LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 38, 25 November 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

. The 'Wnkamii Lodge, 1.0.G.T., paraded at a Methodist- Church service held at Wakamii yesterday morning. The Rev. A. Mcßean was the preacher and Mrs Mcßean sang a solo.

Mr Cblin Campbell, a young man, of Alford Forest Road, Ashburton, severed an artery in- his wrist when a wash-basin he was leaning on in Timaru collapsed. Hoi was admitted to the Timaru Public Hospital where it was found necessary to insert six stitches.

This Ashburton Meccano Club held an exhibition of models made by members in the Baring Square Sunday School on Saturday evening. Members of the Christchurch Club .visited Ashburton and exhibited models. The Ashburton Club with the Christchurch visitors to-day went for a mystery picnic.

A suggestion thafethe old dog collars should he returned to the contractors so that the buckles could be used a second time was put forward by Mr C. H. • Beamish at a meeting of the Hawke’s Bay County Council. It- was stated that the buckles were now very difficult to procure, and that the price of the completed collars had! risen by about onC-third. It was decided to investigate the suggestion.

A resolution passed by the Pukekohe branch of the Farmers’ Union suggests that hobby calves should arrive ifit the meat works pot later than midnight on the day on, which they leave the farms. Members wore of the opinion that it was cruel to the calves to take more time in transit, as there was no provision for feeding them en (route. It was agreed to enter a, protest against calves leaving farms on Thursday arriving at the works by Friday trains

l'lfe number of cinematograph theatres Jn the Dominion number 574. They seat betwen them, 266,790 persons, and last year’s paid admissions totalled ’ 31,171,130. These paid admissjons represent a revenue of £2,009,662. The average attendance per head of population; during the year, according to the ‘ ‘Abstract- of Statistics,” was 19. The theatres gave employment to 2897 jiaople, whose wages totalled £353,128.

Thte free kindergarten building used at the Centennial Exhibition is to be re-erected on a site in Government House grounds in Hospital Road-, Newtown. A playground and recreation area for children will be incorporated as part of the general lay-out. In announcing this, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, Minister for Education, recalled that when the question of a suitable site for the permanent erection of the building was under consideration Lord Galway offered to make available part of Government House grounds for the purpose.

The effect of the restrictions on the use of petrol on road traffic may: be gauged from a comparison of particulars of quantities released from bond during the first nine months of 1939 and. 1940, remarks the latest'number of the “Abstract of Statistics,” the amount for 1940 being 17.7 per cent, less than that £oy 1939. At the- end of September last there were 278,359 motor vehicles licensed, compared with 285,586 at the end of September, 1939. Private cars licensed numbered 196,229, compnvcd with 203,543.

Every mail from Britain brings abundant evidence that the people at Home are facing up to their trials with indomitable resolution! and unflagging courage. Typical of this attitude- is the. following extract from a letter received, by a- Wellington firm of manufacturers’ representatives: — “Over here the spirit of the people is high, and the morale excellent. Somehow we feel that we have leisurely peeled off the kid gloves and aye just beginning to roll the sleeves up and wade in. A little later we may even go so far as to take our coats off and give the enjamy the larruping he has been asking for. We are beginning to' get a bit annoyed! And when a Briton really gets annoyed, well, you as a Briton know the answer.”

Mr A. Hamilton (president of the Wellington Stock Exchange) drew a sharp comparison between tl<3 attitude of New Zealand soldiers in Egypt and workers on the wharves in Auekland. He told members at their annual meeting last evening that “we learned in letters recently from our troops in Egypt that the men there hav)3 all pooled one' day’s nay to go towards the relief of distress In London and this is dcnei out of 3s 6d in New Zealand currency and the niggardly allowance of some £l6 in sterling per annum. On the other hand, avc have the waterside workers in Auckland being paid by the British Government some £ISOO sterling to work for eight hours on a Sunday, the only time worked being about one hour.” • >

-When it Avas first- suggested that the St. Kilda Municipal Band should' visit Ashburton it was intended that at a later date the Ashburton Silver Band should make a return .visit to Dunedin, an official of the Ashburton Band said this morning. It is hoped that this visit Avill b'e made at some convenient time in the New Year, but no date has, hoAvever, yet been) fixed. The Amine of the visit of the St. Kilda Band to young players in the local band Avas stressed this morning by Mr E. It. Hopwood (conductor of the Ashburton Silver Band) in conversation Avith a. “Guardian” reporter. There AA'cre few opportunities of hearing an A grade hand and champion soloists of such a high standard, lie said. The playing last evening had been particularly good.

In a letter 1 to the “Taranaki Herald,” Mr AV. W. Smith, of New Plymouth, who was curator of the Ashburton Domain for 10 years in the early part of this century, says: A remarkable case of bird kidnaooing occurred lately on, Mr Fussell’s farm at Lepperton. There are tAyo laktfs on the farm. A pair cf Avhitc SAvans lived on one lake and a pair of black swans on thei other lake. The latter paw Avere nesting and had laid eggs and were sitting on them. The pair of white swans left their own, lake and attacked the black swans, driving them from their nest. The Avhitc SAA-ans immediately commenced incubation of ' the black swans’ eggs and in due time successfully hatched them. They no-w occupy tlie lake, proud “parents” of their alien family following them.