LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 37, 23 November 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Prize-winners at thj? Auckland Girls’ Amateur Athletic Association’s sports meeting at Carlaw iPairk recently declined their prizes and asked that their value be devoted to some war object. The amount realised by this means was about £6O. Winning teams received trophies, but all personal prizes were forgone

Tins and tinfoil as coverings for cigarettes were recently reported as having disappeared from the latest consignments of cigarettes received in Ashburton, and to-d'ay it was stated that a fresh package wins opened up and the packets were without the familiar cellophane wrappings.

'The Mid-Canterbury Primary Production Council last evening decided to circularise branches of the Farmers’ Union to ascertain) how farmers will generally be situated in respect to labour during the approaching harvest season. This decision was reached after Mr J. R. Pearson (State Placement Officer at Ashburton) had asked if some idea could he given him about the requirements for harvest labour.

The boys of the Ashburton High School and Technical High School have decided that they are prepared t<y lorego their Christmas holidays to assist farmers. This decision wits announced by the president (Mr T. V. Wilkinson) at the monthly meeting of the MidCanterbury Executive of the Farmers’ Union yesterday. Members expressed appreciation of this fine gesture.

The estimated figures for crop acreages this year drawn up for the MidOanterbury Primary Production Council were favourably commented oh in a letter'received from the Director of primary Production (Mr R. B. Tennant) at a meeting of the Council last evening. Mr Tennant extended congratulations on the prospects of increased acreages, and said it was a splendid performance which jie would bring to the notice of the National Council of Primary Production.

Through a mistake on the part of a typiste, an Ashburton County farmer who wished to appeal on behalf of one of his employees made a. fruitless trip to Timaru this morning, believing he would appear before the Man-Power Ocimmittee there. When he learned his mistake he hastened back to Ashburton, arriving at the Courthouse shortly before 11 o’clock. In order to get- away for the appeal he had to make a 5 o’clock start on his farm and hurried to Timaru without even waiting for breakfast.

“I’ve done enough work in my lifetime) to kill two men and I don’t feel like doing any more now,” said an appellant, a .farmer, when speaking on behalf of his plea before the South Canterbury Man-Power Committee in Ashburton this morning, that his son should be released from Territorial service. “How old ore you?” asked the chairman, (Mr C. J. Talbot). “Fifty-five,” replied appellant. The chairman: “We have all got to make some sacrifice in these difficult times.” Appellant: “I am not against military training, of course; it is a matter of convenience.”

The mamwir in which the wet canteens at Papakura and Burnham military camps were being conducted was praised by chaplains at a session of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. The Rev. It. G._ McDowell, chaplain at Papakura, said he had been in camp for seven weeks and had not seen a drunken man. The most that happened was that a few young men would visit the Y.M.O.A. hut when the canteen closed, singing happily. No man was served with drink v.ho showed any signs of being affected by it. The Rev. H. O'. Bowman spoke similarly of Burnham camp.

• A statement regarding the dates of the camps in which men drawn in the Territorial service ballots will be trained was made by the chairman of the South 'Canterbury, Man-Power Committee (Mr C. J. Talbot) in Ashburton this morning. Ur> to tins present, he said, the military authorities had fixed the times for three camps. The first would' start at thei beginning of January, the second at the beginning of February and the third at the beginning of April. Each camp will last three months. There will be a break till camps are started again some time im the spring.

Under the recently gazetted Protected Places Emergency Regulations, some factory owners in Auckland (states the “New Zealand Herald”) have been required by the superintendent of police to provide watchmen for their premises. Occupiers must bear the cost of such guard, and 1 in one instance, at least, a, request was refused that one watchman should be permitted to look after several buildings. Among manufacturers in Auckland and elsewhere there is. a strong opinion that the responsibilities imposed on them by the regulations are too great, and the question is expected to come before the impending annual conference of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association.

. During seven, years children in primary schools under the jurisdiction of the ‘Wellington Education Board have contributed £1693 to the maintenance of children in the Otaki Health Camp. At the annual meeting recently of the. Wellington Health Camp Associatiqn it was stated that this •sum had been gathered in pennies. It takes 406,320 pennies to make that amount. The report described the appeal to children as one of tho association’s main sources of revenue. The. Wellington Rotary Club had given £IO2B since 1933, and last December a fur-* ther £199, the report- stated, and since the inception of the camp thei T. G. Macarthy Trust had granted £4BO, including £BO in the last 12 months.

“All the fit mem drawn in the ballots are expected to go into camp at some time and the committee is doing its best to assure the continuity of production,” said the cliaitrman of tho •South Canterbury Man-Power Committee (Mr C ; . J. Talbot) im Ashburton this morning. “We realise that in nearly every case there is going to be some degree of sacrifice, even, on the part of those not called on to serve", but who may be able to assist the men in camp by carrying out some form of supervisory work on the paft’t of relatives or neighbours. The Committee realises that any threia-monthly period in the year is awkward for the man who is farming, but we -are trying to find for these men the period that is least awkward for them.”