Local and General

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXI, Issue 15, 23 February 1940, Page 3

Local and General

The Ellesmere County Council is inviting tenders for drain cleaning.

Lakeside Hall Committee an-* nounces that it will be holding its usual dance in the hall on Easter Monday evening, for which a good programme is being prepared.

Mrs Cecil Gallop, A.L.C.M., who will be teaching music at Sedgmere Hall from 9.30 to-morrow morning is pi*epared to form a singing class if enough pupils can be enrolled. Rev. Father Taylor, of Southbridge has promised to give a series of talks on gardening topics to members of the Leeston Horticultural Society and to others interested. These will be held monthly, and, the date of the first one will be announced later.

The seventh list of acknowledgments of donations received by the National Patriotic Fund Board for the Governor-General's appeal totals £24,854/9/10. The gross donation's from tfie seal campaign amount to £9025/17/9 and the sick and wounded fund has reached £1170 17/5.

"Behind the scenes, to an extent unknown by the public, America is making strong preparations to meet war," said. Mr H. Russell, a New York business man, at Auckland. "The people of the United States wholeheartedly feel as much responsibility toward the country of their mother tongue as do those of the Dominions."

"Of all man's hobbies, gardening is the noblest of them all and in tending to the requirements of his garden, man puts himself, in a practical manner, in co-operation with the Creator in producing something very beautiful," said Rev. Father Taylor in 'his address to the Leeston Horticultural Society on Wednesday evening. A tiny seed was cast onto the ground, where with God's bright sun and good brown earth in due time a mystery occurred, a miracle happened. A beautiful garden was a source of constant pleasure to the gardener and his friends and the admiration, and perhaps not a little envy, of every casual passer-by.

It was announced by the president (Mr W. J. Ormandy) at the meeting of the Leeston Horticultural Society on Wednesday evening, that for the next garden competition there would be only one judging and that would take place about the middle of- December. He said that it had been represented to the society that the second judging in February made it difficult for many gardeners to enter the competition because, taking their holidays at Christmas or during January, they were hot able to get their gardens back to competition condition before the February judging. It had also ben ruled by the committee that no competitor could wm more than two prizes at each competition, with the exception of the challenge cup. Mr Ormandy urged gardeners to join up with the society and enter for the competition thus helping to improve tfie appearance of the town.

The rock formation in the Homer Tunnel has now been pierced and the major work completed. The tunnellers made excellent progress during the past few weeks and were driving the main heading at the rate of about 60ft. a week. Now that they have pierced the mountain of rock that forms the Homer Saddle they will undertake the less arduous task of penetrating the screen that lies on the rock back of the saddle. It is not expected that the saddle will be pierced from side to side for about another two weeks. Much work lies ahead before the first motor-car can enter the tunnel mouth. The tunnel will have to be considerably enlarged and the road to Milford, which at present is just adequate to give access to the tunnel, will have to be much improved.

Leeston sub-centre of the Red Cross Society will, on March 6, commence a series of euchre socials and dances in aid of funds for the cause. Good music will be' provided and good prizes have been allocated for the various competitions. It is up to everybody to do their bit to assist in raising money for such an important cause and as the need for money is urgent, the committee in charge is looking forward to seeing very large attendances at the hall during the series. "One often heard it said, when speaking to meln about growing flowers;" 'you can't eat flowers,'" remarked the Rev. Father Taylor, in an address given to the Leeston Horticultural Society on Wednesday evening. While this was true, he went on, Christ declared that man could not live by bread alone, meaning that food for the soul was also necessary. Art, literature, music, fed the soul rather than the body and the cultivation of flowers and their beautiful blossoms were also so much "food foi? the soul. Beautiful gardens were distinct assets to any community .and repaid all the work put into them.