LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 288, 17 September 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

About 40 delegates from various parts of Canterbury attended the annual convention of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which opened at Timaru yesterday. A 'civic welcome was extended in the afternoon by the Mayor (Mr W. G. Tweedy).

According to figures quoted in the annual report of the Post and 1 olograph Department, the accounts for the last year showed an increase of receipts oi £767,‘291 over payments. Revenue amounted to £3,106,193, this figure exceeding that of the previous year by £312,502. Working expenses, including interest on capital liability amounting to £065,000, totalled £■!,338,902.

Now Zealand loses £50,000 annually in the value of her wool cheque through faulty branding of wool, stated Mr G. A. Hamilton, when reporting to the Southland Provincial Executive ol tho Union on ttiG work or the Meat Board’s Electoral Committee. Ho added that the wool was damaged through the brands not being able to be washed out in processing, and that experiments had shown which types ol brands were satisfactory.

Rapid development in the production of knives took place in the past year, with good supplies of raw matei ials and bright prospects, states the annual report of the Department of Industries and Commerce, in the South Island the production of spoons and forks proved an efficient and economic addition to New Zealand industries. Considerable contracts tor the armed forces were fulfilled. Plans had been made to supply the whole of the Dominion’s domestic requirements ultimately.

Initials and names carved bv pupils of the Borough School, now grown up with children of their own seated At the same desks, are being removed by workmen of the Canterbury Education Board who have spent the last three days removing old desk tops and planing others. Two rooms are being completely renovated in this way and the pupils of the classes affected arc spending the time in special work outdoors. In the other rooms repairs to desks are being carried out.

“Every effort is being made to release men who are called up for war service,” states the annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department. “Up to the end of March the number of employees released for service overseas was 1395, including 1284 permanent officers and 111 temporary employees. The response of officers ■to the call for service is most gratifying. Up to the time the voluntary system of recruiting was discontinued, lo3f men had enlisted. Four officers have received decorations, and five others have gained special mention in dispatches.”

i\'o time was lost by Miss It. Mount in getting down to work when she arrived in Ashburton this morning start instruction in physical training among the primary school children. Miss Mouat w r ill spend the next term visiting the primary schools of this district spending a few weeks at each, and taking the classes in turn in the new method of training that has been introduced. Her headquarters wiil be. at the Borough School, where she started work with classes a few minutes after her arrival. An itinerary of schools is to be arranged by the Educational Institute.

“The black-out in England if? absolute and rigidly enforced,” said General Sir Guy Williams (military adviser to the Government) in a talk to the New Zealand Club in Wellington. Jt was woe betide anyone whose doorbell rang after black-out time. Everyone in the house would look round apprehensively ahd someone would say :. “You had better go, you’re better with him than I am.” The woman of rhe house then usually went to the door to meet a police, officer or air-raid warden, who might say, “There . : s a chink of light from your back door; this is the second time and 1 will have to report it.” That meant a, heavy fine, said General Williams, and although German bombers would have to come low indeed to find such chinks of light, everyone was convinced that any light would attract a bomb and insisted on a 100 nor cent black-out.

Instructed to stop unauthorised persons, and motor-cars without lights, two Home Guard sentries posted near the railway station during the special emergency duty call last evening saw, shortly after they had received their instructions, a lightless car approaching. This was pre-arranged, they thought, by the officers of the Guard, to test the sentries, so they stood in front of the car with rifles at the ready and called on the driver to stop. Tinear stopped very suddenly, and the sentries moved to the sides of the vehicle to demand explanations. It is not known which were the most taken hack—the sentries who expected to see their officers, or the two women occupants who must have thought an enemy had landed.

Standing stubbornly in a sound strategic position, a goat is holding the grandstand .at the Stratford showgrounds against allcomers. The goat was noticed around the grounds some time ago, but nobody bothered nbou* it, each person who thought about it at all believing it to be somebody eisc’s property. Thus the goat enjoyed the freedom of the grounds and as nice a piece of grazing as any goat could hope to find. But it was a goat of ideas and while the other stock on the grounds were satisfied to spend the nights in the open the goat saw in the grandstand cosy quarters for the con•spring nights. The stand is wi»«.a off with wire netting to stop birds getting in but what was sufficient defence against birds was no obstacle to the goat. It launched a fierce frontal attack and the netting was butted aside. Efforts have been made to dislodge if but those responsible have conic to the) conclusion that a cunningly planned campaign, will he necessary to separate the grandstand from the goat.

Lieutenant-Colonel Allan Monkhouso, who has boon appointed as an assistant to Lord Beaverbrook*, head of tlie British mission to Moscow, was once a pupil of the Stratford High School. He is a son of the late Mr William Monkhouso, who was at one time well known in the Stratford district as a farmer at Rowan before returning to England. Lieutenant-Colonel Monkhouso was in Russia during the revolution, and he and some companions endured many hardships in their efforts to leave Russia. Eventually they escaped via Siberia and Vladivostok. They were in rags when they reached the Russian Pacific port, but managed to get away to Japan. After joining the Vickers Engineering Company, Lieutenant-Col-onel Monkhouso returned to Russia as chief engineer of the company’s staff engaged on electrical engineering for the Soviet:. Ho was a prominent figure among the foreign specialists who wore charged in 1933 with sabotaging Russian industry and was expelled from Russia.

Two wooden telegraph poles in Eiast Street which have rotted below ground level are to be removed. Poles bordering Baring Square .have been examined below ground level and an iron rail has been attached to give them extra strength.

Physical training instruction was given to members of —the Ashburton \Vomen’s War Service Auxiliary last evening by Miss M. Woods, Physical Welfare Officer at Christchurch for the Department of Internal Affairs. Beside training for the ordinary members, Miss Woods started the training of leaders for next year.

A 1 statement that there would be no re-organisation of the Ashburton Battalion of the Home Guard until official advice had been received was made to A Company of the Ashburton Home Guard last evening by the Battalion Commander (Major E. H. Orr). Major Orr said that rumours of changes in the officering of the unit were unfounded.

Consignments of quilts from tin? Ruapuna sub-branch and the . Chertsey School children are among articles lately received at the Red Cross depot in Ashburton. A very fine contribution o* woollen comforts has also come to hand from the Junior Red- Cross at LowclifFc. .Several donations 'of periodicals and magazines for the use of soldiers travelling in railway ambulance cars have been received, but more are requited.

“Mr Serimgoour applied for leave and it was granted,” said the Minister in Charge of Broadcasting (the Hon. jlj. Wilson) last night, wljpn questioned on the reported illness of the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting (Mr C. G. Scrimgeour). While the Controller is absent the service will be directed by Mr Beau Shiel, who sonie time ago was given leave of absence to make a visit to the United States.

Changes that are expected to have considerable effect are to be introduced into the system of education for infant pupils of the and a special instructor, -Miss R. Macalister, has been appointed by the Canterbury Education Board to lecture on, the subject to teachers in Ashburton shortly. The lectures, which will be given at the Ashburton Borough School, will lie for head teachers and sole teachers on September 29, when the subject will be constructive and manipulative materials for five-year-olds, and for infant Mistresses on September 30, October 1 and 2, when Miss Macalister will outline the whole course for the new work.

Mr E Cholerton, of Messrs J. R. Procter, Limited, Christchurch, is at present in Ashburton, and may be consulted on all defects of eyesight at the Somerset Hotel to-morrow and Friday. —(Advt.)