LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 170, 30 April 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A lecture on Plunket aid was given by Miss B. Sight, of Ashburton, to members of the Mayfield Sub-Branch of the Plunket Society. Mrs J. \‘ • McKergow;presided. On the motion oi Mrs J ; . J. Mulligan, Miss Hight was accorded a, hearty vote of thanks. Afternoon tea was served.

“It rains on an average five days in every week here,” writes Gunner A. E. Lindeloff from a Pacific Island to friends in Ashburton. “During a recent shower which lasted two hours we had < more rain than would fall in New Zealand in a week. It is particularly annoying when it rains at. night as it interferes with our moving picture jeritertainments.”

Members of the Ashburton Troop will collect rubber within the Borough, the Scout Committee decided! last evening. This is in keeping Avith the Scout collection throughout New Zealand. It was imported that the Scouts and Cubs took part in the Anzac Day parade. Mr and Mrs A. Doak Aveie thanked for helping the camp for patrol leaders and seconds at Leddy s Crossing during Easter. The. animal meeting was fixed, for June 24. The chairman (Mr E. J. Wood) presided.

The offhand manner in ivhiclr some testators make bequests to charities was described by Mr Justice Callan during tho hearing of a will case at Auckland. Counsel had just assuied his Honor that a certain bequest to a church had not been made at random. “I know the kind of bequest you mea'n,” said liis Honor. “The old man begins to realise tliat lie is going somewhere he has never, been before and that he can’t take'anything with him. So he goes along to his lawyer and says, £ I suppose.l’d better leave something to charity. I’ve never taken much interest in charities so far. What’s a good charity ?”

The purpose of the Amending Debtors 'Emergency Regulations gazetted last evening is to extend to tenants of business and similar premises, not holding under a formal lease, the protection afforded by the Debtors Emergency Regulations for summary ejectment without an order of a Court. A further provision of the amending regulations eliminates a double protection which the principal regulations unintentionally confer on tenants of dwellings. The special protection cf the Fair Rents Act will, of course, remain, but there is no need for that protection to be duplicated, especially now that all dwellings come under the Fair Rents Act.—P.A. >

“Medicine is just emerging from the stage of witchcraft and divination, and psychiatry is not lagging far behind,” said Commander V. H. Helgesson, a specialist on the staff of a United States naval hospital, speaking at Auckland on industrial psychiatry. The, psychiatrist, he said, Avas capable of giving considerable aid to industry in solving personal problems Avhich were apt to be dealt with summarily by dismissing the person concerned —a course Avliich generally made it necessary to train someone to take his place and imposed on the former employee a period of unemployment and noil-pro-ductiveness. The largest industrial concern in the United States—the armed forces—was using psychiatry in the selection of recruits and the drafting of men to specialised duties, as avoll as for dealing with emotional breakdowns and disciplinary infractions. It was certain, lie added, that! it would also bo needed in the period of demobilisation and placement of former servicemen in civil occupations. All tlie manpower commissions now operating in the United States bad psychiatrists as members or consultants.

Under the auspices of the Mayfield Sub-Branch of the Red Cross Society a lecture on first aid was given by Mrs J. Sewell on Wednesday afternoon. Mrs J. ,1. Mulligan presided.

Winter sports begin. in Ashburton to-morrow. The hockey and basketball asgttbiatfWis ‘’Will ’ fUiWalTy^oiieTi , '' , TTieif seasons. Friendly Rugby matches will be played, the competitions not starting until May 15.

The Minister in-charge of- Broadcasting (the Hon. D. Wilson) announced a nightly broadcast of New Zealand news for New Zealand forces in the Pacific which will begin on Monday with a bulletin of 10 minutes duration,'to be given from 2YA and over the shortwave channel. This, he said, should give a reasonable coverage of the Pacific area and also of Australia,—P.A.

Although the salmon fishing season has been a good one, the trout season,, which closed to-day, lias been poor. The fact that the mouth of the Ashburton has been closed for a fair time contributed to the failure of the season. Though prospects for the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers were at first good, they soon dwindled. The salmon season closes on May 15, but the three County rivers are reported to bo out of order for fishing at present.

The Y.M.C.A, with funds provided through the National Patriotic Fund Board, supplied to the New Zealand Division (Middle East) in February and March 325,000 bars of chocolate, 3,400,Q00 cigarettes, 41,138 tins of milk and 148,000 tins of tobacco. In addition, £7OO was spent in providing tea. Though lately the Division was chasing Rommel’s forces, the board’s commissioner, Lieut.-Colonel Waite, has been seeing to it that sports material is available when there is time for sport during the summer. In March he issued 103 sets of cricket material, of a total value in New Zealand currency of £2690.

In a letter received from a Hamilton sergeant pilot in the R.N.Z.A.F., written while he was spending a few days in an American port en routato Britain, he says: “A father quaint custom hero is that there does riot seem to be a’proper Sunday. It;is only a Sunday in name, as most of the shops' and hotels'remain open. Every second shop is a bar, a sort of beergarden arrangement where one can sit at tables and consume noggins.” Referring to the price, 25 cents for a small bottle, and its potency, he iemarks: “From all accounts the tropic heat lowers the resistance, and we had quite a few casualties among our lads.”