LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 89, 26 January 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The soldiers’ social which was to have been held in St. Andrew’s Hall last evening was cancelled owing to the hall having been taken over for war purposes. The social will be held next Sunday, but- it lias not yet been decided which hall will be used.

Very few fish were taken at the mouth of the Ashburton River yesterday. Anglers state that the river has been too discoloured for the last few weeks to attempt fly fishing, but minnow and worm hqve been used. The South Branch remains fishable, but no big bags have been reported recently.

The State Placement Officer in Ashburton found employment for the following labourers last week: —Twenty casual, 12 temporary, and one permanent. There is an acute shortage of mill hands, but so far all harvesters have been satisfactorily placed. Owing to the wet weather some of the. harvest work has had to be postponed l , and as a result 10 harvesters are now open for engagement.

In one more week the children will he going back to school. The long holiday has not been attended by the hot spell usually associated with the school break, but the children for the most part seem to have found many ways of passing the time, even though many of them did net this year go away from Ashburton. The schools are scheduled to resume next Thursday morning.

Though from the number of inquiries that were made about it some time ago it was believed that there would be a good response to the call for members of the' Land Army, there have been only one or two enrolments in Ashburton, and efforts are to be made to hasten the rate of recruitment for this important work, as there is a definite place for women workers on the land in the next few weeks, when the harvest gets into full swing. v

The making of camouflage nets for the use of the Army will be started in Ashburton in a few' clays’ time, as soon as tlie supplies of twine come to hand. It was stated this morning that the enrolment of helpers for this work is proceeding steadily with the Ashburton Women’s War Service Auxiliary, which is arranging for the making of the nets. Women’s organisations in the district have been approached with the object of helpers being made available, and it is believed there will be a full quota for this new kind of war work. I

Members of the Winchmore, Chertsey and Lagmhor-Wosterfield units of the Home Guard paraded at the Ashburton rifle range for shooting practice yesterday. The group instructional staff," W. G. Corbett, W.O. 11, Captain E. C. D. Withell (group adjutant) and Sergeant K. Campbell gave a live ammunition demonstration of the Thompson sub-machine-gun. The group director (Lieutenant-Colonel E. A. Cockroft) was present at the parade. The Ashburton Company had a lull-day parade and took part in tactical exercises including the attack and defence of vital points. Captain N. Robilliard was in command.

Numerous picnic parties have found the Ashburton Domain a pleasant place during the fine weather recently, and many children have spent much of their holiday time there. Relatives of soldiers iiving in other parts of Canterbury are taking "the opportunity to spend Sundays away from home and are coming to Ashburton, where small family reunions arc held in the Domain] For several Sundays there have been large numbers of people from Timaru and Christchurch, who have arrived by excursion train and contacted soldier relatives.

What is described as the “criminal laziness” of a tradesman is referred to by an indignant Mount Albert (Auckland) correspondent. He states that the tradesman, in delivering bread, makes a practice of driving his van as near the hack door of the houses lie visits as possible. Even if there is a driveway only iO yards long, it is stated, the man drives the van in, delivers his bread, and hacks cut, driving then the few yards to his next, port of call. “It is the most absurd thing I have ever seen, and the people round here are amazed that at a time when petrol is so severely rationed it should be possible for such a thing to happen,” states the writer.

Thirteen companies of the National Military Reserve are among the list of New'Zealand home defence units disbanded as a result of a substantial revision of the forces, and 18 new battalions of the'Reserve have been formed, according to the ‘‘Gazette.” Eighteen new units of the regiment of New Zealand Artillery have been created, th.se including anti-tank batteries and anti-aircraft regiments and batteries. Among the units disbanded are several remount depots and veterinary hospitals and a number of companies of the Corps of Signals, which have been reformed into four new groups.

In connection with the suggestion by the Mayor Wellington (Mr T. CL A. Hislop) that a gallon of petrol should be issued to each motor-car selected for Emergency Precautions Services’ duties to keep it tuned up, the Hon. R.. Semple said on Saturday that Mr Hislop had been definitely advised by the War Cabinet that petrol would be found only if it was impracticable to do the job in any other way. The Government was well aware of the importance of the matter, and was urgently dealing with it. A decision on the question would be made early next week, and the question of keeping E.P.S. cars mobile would be dealt with as expeditiously as possible in the circumstances.

The conversion of bicycles l>v unauthorised persons has grown to considerable dimensions in Ashburton in the last few weeks, and many people have been put to a good deal of inconvenience through having had their machines taken from places where they had been left. Many of the machines are found abandoned on the outskirts of the town, to the north, some just thrown down against fences and others thrown over hedges. Two bicycles were left near the traffic bridge two or three nights ago. One was locked by the owner. When he returned the pump was gone and both tyres had been let down. The other machine was missing, and was found tw ; o hours later, after a wearying search by the owner, cutside the Welcome Club 1 ,