LOCAL AND GENERAL

Grey River Argus, 11 September 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Grey Hospital Board last evening accepted tenders for supplies as follows: Bread, Mr Herb. Moore; fish, Mr Norcliffe; meat, Messrs Stewart and Sons. »

During the past week,, freight hauled through the Otira tunnel from Westland to Canterbury amounted to 16,721 tons. In the corresponding week of last year the total was 13,055 tons, and in 1938 it .was 14,449 tons.

Call at White’s to-day and view their wonder display of Spring Fashion goods.—White’s Corner. Your Fashion Centre.—Advt.

A financial membership of 1321 is disclosed in the annual report of the South African War Veterans' Association bfi New Zealand for the year ended July 31. This is an increase of 48 compared with last year. A nuntber of South African ex-servicemen are now attached to the permanent staff, the report states, while others are serving in various capacities in the Defence Department.

A start ha's been made with the construction of the naval sick bay at Devonport. The contractor is a Hamilton firm. The bay will be c two-storey building in a commanding situation, and it will have accommodation for both officers and ratings, as well as rooms for the staff, administrative offices, messrooms and lounge rooms.'

Four thousand giant moths, with a wing-spread of up to nine or ten inches, form the bulk of a remarkable collection of insects recently acquired bv the Dominion Museum. Though in the ordinary way none of these insects is native*- to New Zealand every one acquired by the museum was born and bred in Wellington. They were imported as eggs or pupae from entomologists ii many countries. ,

Every afternoon during our sale, special bargains will be displayed with noon and evening. All goods marked at Real Bargain Prices.—H. Hamer, Kumara. —Advt.

In the course of an address in Timaru the Minister of National Service (Mr R. Semple) referred to the methods employed in France to stem the advance of the Germans. “They put trees across the roads to stop 80-ton tanks,” he said. “Why you could get tractors on our farms that would shift those trees in a couple of minutes. You wouldn’t think or going into the jungle to fight a tiger with a feather duster,” he added amidst laughter.

“A soldier’s life is a good healthy life. One has a lot of experiences that would never happen to one in civil life. People talk of the poor soldiers and the war: it’s a funny thing, but if you are a soldier the last thing you think about is the wa l *. Soldiers talk about every other subject than that,” said Private G. London, Mayor of Petone, addressing the Petone Borough Council and the P'tone Women’s Patriotic Committee recently. He paid tribute to the friendly relations between officers and men in the mobilisation camp at Trentham. It was typical of New Zealand’s democratic 7 constitution, he said, yet remarkable though it mignt seem the discipline was excellent.

Probably a record for Patriotic Committees in New Zealand is th-it of the Greymouth Committee, which has a's members all but two of the former mayors of the town, the five still residing here giving service. They are Messrs T. E. Coates (1908-9); G. E. PPerkins (1912-16); .W H. Parfitt (1923-26); J. W. Greeuslade (1927-34), and W. Meldrum (1935-38). The chairman is the present Mayor (Mr F. A. Kitchingham) elected in 1938, and Mr Parfitt is the secretary. The other former mayors of the town still living are Messrs J. Steer. Christchurch, (1903) and A. Russell. Hawke’s Bay (1910-11). Al (hough other Patriotic Committees undoubtedly claim the attention ol former mayors, the record of having every resident former chief magistrate as a member of the Patriotic, Committee, must surely take some beating.

In the naming of streets at what is now a considerable settlement at the Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Whenuapai, the Public Works Department has commemorated the names of canoes and leaders of the Maori people in the migration to New Zealand some centuries ago. It has followed a policy embarked upon at the air station at Ohakea, where streets are named after old Maori chiefs and fights in which Maoris participated.

The Grey Hospital Board at last evening’s meeting dealt with applications for th c position of House Manager at the Grey Hospital. There wer e thirty applications. Thes c were reduced by ballots to three. It was then decided to hold a special meeting later in th e present month at which the three whose applications remain to be dealt with are to be requested to attend in order that they may b e interviewed by the Board.

Kumara people will have an opportunity to secure some rar,; bargains in Drapery and Boots at H. Hamer’s Sale. Now on! —Advt.

