LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 33, 18 November 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The examination for a New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association Scholarship awarded annually under the sanction of the Education Board was held at the Borough School today. There were two candidates, one from Allenton School and the other from Lynnford.

Public Service Entrance examinations, under the supervision of Mrs H. Sedcole, began to-day in the St. Andrew’s Sunday School. There are 19 Higlx School and two Sacred Heart candidates. The examinations will finish next Thursday afternoon.

After a long period of comparative disuse, the seats on the green fronting East Street are beginning to be in demand again. Recent fine days i have tempted many people to spend a little leisure time there and the boards of the seats bear testimony to the increased use by taking on a shine which they had lacked for many months.

An air casualty list issued last night repoi'ted one man missing believed killed on air operations and four missing on air operations. Five men previously reported missing are confirmed as prisoners of war. One man is removed from the seriously injured list and one is removed from the seriously ill list. There are no Canterbury men.

While the date of the first session of the new Parliament is indefinite, and is expected to remain so on account of several factors, including the illness of the Prime Minister, it is believed in lobby circles that a sitting will not be held until next February. Mr Fraser is reported to be making excellent progress toward recovery, and is expected to leave hospital for his home at an early date, but he may be induced to take a rest before resuming his official duties.

The anmial inspection of the Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade by the Borough Council was held last evening, when the Brigade gave a display of fire drill. Messrs H, G. Ferrier and H. W. Smallbone both complimented the Brigade on its efficiency, their remarks being replied to by the Superintendent of the Brigade (Mr H. Hcfford). Those present were the Mayor (Dr* J. Connor), and Messrs Ferrier, Smallbone, A. H. Todd and W. S. Kerr.

Protest about the allowance granted illegitimate children is made in the annual report of the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children, which urges that such children should not he penalised as their needs and their potential value to society are no less than those of children in more fortunate circumstances. ;It is understood, says the report, that whereas the standard Army allowance for children of married parents is 10s 6d a week in addition to the deduction from the soldier’s pay, in the case of illegitimate children much smaller amounts are paid.

In connection with a rose show to be held next week to raise funds for soldiers’ parcels, a gift afternoon was held yesterday at the home of Mrs D. Livingston, Cameron Street. It was under the auspices of the Ashburton Women’s Institute. A bring and buy raised a considerable amount. The president (Mrs Aitken) thanked Mrs Livingston for her hospitality.

The Nelson Land Sales Committee has adopted as a general policy a maximum interest rate of per cent, for new first mortgages on property sales approved by the committee. The chairman (Mr P. S. Boyes) said that if an applicant for a sale did not agree to 4£ per cent, there was the right of appeal to the Land Sales Court. In cases where mortgages were transferred, the existing rates of interest would remain unaltered. — P.A.

A dead-heat in the voting for the two nominees, Messrs D. Brown and R. Sim, for the position of deputy chairman of the Invercargill District Council of Primary Production created a problem for last week's meeting of the council. A suggestion that the appointment be decided by the toss of a coin met with the approval of the meeting, and this got over the difficulty. It resulted in Mr Sim being appointed.

An Auckland branch of the Heritage Movement, to be known as Heritage (Auckland) Incorporated, was formed at a public meeting. The purpose of the movement is to assist war widows in the education and general upbringing of their children. It was stated that there were more than 200 widows in Auckland alone whose husbands had lost their lives while serving in the present wax*. Included among these were two mothers with five and seven childi’en respectively. —P.A.

Curran’s old garage, opposite the County Offices in Havelock Street, is being demolished. This building, which is included among the • many eai’ly-built ones, in Ashburton, was recently sold by the Fuller Theatre Corporation, which owns the block of buildings in which it is included. The entire block will have to be removed before the new theatre is built. Originally the building was constructed for Messrs Baker and Brown, who used it as a coach factory and blacksmith’s shop.

Until two yeax’S ago, said Bishop Baddeley, of Melanesia, addressing the Auckland Optimists’ Club, the natives in and around Tulagi, in the Solomons, had never seen a ship bigger than the 295-ton, 110 ft long Southern Cross, the mission supply ship. Now it was the usual thing for lai’ge ships of war to anchor in the lxarboui*, and the aggregate tonnage must have amounted to 500,000 tons in the. past 12 months. Once aeroplanes were unheard of, never seen. Now squadron. after squadron roared over the islands, and soldiers, who once were strangers, were strangers no more.

A resolution requesting the Goveimment to make available a special allowance of butter for next-of-kin of members of the forces in order that a cake may be sent overseas every three months has been sent to the National Patriotic Fund Board by the Invercargill Women’s Provincial Patriotic Committee with the l'equest that it be referred to the Government officer concerned. Another resolution recommending that supplies of pyjamas and underclothing be made available to men discharged from the forces was also foi'warded.

The part that the Ashburton Schools’ Musical Society will take in the patriotic fete on December 4 was discussed at a meeting of the committee last evening. Mr J. Southward presided. It is hoped that the pi’imary schools will present the first half iof the programme, with singing by the massed choir, and items by the Convent Orchestra and the Boys’ Silver Band. It is hoped that the seebndary schools will conti’ibute the second half, with items by the massed choir and items by a school orchestra. Items by the combined choir will be presented in both the first and second section of the programme.