News Of The Day

Northern Advocate, 26 February 1944, Page 2

News Of The Day

Railwaymeri and Patriotic. One cf the Opua Patriotic Committee's main troubles in raising its annual quota was ironed out at the Bay of Islands In-ter-zone Committee meeting when the chairman (Mr. H. T. Atkinson) informed delegates that an official promise had bean given that patriotic moneys raised by railway employees would be credited to their respective districts. In reply to a question regarding P. and T. employees, he said this applied to all civil servants. Storm Damage in North At Utakura, during the exceptionally heavy storm on Monday, it is reported that the river overflowed its banks and scoured out the Maori gardens, destroying the kumera and corn plantings, and carrying water melons, pumpkins and marrows, miles down its course, causing a severe loss to the Maoris of the Utakura settlement. Extensive damage is also reported at Rangiahua. where large quantities of potatoes, ready bagged in fields, to be despatched to the army, were washed away in the flood. » * * * New Hall at Kerikeri “We hope to have the greatest and biggest hall in the North,” remarked Mr. J. Kendall (Kerikeri) to members of the Bay of Islands Inter-zone Fatriotic Committee, when informing them that the public of Kerikeri had bought the passionfruit factory there for conversion into a public ball. Mr. Kendall said there would be a dance floor of 3300 sq. ft. and a supper room to seat 200 people. * <f * * One Egg-beater—£2/10/-’Sfunny how the ladies make up their minds that things must be had. At an auction sale in Kaikohe, when an entire household of big and small effects was put up for sale item by item, the piece de resistance was an egg-beater. The crowds came early—and stayed until the egg-beater was sold. The price went up and up, the eventual purchaser getting it at the bargain price of £2/10/-. She was a private hotel proprietress and her kitchen staff had demanded an eggbeater. So they got their egg-beater—-and the auctioneer his 50/-. »*, ‘ * Education Board Districts What has happened to the proposal, advanced before the war, for the institution of smaller education board districts and the creation of one in Northland Mr C. V. Stringer asked the Director of Education (Dr. C. E. Beeby), who addressed parents and teachers at the Whangarei Town Hall last night. Dr. Beeby replied that the question was really outside his sphere, but such a scheme would mean total revision of the Education Act, which would be an enormous task and probably one that could not be undertaken when Parliament was concerned with the war. He could not say more than that the scheme was in a state of suspended animation. * * * * Two-Course School Lunches? Following out the recommendation of the recent T.B. conference and originating from an idea of the medical superintendent of the Hokianga Hospital (Dr. G. M. Smith), the Education Department is making arrangements for provision of a school dinner for each child attending the Waima Native School, Hokianga. It is hoped to be able to provide a twocouhse ‘ dinner, comprising meat, kumaras and other vegetables, preceded by soup and followed by a mug of malted milk. The cost, estimated at 2/6 per child weekly, is to be deducted from the family allowance. A special dining-room and kitchen are to be built at the school, while enthusiastic Maoris in the district have promised to provide land and plough it for growing the vegetables.