The arrival of 30,000 sacks of barley from Australia was reported at a recent meeting of the Auckland District Council of Primary Production. It was stated that a further 45,000 sacks were expected shortly. This would be sufficient for the Dominion for the rest of the dairying season. In the drive for higher bacon production, barley is being extensively used for pig feed.

In connection with a suggestion mrfde by the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce that the citizens of New Zealand should ope-: a subscription list for the purpose of raising money to purchase 1,000,000 lamb carcasses, to be given to the British Government as a donation and indication of goodwill, the Feildhu; Chamber of Commerce has docked to suggest to the Palmerston North Chamber that the scheme be submitted to the annual meeting of the Associated Chambers as a remit.

A municipal pig-raising scheme in connection with the war effort is not favoured by the Napier Borough Council. A communication has been received by the council from the Social Security Department suggesting utilisation of waste-food supplies fur this purpose. Commenting upon this, the Mayor Mr T. W. Hercock, pointed out that a good deal of private pig-raising was going on and he did not want to interfere with this. He doubted if it would pay the 'council to collect refuse from private houses to feed the pigs.

By a process of sandblasting, extending over several months, the whole of the facade of the new section of the General Post Office, Wellington, has been restored to its original hue. The building is faced with Tonga Bay granite, almost white in colour, but 30 years’ soot and grime had blackened the stone badly, so that tne beauty of the granite was completely obscured. This deposit has been removed and the building has resumed its original dignity. There is still some of the steel scarfolding to be removed on the Panama Street side.

Spectacular Mannequin Parade in a setting of glorious spring flowers, Town- Hall, -to-morrow- pignt. White’s Fashion Corner will display the latest spring creations in co-operation with the West Coast Horticultural Society’s Daffodil Show. —Advt.

One case of tuberculosis was the only infectious disease case reported on the West Coast: last week. In a comparatively small list of notifications of infectious diseases in the Canterbury district, there was one case of infantile paralysis. The patient was a six-years-old boy from Seadown, South Canterbury. One case of scarlet fever, three of tuberculosis, two of septic abortion, one of puerperal fever, and one of eclampsia were also notified in. Canterbury. There was one death from tuberculosis in Canterbury.

Advice that ordinary mail and parcels are now being received by members of the First Echelon in Egypt has reached Auckland. In an air mail letter which arrived on Tuesday and was posted in Egypt on August 14, a soldier said that long-awaited parcels, papers and letters sent by ordinary post had reached the camp in large quantities, and after four days were still being sorted and distributed among the men. “You will find it hard to imagine,” the letter adds, “the difference in the spirits of the men now they have received full news from home.”

At the monthly meeting of the council of the Grey District Acclimatisation Society, arrangements were made for a deputation from the Grey and Westland Societies to meet Mr J. O’Brien. M.P.. to discuss matters relative to acclimatisation and ranging over the whole of the West Coast. In the , absence of the president (Mr H. Silcock). from whom an apology was received. Mr N. B. McCallum presided. Mr W. Beale tendered his resignation from the council, owing to his impending departure from the district. The resignation was accepted with regret, and a vote of thanks was accorded Mr Beale for his services. The secretary (Mr I. T. Bennington) • also tended his resignation in view of his departure from Greymouth, but it was decided that it be held over until later in the month. A tender of £25 for the society’s motor-cycle was accepted. IL was decided that the council meetings should, in future, be held on the third Wednesday in each nonlh.

“I began to smoke when I was 13,” sa : d a speaker at a Canterbury “send off” to a departing townsman, “and one day father caught me smoking a cigarette on ■ the strict Q.T. in the fowlhcuse. (Laughter). Did he storm Not he! He knew a better way. He smilingly invited me to smoke a cigar with him after dinner. Picture my pride! (Laughter). The cigar was as black as coal and fearfully strong. 1 soon had enough. But I wouldn t give i n _-till I had to. Then I bolted and was very unwell. (Laughter). I did not smoke again for years. Then I took to a pipe. No more cigars. (Laughter). And now?—we 1, 'give me my pipe and a pouch of New Zealand Cavendish and I’m as happy as a King-—happier a lot than some Fuigs.” (Laughter and applause). The' speaker alluded to one of the live popular New Zealand brands, the others being Cut Plug No. 10 head), Riverhead Gold, Desert Hold and "Navy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog). They are toasted (no others are) and there-; fore harmless. And talk about flavour and aroma! —Advt.