Local and General

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXIII, Issue 98, 11 December 1942, Page 3

Local and General

<(We have never seen prospects so good for honey as this year," remarked Mr W. B. Bray at the Armed Forces Appeal Board sitting, when giving details of the honey industry in this district.

Mr W. J. Day has received permission from the Transport Department to continue his present South-bridge-Christchurch passenger bus timetable until after Christmas. The reduced service, under which the morning run to Christchurch and the evening run from Christchurch will be eliminated, is to operate from Monday, December 28.

"It is impossible to get a man in our district for love or money," declared a Greenpark witness at the Armed Forces Appeal Board this morning. He said that there was only one man left there who was available for farm labour and it was impossible to obtain his services.

It was mentioned, by the director of Canterbury Agricultural College, at the meeting of the Board of Governors at Lincoln on Tuesday, that a number of boys had applied for enrolment at students when they had attained their 16th year, the present minimum diploma age of admission being 17' years. Professor Hudson thought that under existing circumstances the board should consider reducing the age, as it would enable boys to get in two years at the College before going into camp, if that should be necessary at the time.—The suggestion was generally approved and a minimum age of 16 years for entry was fixed for the duration of the war. It was decided that provision should be made for admission to the college of women proceeding from the Bachelor's to the Master's degree in agricultural science.

"Advice has now been received from the British Government," said the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Barclay, "intimating that licences will be granted for the importation into the United Kingdom of rape seed that has been contracted for by British merchants this year, and that licences will also be granted for all other 1942-43 season seed that can find a market, with the exception of uncertified Italian and perennial ryegrass. It is also expected that clarification of the United Kingdom's policy and seed requirements for .season 1943-44 will be forthcoming at an early date, and as soon as this is received, farmers and the trade will be notified."

"When I think back over the many armies that I have seen since war began, I have come to the conclusion that the Russian armies are the best equipped and the best cared-for. They are, as it were, number one priority in the Soviet Union. 'Everything for the front,' which is a slogan you see plastered on Russians walls, is more than a slogan: it is a living fact."—Phillip Jordan, speaking in a BBC Radio Newsreel on "The Russian Army."

By the terms of the will of the late Mr George Graham, a Blenheim farmer, the sum. of £4000 has been bequeathed to Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, to provide income for a scholarship for a boy attending Maryborough College to attend Lincoln College for a full course. If in any year there was no boy attending Marlborough College eligible for the scholarship, it was to be made available to such other persons as the Canterbury Agricultural College thought fit. Any surplus income is to be applied in providing further scholarships on similar conditions. It was stated at the meeting of the Board of Governors of Agricultural College on Tuesday tliat this was the first four-figure bequest the College haa received, the only one comparable being the Job Osborne bequest.

The need for more voluntary aid workers was emphasised ,-in the monthly letter of the North Canterbury Red Cross Centre, read at the last meeting of the -Leeston sub-centre. "Now that women and girls are being called up in everincreasing- numbers for work of national importance, we would urge all sub-centres to place before their members the call of the Red Cross Voluntary Aid Service," .the letter stated. "Women from the age of 17 to 45 can be trained and form \ ,up with detachments. A trained voluntary aid can now serve in several ways. As a part-time worker (week-ends, etc.). as a~ whole-time worker in military and Air Force hospitals in New Zealand, as a whole-time worker in the civilian nursing reserve in New Zealand. All these services are on a salaried basis and those who give their services for the duration of the war will come under the Rehabilitation Act." ' * ' ."""

Canterbury Education Board had in its employ at the end of last year, according to its last annual report, 162 head teachefsy 140 sole teachers, 524 assistants, 82 relieving1 teachers, 83 probationary, and other assistants, 26 supernumerary teachers, and 95 on active service.

Information concerning the nature and tises of powdered egg, 100 tons of which is to be imported' from' Australia as a military reserve, was given at Auckland by Mr R. C. Blake, chairman of the Commonwealth Egg Supervising Committee. Powdered egg in no way resembled the substitute known as "egg powder," for it was simply whole egg with nothing added in the drying process and nothing removed but water. It would keep indefinitely in sealed tins. Mixed with three times its weight of water, it.was used to make scrambled eggs or omelettes or in general cookery. It had all the nutritive value of egg in shell and did not differ in taste from the fresh product. A large part of Australian egg exports to Britain was in powder form.

"A few hours ago' I was in the War Office, talking to an officer in the Selection Personnel Department. . . . On the wall was a copy of a cartoon by Low, brilliant cartoonist of the London Evening Standard. It shows a fat general standing on a ladder fitting round pegs in square holes. A startled-looking recruit is standing at the foot of the ladder, an N.C.O. beside him. The N.C.O. is saying to the general: 'An economist reporting for duty, sir.' The general is replying: 'An economist, hey? Put him on sanitary duties at once.' The Personnel Officer smiled at it fondly. 'A piece of history,' he said."—"A Bad Soldier Makes Good," by Lester Powell in a BBC talk.

