LOOKING BACK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 185, 20 May 1941, Page 4

LOOKING BACK.

FIFTY YEARS SYNE. (From, the “Guardian,” May 20, 1891). French Afcnace —Adelaide: AlajorGeneral 'Downes, being interviewed as to the. work of the defence commission, in answer to the question as to whether New Caledonia holds any position of menace toward Eastern. Australia, said he was decidedly of opinion, from the information he had gathered, that there was about three thousand French troops, and that male convicts to the number of nine thousand were drilled with modern guns. This drill was of a nature to fit men to take part in a land attack. The Hon. Sir .John McKenzie —The “Mntaura Ensign” is responsible for the following yarn“ Apropos , the Hon. John McKenzie, a good story has peached us. The honest one delights to be thought original and impromptu. One day, shortly before a general election, a young man called at Honest John’s residence. Although he could hear the sound of many voices, he could obtain no answer to his knock. He determined to try the back door, and proceeded in that direction, when, through the open window he witnessed an amusing scene. John was standing on the kitchen table, spouting with the air of Socrates! Round the tablo stood the wife of his bosom and the children of his love, who yelled, ‘Hear, hear, daddy, hooray daddy,’ and clapped vigorously. 'Siuee those days John has become a Alinister of tho Crown.”

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS ACO (From the “Guardian,” AFay 19, 1916). The Cadets —Yesterday afternoon about 100 senior cadets, under Lieutenants E. W. Friedlander, R. AI. Jones arid L. Alcllraith, and SergeantMajor Tozer, left the Drill Halt at 2.30, headed by the Bugle Band, and marched at a brisk pace to the Willowby School arriving there at 5 o’clock. They were hospitably entertained at tea by the ladies of the district. Lieutenant- Friedlander thanked the ladies for their kindness to the cadets, -and assured them that the outing had been piost enjoyable. Airs W. T. Lill, in reply, said that they were all pleased to see the boys, and hoped that they would visit Willowby again at an early date. The companies then formed up and marched back to Ashburton, arriving home at 8.45 p.m. French Airmen’s Record —French airmen brought down 35 German machines in March' and 32 in April. The French during the same period lost 19 machines. The French aviator Navarre still holds the world’s record, having brought down 17 German, machines. He marks each victory by a notch in his machine-gun.