General News

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23203, 14 December 1940, Page 10

General News

Condition of Fishing Rivers The following is the report on the fishing rivers received by the secretary of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society at noon yesterday:—Hurunui, Ashley, and Selwyn, in good order for fishing; Waimakariri, slightly discoloured, but fishable; Rangitata and Rakaia dirty, but with every indication of clearing by Sunday. No Special “Greetings” Telegrams Special Christmas and New Year “greetings” telegrams will not be used this year, according to advice received by the Chief Postmaster at Christchurch (Mr G. Clark) yesterday. Ordinary telegrams at ordinary rates, he said, would be used instead. The Post Office had also been advised that telegrams of greeting for overseas should, to be delivered by Christmas, be lodged not later than December 20. Old Boys on Active Service “The College has a proud record, but a rather sad one, too, among its old boys on active service,” said Dr. D. E. Hansen in his report at the annual prize-giving ceremony of the Christchurch Technical College last night. “Ten

of them in the Royal Air Force are dead, prisoners, or missing, most of them lads not long out of school. Four have been decorated for gallant service in the air and one for gallantry in the battle of the River Plate. Their parents are very much in the thoughts of the school and more particularly of the teachers who knew their boys so well.” School’s Christmas Cards Two attractive types of Christmas cards have been produced by pupils of the Christchurch South Intermediate School. They have been printed by the school press and bear, besides the usual greetings, the quotation from Shakespeare—“ Whatever is best, that best I wish you.” One carries a red and black reproduction of a sailing boat from a lino cut by a Form I pupil, and the other an impressively simple eagle design under which is a Latin quotation, “Suprema sequentes.” Shortage of Copper Coins

Because of the 1 non-arrival of shipments from England, copper coins are in short supply throughout the city, and it is expected that shopkeepers will be in difficulty next week in supplying the public demand for small change. Halfpennies especially are scarce, and this is attributed to the general rise in prices, which has occasioned the addition of a halfpenny or more to the former price. With the approach

of Christmas, the demand on pennies will also be great, but it is anticipated that the position will improve early in the New Year, Civilian Souvenir-Hunters Sailors and soldiers are apparently not immune from “liberties taken by a certain section of the souvenir-hunting public in appropriating badges from caps and hats left in cloak-rooms of public halls.” A complaint to this effect ' has been made by “Victimised Sailor,” who, in a letter to “The Press,” has emphasised how ehibarrassing such irresponsible actions can be. “Perhaps it is not generally known,” his letter states, “that if a sailor returns to his ship after a night’s leave without his cap or cap tally he is liable for punishment, even though the defection is the result of petty thieving by some irresponsible citizen.” There were times, he said, when coats, caps, or hats had to be left in unattended cloak-rooms, and reliance was placed on the honesty of other persons not to interfere with these belongings. He had twice been the victim of souvenir-hunters, and replacement of the articles had caused no little embarrass-

ment. As many soldiers had, he believed, suffered similarly, he hoped some deterrent action would be taken. Court of Arbitration The New Zealand harbour board employees’

dispute, the hearing of which was completed by the Court of Arbitration, Wellington, on Thursday, was the last fixture for the year. The Court’s decision in this and other disputes is still to be given. Versatile New Zealanders Expressing the view that one effect of the war on New Zealand would be that the people of the Dominion would be forced to use more and more New Zealand-made goods, Mrs L. C. Webb said last night in an address at the annual prize-giving ceremony of the Christchurch Technical College that this would force New Zealanders to become a more versatile people. “Instead of concentrating mainly on a few large industries—the production of butter, cheese, meat, and wool for the world market-i----we will have to develop many small industries producing just enough for ourselves. And since the number of people in New Zealand is small the industries will have to be run on a relatively small scale, which means that people won’t be able to specialise on just one link of the chain of production, as they do in large industries. We must all become more versatile. From being a highly specialised people we have got to change ourselves into the sort of people who can tackle the problems of life in a small community. We have got to show the all-round ability and resourcefulness of New Zealand’s early settlers.”