LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 159, 18 April 1949, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Mode! Landlady • > It seems almost incredible, but there died recently in London a truly model landlady. She had told her nine tenants for years “Don’t worry.' When I die the cottage will be yours.” They were afraid it mightn’t come true—'hut it did!

Austerity Children “Britain’s children have been so well looked after that they must to-day be the finest children that have ever blessed the human race.” This is the verdict of Dr. T. Osborn, M.P., a South African nutrition expert. Needless to say he has not visited New Zealand.

Britain’s “Average Man” -The average male Britisher (according to the “News-Chronicle” early this year) is—earning double his pre-war wage, living to a riper old age, less susceptible to drink, eating out more and —slightly more prone to commit suicide.

Spirits for New Zealand One hundred tons of spirits, including 50 tons of Scotch whisky, for New Zealand consumption are expected to arrive at Auckland •to-morrow m the Shaw Savill liner Waiwera. Shipping officials said that the consignment was one of several similar shipments which had arrived or were arriving within a short period.

Cruelty Foiled Plaintive barking foiled a cruel attempt to drown a sheep dog in the sea off Opunake, Taranaki. Anxious to help, a farmer, Mr J. Eustace, investigated. He found the dog anchored with lacerating barbed wire to a Lock well below the liighwater mark. Gradually the tide was rising on it. Mr Eustace set free the dog. Its owner has not been found.

‘■Colonial Savages”

“Buyers for big New Zealand firms still have, the mentality of colonial savages and will go for horrors turned out for the colonial savage.” This was stated, by Dr. J. C. Beaglehole in Invercargill recently when members of the architectural centre had discussed what they considered the poor design of many British goods sold in' New Zealand shops.

“Have a Go” The modification of a quiz-pro-gramme (which we in New Zealand have heard from BBC transcriptions) entitled “Have a Go” is described by an English exchange as now “thei BBC’s most popular programme.” It is rediscovering the common man, an (l showing British characteristics to be those of humour, helpfulness, and love of home.

“Comics” Again i >.' Even in the United States, fifie home of “comics” there is said to he concern about the material they now contain. In Prance the “supermen and glamour gun-girls” were raised to an unexpected height of importance by being discussed in the Chamber of Deputies. Unesco too is concerned because of comics being preoccupied with violence in all its forms—-murder, sadism, explosions and war!

Fast Flying Liberated at Oamaru at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday birds competing in a race held by the Ashburton Pigeon Club made good time to Ashburton, covering the distance of over 100 miles in approximately two hours. Results were P. T. Miles’s entries 1 and 2, W. Anderson’s 3. The prize was a cup donated by Mrs J. R. Reeves (Mr Reeves being president of the Ashburton Club). '

A Good Loser This' complimentary term was, mistakenly, applied to Presidential candidate Harry Truman on his last election campaign, but . newspapermen complained: “He made reporters work harder than political writers ought to work. He kept fanner’s hours and had a despicable habit after a 16-hour day of appearing next morning fresh as a daisy. Newspapermen ultimately passed through and beyond the zone of remonstrance to the point where survival was all that mattered.”

Checks for Cheques The Bank of New Zealand alone deals with over 30 million cheques each year. This fact indicates both how useful cheques are for the purpose of transferring money, and also hints how careful banks are, and the public should be, in dealing with them. Checks and routine procedures make up a long story not easily followed by the layman, but it is easy to learn and act on one strict rule: one cannot get cash over the bank counter for any cheque but an open one, either “bearer” or “open order” —and to add to this the knowledge that the latter should be endorsed at the bank.

Origin of the Cheque On March 3, 1659, Sir John HoldenSmith was to pay Samuel Bolton the sum of £6 13s 4d. He lived 16 miles from his London bank, and had an important engagement which necessitated his being at home all day. The solution was a letter, written, to his banker and given to Mr Bolton, who rode to London and found to his delight that the banker acted on the instruction in.the letter. A shortened form of this letter was quickly in general use, and becoming standardised as to wording, is the origin of the now universal system by which the great majority of payments are made.

Cars Collide at Ashburton

Two cars, one driven by Mr J. A. Morgan (39) of 35 Cain Street, Timaru, and the other by Mr W. A. Mitchell, 120 Bridge Street, Ashburton, were involved in a collision on Chalmers Avenue at about 9.30 p.m. on Saturday Mr Morgan suffered injuries which included fractured ribs, and a passenger, Mrs Amelia Morgan, an elderly lady of the same Timaru address, was slightly injured. The Timaru car was badly damaged. An inquiry this morning disclosed that both injured persons (who were taken to hospital by the St. John Ambulance) are progressing satisfactorily.

Pathological Laboratory A laboratory for the study of neurological pathology is to be set up in association with the neuro-surgical unit at Ijunedin Hospital. As a preliminary to the establishment of this laboratory, Dr. W. S. Alexander, senior lecturer in pathology at the University of Otago Medical School, has been overseas on a two-year postgraduate course. His study in overseas centres was sponsored jointly by the Medical School and the Mental Hygiene Division of the Health Department. Dr. Alexander and bis wile are returning to Dunedin in the Mataroa which arrived at Wellington on Saturday.—P.A.