Canterbury Province.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 16, 16 December 1937, Page 8

Canterbury Province.

To-day is the anniversary of the founding of the province of Canterbury. Houses for Pensioners.

A proposal that the Christchurch City Council should undertake a housing scheme for old-age pensioners is lu be made to the council, when it meets next Monday evening. It will be suggested that 50 cottages be built at a cost that wil allow them to be let for not more than 10s a week. An Enthusiastic Parent.

“While that spirit prevails among the supporters of the school there is no need to fear for the future,” commented Mr M. H. Oram (chairman or the Board of Governors) at the break-ing-up ceremony of the Palmerston North Technical School last evening, when it was announced that one parent had cycled -- miles in order to be present at the function. Slot Telephones. With the installation of a slot telephone at the Broadway-Princess Street intersection, there have been provided four new slot telephones in the city, this year. Two were opened in July (one at the Albert Street-Ferguson Street intersection, the other at the meeting of Limbrick Sreet and Fitzroy Street) one in April (at the corner of Cook Street and Ferguson Street) and the fourth last week. Army Training.

The progress made by the district Army Schools of Instruction was referred to yesterday by the Minister of Defence (Hon. F. Jones). He said that more than 40 courses had been held at Narrow Neele, Trentham, and Burnham, and that these had been attended by 57 officers and 747 other ranks. Mr Jones said that the results represented a very satisfactory commencement to this type of training. Many Sheep Stolen. •• • , The question of sheep stealing in the Tafkape district was raised by Mr R. H. Lowry at a meeting of the Rangitikei Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He said he had lost 1800 sheep in the past seven years and every effort to trace the culprits had been unsuccessful.; He suggested that the matter be placed before the Minister of Justice. The chairman said that sheep stealing was not confined to the Taihape district. However, he added it would do no harm to write to the Minister of Justice.' A motion to this effect was moved and carried. State Houses At Levin.

At a meeting of the Levin Borough Council a letter from the Director ot Housing Construction (Mr A. Tyndall) supplied .the plans .and particulars of the proposed subdivisions in connection with the housing scheme in Levin, by which it was intended to build 19 single and six double-unit dwellings. Several> membevs objected to the building of what were described, as “apartment houses” and 1 it was decided to inform the department that the council did not mvour the erection of double-unit houses in Levin, where many building sections were available at a reasonable price. . Talking Books For The Blind.

With Britain, the bmted States ami Canada, New Zealand is one of the •four countries in the world.most fully equipped with .talking book facilities tor the blind, reports Sir.Clutha McKenzie, the director, in the latest issue of Chronicles of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind. Sixty-one talking ‘book machines, were in use at the institute in Auckland; 27 were presented by the Commercial, Travellers’ Blind Soldiers ’Fund, and some were on loan to committees in "Wellington, Christchurch, Timaru, : Dunedin and Invercargill. A steady supply of records was arriving from London and New York as soon as they were recorded, two copies of each English book and one of each American being received.

A Weighty Payment. A Christchurch City Council cashier was presented with a formidable task when a woman passed over to him a bag containing '836 pennies and 432 halfpennies in payment of her rate bill of £4 7s Bd. Although the cashier, had the right to refuse bronze coins exceeding Is in value, in accordance with what constitutes legal tender,. ho did not exercise it. Gift of Game Birds.

Thirty pheasants presented by Major G. L. Ashley-Dodd, a member of the Salmon and Trout Council of Great Britain, will arrive from England shortly and be added to the stock of breeding “pheasants at the State Game Farm, Rotorua. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. W. E. Parry) stated that while many oversea visitors sent' letters to the Government in praise of New Zealand, it was a new and delightful experience to receive such a magnificent gift as that made by Major Ashley-Dodd. “Not To Be Trusted.”

Accrediting was not to be trusted and it would place an intoleraoie burden upon the shoulders of headmasters, said the rector of St. Patrick’s College, Silverstream (Rev. Father J. Dowling, S.M., M.A.,) when lie referred at the college break-up ceremony yesterday to the numerous attacks that were being made at tne present time on the oxamination system. Some would abolish external examinations altogether. This, to his mind, would be great folly. Reforms were certainly necessary, but not total abolition.

A Shuffling Process. “I would like to see introduced into the secondary schools psychological studies. There is a need to study human behaviour, the way habits are formed and controlled, and the way natural impulses are brought into harmony with the duties of life. I fear that the schools are inclined tp shuffle this on to the churches, the churches perhaps to the parents, and so it goes round. It is a job which I fear is not being properly done, and which I think should be faced as soon as possible.” This declaration was made by Dr A. G. Butchers, head of the Government correspondence schools in his address at the annual breaking-up ceremony of the Palmerston North Technical School last evening, when he dealt with social problems.