LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 87, 23 January 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The flag at tho Ashburton Post Office was flown at halfmast to-day on tho occasion of the funeral of the Duke of Connaught.

The title of “tho oldest digger” could justly be claimed by a Devonport (Auckland) resident, now in his 85th year. Finding it impossible to secure labour for constructing an air raid trench on liis property, he ai’medi himself with the only available implement, a short-handled spade, and in short time he dug, lined and • covered a trench eight feet long, three feet wide, and five feet deep.

Some 20 new members were enrolled with the first aid unit of the Emor gency Precautions Services last evening. There, were altogether 42 members present. 'Stretcher drill was carried out in Mona 'Square, and later first aid and bandaging instruction were given at the fire station. Classes will be held every Thursday evening, and new recruits are still .required in order to get the organisation into full working strength.

The proposed agreement with the doctors for the treatment of lodge members in relation to the social security medical benefits was discussed, at a special meeting of the Ashburton United Friendly Societies Association last evening, when the' president (Mr J. E. Meaclem) presided. The proposals submitted by the doctors were agreed with one or two alterations. The sub-committee that met representatives of the previously was empowered to act to complete the agreement.

A 10-year-old primary school girl, Joyce. Wall, showed 3000 people at the Hutt Recreation Ground, Lower Hutt, how to deal with an incendiary bomb by using a jet of water from a stirrup pump.. She had never seen an incendiary before being asked to be the central figure in this lesson to older people that even a youngster can master an incendiary. An older secondary school girl, with previous experience, picked up an incendiary and extinguished it by- dousing it in a bucket of water.

A lesson learnt by an African from ireading of the Bible is told in the Salvation Army newspaper “War Cry.” A colporteur of the Bible 'Society on his rounds in the Sudan sold a- Bible, as was quite customary, for two eggs. Some time later the purchaser came back and said he wanted to pay for it. The colporteur reminded him that he had already paid two eggs for it. “Oh, yes,” he had replied, “but the eggs I gave you were bad ones, and now I have eotne to pay two good eggs for it. That is what I have learnt from the Book.”

The effect which North America, as the greatest aggregate of Englishspeaking people in the world to-day, must have on the destiny of the new world order was discussed in a lecture by Dr. Robertson Orr in Auckland. Stating that the North American continent has the largest percentage of raw materials of the world, as well as nearly two-thirds the electric power and more than half the leading scientists, the lecturer maintained that it must have a tremendous shaping influence in the future.

Arising, apparently, out of the fact that the Government has introduced regulations controlling the supply of tyres, a doubt exists in the minds of some motorists in regard to their right to have their tyres retreaded. The provisions of the new regulations do net affect the retreading of tyres in any particular, and no order is*required from the transport officer by anyone requiring to have his tyres retreaded or repaired. The district transport officer at Dunedin advises, however,, that a reseller selling retreaded tyres is required to obtain approval.

“ Three .months of the 1941 health stamp campaign have passed and sales show appreciable increase over the same period last year and almost equal to the sales for the first three months of the 1939 campaign, when conditions generally were more normal than at present,” said the Postmaster-General (the Hon. P. C ; . Webb) in a statement. “The December sales for the Dominion amounted to £IOO7-', a. small decrease compared with the sales in December, 1940, but the total sales so far this summer show an increase of 26.9 per cent, oyer those of the first three months cf the 1940 campaign. Auckland retains tho lead for the largest district sales for December, with £220.”

A small group of farmers were discussing shearing the other day, and the conversation turned to shearing tallies. One remarked that a new sun had arisen, among the elect of “ringers,'’ for a young Maori in the northern part of Raglan County had actually shorn more than 350 sheep in a daj>s work. This statement surprised the other memlrers of the group, and one remark od that in a fairly long experience of sheepfnrming he had never actually seen a man shear more than 275 sheep in one day. Another observed that- he had personal knowledge of a tally exceeding 300, hut he said the 350 bv the young Maori was the best lie had' ever heard of from a reliable source.

Estates of a value of £451,015 were reported and accepted for administration by the Public Trustee during December. The total value cf the estates and funds under administration by the Public Trustee on March 31 was £64.436,002, and the new business for the nine months ended December 31 was £4,382,389. Grants of administration made by the court in favour of the Public Trustee numbered 146 for the month. During the month 963 new wills appointing the Public Trustee executor were prepared on behalf of testators and lodged for safe custody, and 432 existing wills were revised to provide for changes desired by testators. The total number of wills now held in the Public Trust Office on behalf of living persons is 110,48.5.