45 p.m. and 11.15 p.m. (Nfew Zealand Summer Time).

A prize merino ram which was flown fjrom. Cloncurry (Queensland) to Blandoeng (Java) became the sight of the latter town, but it did not last long. It was eaten by a, panther a fortnight after its arrival. Captain A. F. K. Kalberer, of thla Royal Netherlands Indies Airways,' was the owner of the ram. His wife wanted a sheep as a pet to keep down the grass at their home. He bought tlifa merino, and flew 1 it to Java. “I turned it loose in the yard round our home: and it was doing fine,” he said. “It went off the grass and would eat nothing, but bananas. When I was home I used to feed it half a dozen a. day. In a fortnight I had trained it to answer a call. One night a black panther came down from the hills and lifted it over 1 a six-foot fence.”

Letters from England consistently endorse the official reports about the German air attacks in thpir empuasis on the point that they are doing negligible military damage and that houses are the chief sufferers. A letter from Wevmouthi to a Welington lady brings tins cut clearly, and says, “We have got quite used to it now, and wonder what we have done to deserve it if Jerry fails to pay us a nightly visit.” It'goes on:V‘The raid of the lltlx (August) was the worst; several houaps down and dozens with' windows smashed. The Germans claimed that day to have damaged the harbour and sunk a 2000-ton steamer. The liars never even sank a fishing boat. . . \cu don’t want to believe a word thj'y say.”

“You remember the one about, the French doctor who challenged another French doctor to a duel, and: how one of their friends suggested that instead of using pistols they should each make up his own favourite prescription and give it to the other?” asks a writer in “Zealandia,” the New Zealand Roman Catholic paper. “The underlying id6a might hear extension, cvf n for political pals. For instance, it seems a pity that someone could not have persuaded Hitler and Mussolini to engage in an ondu ran as test speechifying competition, eatch-as-catch-can, nothing barred. If both had died from exhaustioni the war might never have happened. Such a contest would be particularly piquant if. it should reach the stage where Hitler says; ‘And so are you!’ ”

An improvement i s shortly to be made to the billiard-room at the Ashburton Soldiers’ Club. The walls are to be papered and' the room is to be generally renovated.

The. speaker at the weekly luncheon meeting of the Ashburton Rotary Club tio-day was Mr A. P. Matthews, manager of the Ashburton branch of the Bank of New Zealand, who dealt with th(e old Maoris, their means of obtaining food and their culture, in the period before the arrival of the Europeans.

A second bicycle stand, directly opposite the one already erected in Burnett ■Street between East Street and the railway line, was in the process of construction to-day. A Borough Council official told a “Guardian” reporter today that he did not- know hew many such stands would be erected, because there was a shortage of piping for this purpose and it was able to erect the stands only as metal could he obtained.

Several heads of big retail houses in Wellington have discovered, on opening np certain goods manufactured in New Zealand, that they are not altogether free of dust. This is evidently not the fault of the manufacturers of the goods, for in some, of the cases opened recently explanation is offered in, thie form of a printed slip, which reads: “The dust that may have accumulated on these'goods is due to the poor quality of cardboard and paper now being used.”

Because of the difficulty of procuring supplies of science apparatus and materials from overseas, the Wellington Education Board has asked teachers to exercise special care of all science equipment in their schools. Schools liavp been urged to take particular care of all barometers and existing supplies of mercury. If any school has more than its normal quota, of £lb of mercury —sufficient for one barometet —the /head teacher is required to notify the board so , that the surplus may he recalled and redistributed to other schools requiring mercury.

A Representative of Messrs J. R. Procter, Limited, Christchurch is at present in Ashburton, and may be consulted on all defects of eyesight at the •Somerset Hotel to-morrow (Friday). —(Advt.).