LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 238, 21 July 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Positions for four labourers, one permanent and three, temporary, were found by the State Placement Office in Ashburton last week.

The “V for Victory” slogan, according to the cable, news, which is sweeping through the German-occupied countries of Europe, and has spread to the United States, has not- taken long to reach Timaru. for last evening several buildings round the town sportpd the slogan which had boon prominently chalked up.

Rats have been making a greater nuisance of. themselves than usual in some parts of Nelson. One motorist recently found cushions, rugs and cleaning leathers in his car well gnawed. The frayed pieces chewed off had been made into a comfortable nest in the car. It was locked as it stood in the garage, but the rats found means of entry.

The experiment of the Church of Christ in holding a service at ; 3 o’clock in the afternoon instead of at 6.30 because of lighting restrictions and cold winter weather has. met with a considerable degree of success. Church-goers have received the idea favourably and the attendances have boon bettor than originally. Improvements to the interior of the church are contemplated and' 4 a subscription list has been opened.

There are times when men can find a reasonable explanation for ‘ seeing things” hut such an explanation was ruled out by three men who visited the Western District yesterday. They saw a blackbird with what appeared to be a piece of white paper stuck on its head. They stopped and made a, closer inspection only to find that the blackbird actually had a white head. An appeal was made to a- farmer ploughing nearby and his comment was: “Oh, he has a, white head all right. That bird has been around here for three years.”’

A carved ancestral home at Te Kopua, which was recently completed, was officially opened by King Koroki in the presence of more than 1000 people, including Maoris from the Waikato, King Country, and Rotorua. The building, on which tho Ngaati Unu. sub-tribe of the Maniapoto tribe had been working For some time, is on the banks of’ the Wiapa River, several miles upstream from Pirongia and close to the site of the Methodist Mission station established over a century ago by the Rov. Alexander Reid.

The apparent effortlessness and accuracy of a workman who was tossing bricks up to the highest point of the new part of the Ashburton Club aud-M.S.A. this morning made more than one passerby stop and watch. Armed with! a pitchfork, the workman was throwing the bricks one at a time to a man standing on a platform about 30 feet above, and so neat was the judgment of his swings that the man aloft did not move iiis hands more than an inch or two to catch the bricks. -

A farmer giving evidence before the No. 2 Armed Forces Appeal Board in Hamilton, asking for postponement of military service of his employee, said he had a herd of 64 cows besides 370 sheep. He could nqt manage the place without help arid the reservist was very capable He said that last season he had himself essayed to shear 100 sheep, adding, somewhat ruefully, “I am not very good at 'shearing.” This prompted another question, the answer to which was that the job took him about a week to complete. The employee was granted sine die adjournment hut is to undo take Territorial training next year.

Members of the two Ashburton Home Guard Companies which paraded yesterday morning were congratulated on their good work .in physical training when Mr Alex. Calder (Physical Training Officer under the Department'of Internal Affairs), who has been training the Home Guard instructors, inspected the two companies at physical training. Members of B Company took part in a competition, which resulted in a close finish, one point separating the platoons. Mr Calder said the Guardsmen were* well advanced on any similar work being carried out by Home Guard Companies elsewhero and he complimented the men, on the way they had taken up the training. He also congratulated the instructors on the results they had achieved.

There were poor attendances at the half-day parade of members of A and B. Companies of the Ashburton Home Guard yesterday morning, but good training/ was carried out in the Ashburton riverbed. A Company, under Mr J. B. Pearson, carried out physical training, bombing, bayonet c-xereisos and musketry. B Company, under Mr L. A. Charles, carried out physical training, bombing and bayonet exercises and next half-day parade will use Molotov*-cocktails, which wiil be manufactured and used at once. Believed to lie the first- company in the district to undertake this form of instruction, the Wakanui unit paraded on the Wakanuj beach on Saturday to experiment with the . erection of defensive obstacles. The laying of barbed-wire entanglements was demonstrated by some of the returned soldiers of the unit. The use of natural features of the country for obstruction was also studied. More than 50 guardsmen, attended and they were served with afternoon tea by Mrs ID. Wilson, on whose husband’s property the exercises were held.

“In spite of overseas criticism the New Zealand educational system has proved itself,” said Mr D. W. Dunlop, secretary of the Auckland Education Board) who will retire at the end of the month, in replying to tributes paid him hv members of tho board. Cut off from all the great centres of education, he said, New Zealand had to develop politically, nationally, and educationally on its own, and there had been a great deal of criticism of the education system evolved. “The proof of a system is what it produces,” he proceeded. “In the field of scholarship. think of the men who have, joined tho Colonial Service, the doctors who have gone, overseas; think of Lord Rutherford, of the numbers of men from the schools of mines—one *of them who died last year was listed as one of the four greatest mining geologists in the world.” In the field of sport, aviation, and other activities, the young people of New 1 Zealand who had gone: overseas had shown outstanding ability. “The system that has produced that record,” he said, “docs not want Mo be scrapped, lit has been built- up soundly and well by men whose directing force has been enthusiasm and sincerity.”

Special notice has been received in Ashburton from the Now Zealand Women’s Hockey Association to the effect that the annual Dominion tournament is likely to be held at Blenheim, provided a sufficient number of teams are entered. The .Ashburton Association has decided to support the tournament, being prepared to enter a team.

Questions have been raised whether soldiers of all ages in the overseas forces will be allowed to vote at elections and whether Territorials in camp at the time of an election will also be allowed to vote, even if under 21 years of ago. The position is that a separate roll is being provided for soldiers overseas and it appears that all will bo allowed to vote, irrespective of age. As regards the second question, while regulations have not yet been issued, it does not seem likely that those under 21 will be allowed to vote.

A social hour was held after the evening service at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church yesterday, Mr E. C. Norrish presiding. There was a large attendance and a part of it-he time was spent in the community singing of a number of well-known hymns' A welcome. was extended to the Rev. J. S. Murray and Airs Murray.- Mr Murray spoke on the importance of cultivating a spirit of fellowship and friendliness in the life of the churches to-day. Miss I. Jamieson sang a. solo and Aliss AI. Ross and Air D. Ross sang a duet. Supper was served at the close of the evening.

“I must tell you of one amusing incident in Greece,” /writes Gunner Jack Archer, of Invercargill, to a former workmate. “It- concerns one of Bob Semple’s bulldozers. It was the pride of the New Zealand Division and was admired by all the lads. One day as we were coming down the road there was an air, raid alarm. The bulldozer was only about 100 yards away from our truck and near a bridge. AVe all took to our heels until the ‘show’ was over and when we returned wc had a look round for Bob’s pet. Alas it was gone-! A thousand pound bomb had landed smack on top of it and there were pieces of bulldozer for miles around. I was pleased ‘Bob’ was not there to see the disrespect the Nazis displayed for his wonderful new machine.”