In May, 1909, 23 Japanese poachers landed on Laysan Island, which lies between Midway Island and Hawaii, to plunder the bird life in the interests of the millinery and similar trades. The wings of more than 300,000 birds were cut off, and it was proved that the poachers, who, .incidentally, were apprehended by a United States revenue cutter, cut the. wings from living birds, which were left to bleed to death, x and starved many others to death so that it would .be easier to cure their skins. The birds of Midway Island were treated in a similar manner.

As the result of the ban on deliveries of groceries, bread, and meat, the Gisborne Borough Council has forwarded the following telegram to the Prime Minister: "We strongly protest against this interference with public rights. It will cause undue hardship to old people, deprive itinerant vendors of those commodities of their livelihood, and cause the public to use bicycles to a greater extent, thus defeating the objects of tyre conservation. We cannot understand these instructions in view of the recent pronouncement of the increased allocation of bicycle tyres. We urge immediate cancellation of the instructions."

A bushman* describing the depredations of wild cats upon birds in "Forest and Bird," states: "In about a week I shot 11 cats, most of them mangy and covered with • sores. Apart from saving birds it was a relief to the mill-hands, as it meant we could leave our hut door open for more than a few minutes and know that food was safe from pilfering cats. And, strange as it may seem, a horde of mice haunting the huts completely disappeared! I can offer no explanation for this, unless it be that the cats had the mice 'penned up' and consequently unable to escape while their foes were about."

Reporting on farming operations at the Canterbury Agricultural College, the director (Professor E. R. Hudson) at toe meeting of the Board of Governors at Lincoln on Tuesday, stated that the November rainfall- amounted to 178 points, which was just below the station average for the period. A good fall towards the end-of the month, came at an opportune time. The further steady rain experienced during the last week also resulted in a good wetting of the soil and growth of all spring crops was mow very rapid. All crops had made prolific 'growth. A small amount of lodging had occurred with some of the wheat, and more extensive trouble had been experienced with ryegrass seed crops. Pea and sweet blue lupin crops had developed well. Autumn sown barley was now in stook and the cutting of lucerne for the second time this season had been commenced. Mangels had suffered from an attack by cutworms. Paris green, bran, and molasses were being used for poisoning the insects. There was promise of a heavy harvest from all crops. Pasture production had been almost embarassingly prolific and there was an abundance of feed. Areas closed for small seeds were doing well. Grass seed crops were heavy and clover paddocks were showing plenty of flower. The abundance of feed had benefited all classes of stock. | From both the College, and the Ashley Dene farms a draft of lambs should be ready before Christmas. ■Shearing had been completed. The wool production for the year was 102 bales.

The Leeston Women's Institute is to hold a picnic at the Christchurch Public Gardens next Wednesday.

"It's something awful," declared a witness at the Armed Forces Appeal Board this morning-, when the matter of gorse was being discussed. He had stated that cutting .gorse was an important part of the work. "You ought to see my neighbours' places," he added, "they're a forest."

W. A. Sinclair, author of the BBC "Voice of the Enemy" series has just told of an amusing gaff in a Japanese broadcast in English, to Australia. A Jap spokesman from Batavia urged, touchingly: "From listening to our honest broadcasts, you know that Truth lies with us."

For the Home Guard parade on Sunday, rations for the mid-day meal will be provided by the Army. The programme for the day will include musketry practice arid construction work, and for the latter, guardsmen have been asked to bring tools. They are expected to also bring- any equipment which has been issued to them for the purpose of being checked. . ~"

Some indication of population trends in Canterbury is given in the annual report of the Canterbury Education Board, in a summary of the schools in the board's district and the number of pupils ,on the roll, going back to the year -ISBO. Last year there were 328 schools haying a roll number of 33,555 children, but the peak year was in 1928 when there were 38,245 children attending 389 schools. A roll number comparable to last year's was not obtainable except by going back to the period between. 1910-20. In the latter year there were 35,370 emidren attending 380 schools. The percentage of attendance, however, was greater now than at the beginning of the century.

On Monday evening, Leeston Home Guard will hold a social in the town hall. There will be two Monte Carlos while for non-dancers cards will be provided. Lambie's Band will play the music for the dances. The Eilesmere Patriotic Committee's raffle is to be drawn at the council chambers that evening and the result will be announced at the social. Home Guardsmen will be present in strong force and this social wi^l give an opportunity for the general public to show its appreciation of the self-sacrificing efforts of the guardsmen during the last two years, by attending the social in large numbers and making it the success it deserves to be.

Wayne Fellows' grandfather carried a Bible through the American Civil- War. Wayne's uncle had it during World War I. Wayne is carrying the 100-year-old book this time.