LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 247, 31 July 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the weekly luncheon meeting oi the. Ashburton Rotary Club to-dav the speaker was Mr J. H. Alillar, whose subject nas aerial bombing and its relation to civilians m regard to heights, speeds and sounds.

“You must be almost unique in New Zealand,” said Mr Justice Ostler in the Supreme Court, Hamilton, to a witness who stated that he had never been on a racecourse in his life. The witness was 33 years of age.

The Northern Wairoa branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association has adopted a scheme to help in the rehabilitation of soldiers under which farmers will be asked to donate heifer calves for distribution among the men on their discharge from the armed forces. The association expects to obtain 1000 heifers annually.

The old type of “sit-down” relieving teachers had gone, and they had been Replaced by young, enthusiastic people, mostly girls, from the training college, who made no complaints when they were sent to remote schools, said Mr ‘J. A. Henry, senior inspector to the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, at the meeting in Napier recently.

The Young Farmers’ Club experimental trial scheme is being taken up with a good deal of enthusiasm by clubs in the. Mid-Canterbury district. Many trials are being undertaken by members of the Methven and Hinds Club, while members of the Ashburton Oub (Ashburton Technical High School) among other trials are carrying out top-dress-ing experiments.

The Postmaster-General (the Hon. P. C. Webb) regrets to announce that a small mail, consisting of one bag of letters from Great Britain, routed by surface mail across the Atlantic and by air mail across the Pacific, has been losv through enemy action. The approximate dates of posting are May 10 to May 13, inclusive. The mail contained no registered articles (says a Press Association telegram).

When an appellant before the Armed Forces Appeal Board in New Plymouth said that he thought he “could manage to milk 30 cows by himself,” the chairman (Mr A. Coleman) said: “Why that is nothing. We had a case of an, old lady of 64 and her son milking 100 cows, and another in which a. man was milking, single-handed, a herd of more than 60.”

Two cars were fairly extensively damaged in a collision at the corner of Grigg and Burnett Streets about 12.46 p.m. to-day. Air William Drummond, of 17 West Belt, was proceeding along Burnett Street in a westerly direction when his car came into collision with that of Mr W. L. Bramley, 18 Wills Street, who was driving south along Grigg Street. Air Bramley had three passengers in his car. Ivbbody was injured. j

“The young lads are very worthy followers of the old and 1 hope- that the Returned Soldiers’ Association will open its arms to them when they return.” This was an extract from a letter written by Brigadier J. Hargest and read by the toast-master, Air H. Crawford, at the annual reunion of the Invercargill Returned Soldiers’ Association last Saturday night. An idea as to the reception of men of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force will receive from the Returned Soldiers’ Association when they return from the present conflict was given when a burst of cheering followed the reading of the letter.

In this issue appears an intimation from the Commissioner of Taxes that an instalment of the' combined Social Security and National Security tax on income other than salaries or wages derived during the year ended ’March 31, 1941, falls due to-morrow. All such income derived by male and female persons (including natives) 16 years of age or over are subject to the-charge. An instalment of the Registration Fee (os) also becomes payable by all male persons, including natives, 20 years of ago or over and all such persons must pay the foe or establish the right to exemption. Persons attaining the age of 16 must register within one month of doing so.

“If dramatic and repertory organisations did nothing else than improve our speech,” said Aliss Marjorie Bassett, judge at the British Drama League Festival in Dunedin, “their activities wouldi be worth while. We are all too casual and lazy with olir speech. I recently came across a name for it —the 1930 voice, in which the object seems to be to keep the teeth tight together and the lips in a straight line. To get good, clear speech, we must part our teeth and round our jips to make the vowel sounds, and we must sound firmly our final consonants. Otherwise, our speech is ‘woolly.’ Stage work is well worth while, therefore,” Aliss Bassett added, “if it improves cur speech.”

“The real reason for my lateness is that I had my car what is euphemistically called ‘pinched,’ ” said the Mayor of Wellington (Air T. C. A. Hislop), explaining his late arrival ai the monthly luncheon oi the Wellington Returned, Soldiers’ Association yesterday (says a Press Association message).* The Alayor said Ins car was left just inside the gates of the BotanicGardens. When the driver returned to the spot he found the car gone, and another one there in its place. Tire police 'were notified and it was ascertained that the second car liad been “pinched” from the Hutt road yesterday morning. “Possibly,” said Air Hislop, “my ear may now be where yours was, and yours is ‘pinched.’ I don’t know whether this is the beginning oi a chain letter of car stealing.” Yesterday afternoon the Mayor’s ear was recovered at Island Bay, and a youth was detained by the police.

It is stated by Air W. At. Fraser, Whangarei harbourmaster, who is an authority on New Zealand fish, that the shark that was caught at Kaipara Heads recently is not a mako, as was first thought, but a white shark (C'archarodon. careharias). “The white shark, which is found in the open seas of the Tropics, is one of the largest and most formidable of shark's,” said Mr Fraser. “It is rarely seen on the Now Zealand coast and its capture at Kaipara is of considerable, in tevest. This species owes its name to the white colouring of its under surface. Like the tuatara lizard, it is the doecndnnt of an ancient order, and proof cf this may be found in local sedimentary rocks in the form of perfectly preserved large triangular and finely-serrated teeth.” The shark caught at the Kaipara Heads by a fisherman, Air E. Pool;, was estimated to weigh over 10001 b and was 12ft Gin long, with a girth of 6ft 7in.