LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 59, 19 December 1945, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Applications for Gratuities The Minister of Defence (the Hon. P. Jones) announced last night that forms of application for payment of the war gratuity would be available from Thursday next.—P.A.

Parents, attention! The “Guardian” Company requires the services of boys to deliver copies of the paper in/the town and suburbs of Ashburton. Good wages are paid for this work, which takes up only about an hour’s time each afternoon. Boys desirous of earning good pocket money should apply to the Office, or to the Chief Runner (Mr R. Dawber).

Institute of Secretaries The following are Ashburton results of examinations held by the’ New Zealand Institute of Secretaries during October. Candidates sat in 35 different centres’! English: Ngaire Palmer. Arithmetic: Ngaire Palmer. Bookkeeping, Stage I: Ngaire Palmer. Secretarial Practice, Stage I: D. J. Russell. Mercantile Law, Stage II: L. J. Hydes.

Choir Visits Hospital * Patients and staff of the Ashburton Public Hospital were entertained on Monday evening by the choir of the Baring Square Methodist Church, which sang carols and Christmas music in the* wards. Request numbers were also given. The Rev. W. T. Blight extended the season’s greetings and a donation to provide Christmas cheer was left by the ‘Choir.

H.M.S. Indefatigable Leaves H.M.S. Indefatigable and the destroyers Wizard and Urchin completed their New Zealand visit yesterday. The carrier left Auckland at 4 p.m. for Sydney. Her future movements are indefinite, but it is generally expected that she will he sent shortly after Christmas to the China station, going to the Far East by way of southern Australian ports. Vice-Admiral Sir Philip Vian left in his flagship.—P.A.

R.S.A. Building Fund “We only need £IOO each from 100 people and our new club would be paid for, said the president (Mr W. G. Welsh) at the* quarterly meeting of the Ashburton branch* of the Returned Services’ Association last evening. “That does not seem much and we should be able to get it.” The district vice-president (Mr C. Milne), congratulated the branch on the excellent premises it had obtained for its new club.

Upham Scholarship Fund In view of the poor response in Ashburton to the appeal for funds to establish the* Captain C. H. Upham Scholarship, the executive of the Ashburton branch of the Returned Services’ Association had decided to donate £25 to the appeal, said the president (Mr W. G. Welsh) at tlie quarterly meeting of the branch, last evening. The money, which was out of R.S.A. funds and not from the building fund, would.be divided equally between the Borough and County.

Sport In Rehabilitation It was gratifying to learn that the Ashburton branch of the Returned Services’ Association had established a cricket club, said the district vicepresident (Mr C. Milne), addressing about 60 returned men at the quarterly meeting of the branch last evening. There was nothing like sport to help rehabilitation. The president of the branch (Mr W. G. Welsh) said it was intended to extend sporting activities in other directions. A set of indoor bowls had already been purchased. It would be encouraging if there were more supporters at cricket matches.

Late Shopping Hours There were two sets of late hours which could be observed by shops in Ashburton during the Christmas and New Year holidays, said the District Officer of the Labour Department (Mr C. J. Brooks) to-day. These were: (1) 10 p.m., Christmas Eve; 10 p.m., Friday, December 28, and 9 p.m., January 4; (2) 10 p.m. Christmas Eve, 10 p.m. New Year’s Eve, and 9 p.m. January 4. If the usual late nights were Friday, December 28, and Friday, January 4, the following late nights could be observed: 9 p.m. Friday, December 21, 10 p.m. Christmas Eve and 10 p.m. New Year’s Eve.

Civic Surveys Although civic surveys of the townships of Methven and Rakaia were completed a month ago by Mr D. L. Dyett, of the Town Planning Department of the Organisation of National Development, no subsequent recommendations have been received by the County Council, said the County Clerk (Mr G. Kelly) to-day. Industrial, residential and shopping areas will have to be classified before the plan can be completed. Prior to surveying the country centres, Mr Dyett surveyed the Ashburton Borough, ojie of the main objectives of the survey being to determine 1 the amount of land available for industrial development.

Staff and Machinery “We must be 'careful not to reach the stage when we have all staff but no machinery,” Mr M. S. Turton warned a meeting of the South Canterbury Catchment Board in Timaru yesterday. The chief engineer (Mr G. R. Milward) replied that the Board would have two and maybe four draglines at work in the Ashburton County in a few weeks’ time. He reminded the Board that much survey work had to be done before machinery could be put to work. The chairman (Dr. P. R. Woodhouse) said that he did not, anticipate any difficulty in securing machinery in the future. .There was no doubt that work was accuiriUlating and Mr Milward had a responsible job, and the Board could not afford to waste his time on preparing details.

Latest Howiers This is the time of year when, with examination papers all corrected, and, in most cases, the year’s work over, school teachers delight in recounting the latest howlers. Each year the magazine of the Hamilton Technical High School specialises in howlers, and the standard is well maintained in the issue recently published. Here is a selection: “America was responsible for the lend least system.” “One of the things the Labour Government did for the people was to pass a- law that if you got. into a house you could not be put out of it; this was called the Fair Ransack.” “General Smuts is the only man in the British Army who is allowed to wear a beard.” “Rdjah Brooke was the wild man from Borneo.” “Governments in New Zealand now look after school children better than they used to. For instance, instead of Latin and French, we now get free milk, apples sometimes, and some boys get currant affairs.”