General News

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23299, 8 April 1941, Page 6

General News

Storms of River Dust How the occasional dust stfprmj that annoy city residents arise in the big river-beds further up the Canterbury Plains was shown clearly to members of the Waimakariri River Trust during an inspection of its works yesterday. High up on the Ashley river, beyond Cust, the recent big floods had brought down great deposits of fine silt. The high winds that brought rain to the city yesterday afternoon blew up great clouds of this fine silt from the river-beds. Those winds were from the south, but had they been blowing towards the city, this dust would undoubtedly have brought another cloud over Christchurch, similar to that experienced last Thursday. Gifts for Soldiers Overseas Gift parcels for New Zealand soldiers overseas. to be shipped by the National Patriotic Fund Board in June, will contain a greater selection of foods than hitherto, and their choice has been determined on advice from overseasas to what the troops most appreciate. At the suggestion of Mr H. S. Feast, secretary to the Canterbury Patriotic Fund, the board has also decided to announce its provincial allocations as early as possible in advance of shipment, so that the various organisations - can make the necessary arrangements for supplies of tins and other materials. Canterbury’s share of the 35,000 parcels to be sent is 5075. Each will contain: a tin of coffee and milk, condensed milk or cream; a cake of chocolate; a tin of fruit, oysters, whitebait, honey, soup, lamb and green peas or tomato juice; a cake or small cakes; a packet of safety razor blades; a pair of boot laces; a handkerchief; a writing pad and envelopes, or playing cards. Social Reform in Dickens’s Time “During the 58 years of Dickens’s life, amazing changes took place in England,” said Mr A. E. Caddick. headmaster of the Christchurch Boys’ High School, in an address to the Dickens Fellowship. “Shaftesbury’s Factory Act, the reform bills of 1832 and 1867 were passed and at the time of his death free education was established in England. Shaftesbury, with his voice, and Dickens with his pen, were largely instrumental in bringing about reforms. Dickens’s day was the day of public hangings. One of his last articles was an attack on public executions, and this was largely responsible for its abolition. Public executions took place in New Zealand 60 years ago. On looking back 150 years in history, we marvel that so much has been done in England, The novels of Feilding and Smollett give a background of the history of the time,” the speaker said. Sediment in Rivers Sediment precipitated in such rivers as the Waimakariri during flood is considered to play an important part in the work of controlling the river. Along the Waimakariri, above the city, where extensive protective banks and groynes have been erected, there has been very heavy precipitation in the recent big floods. On this deposit of 'highly-productive silt, poplars and occasionally willows are planted. They grow quickly, bind the bed and so help in breaking the high flow of the water during floods. Recently floods brought down so much silt at one spot, near the old weir at the Cutting Bridge, that it averaged more than a foot deep over a big area. Spread deeply over a bed of shingle and other binding material, this deposit is expected to help greatly in furthering, the trust’s programme of keeping the waters of the river to the main channel flowing towards the sea, and out of the old bed. News from Holland via Java A letter from a businessman in Java has been received by a Christchurch resident who has sent extracts to “The Press.” The writer says: “Staff members of the company are periodically called up for military training in order to be fully ready a certain aggressor finds it to his liking to start his monkey-business also in these parts. Within 10 months the men are sometimes called up twice for a month’s specialised training; members of the Home Guard organisation attend training every Saturday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. This means that we are working only five days a week. We all love to break away from the normal office routine v/ork and do some military training in between. I receive fairly regular news from my boys in Holland, via Switzerland. They are doing fairly well, though food seems to become scarce now. Many heavy fines have been imposed on the population and many labourers have been ordered to work in munition factories in Germany; if they are not willing they do not receive any support, and can starve. Last week we learned that 15 men had been shot for sabotage.” The New Zealand Workman “New Zealand workers are perhaps not much good for mass production jobs. They would be liable to get bored and think of the races rather than their work. But give theni a job that demands skill and intelligence and I will back them against any race or breed that walks about this earth,” said Mr D. F. Sandys Wunsch in an address on “The Prospects for Secondary Industries in New Zealand” at the annual meeting of the University Association of Southland. He said that a high standard of efficiency was attained by the New Zealand worker-when his heart was in his job. He must also be properly led. “The New Zealand worker is the easiest to lead in the world, but you cannot drive him,” Mr Sandys Wunsch declared. “Unfortunately much of the industrial leadership in New Zealand is not good.” Bible-in-School Dispute According to the regulations governing the use of school buildings, the Auckland Education Board does not appear to have any power to intervene in the dispute which has arisen at Te Kopuru, where the school committee has refused ministers of religion permission to attend the school to give Bible instruction, although such instruction has been approved by a plebiscite of parents. It was reported last week that the question would be referred to the board for a ruling. An official of the board said the committee had full power to decide whether the buildings could be used for the purpose of moral or religious instruction. It appeared, therefore, that the dispute was one which the committee and the parents would have to settle themselves. Crops for Patriotic Fund It is expected that the patriotic funds will benefit to the extent of about £ 500 from the disposal of wheat and barley grown on areas of land made available for the purpose free of charge by Mrs M. Ellison and Mr N. M. Campbell, of Hawke’s Bay. The barley was grown on approximately 100 acres of land lent for the purpose by Mr Campbell, while Mrs Ellison’s property of 40 acres was used for growing the wheat. Ploughing, sowing and harvesting were done free with the help qf other farmers. Teachers in the Army About 25 per cent, of the Auckland Education Board’s immediate pre-war teaching staff had now undertaken military service, said the secretary of the board, Mr D. W. Dunlop, during a case before the Auckland Area Manpower Committee last week. It was not the practice of the board to appeal against overseas service, he said, but at present, with 90 teachers in territorial camps, the maintenance of teaching staffs was creating considerable difficulty. This particularly applied to schools in remote country districts. Trade With America Suggested methods for disposing of the Dominion’s primary produce, after the intimation from Britain of restrictions on the import of butter and meat, were discussed at last week’s meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, A report was received from the' Associated Chambers of Commerce stating that jt had been decided to impress upon the Government the desirability of extending trade to America, particularly with reference to the exchange of consumable goods for, raw materials. It had also been decided to ask the Government to make an early appointment of a High Commissioner to the United States froqi New Zealand.