IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 21581, 19 December 1931, Page 4

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY. Brisk Business. The streets were thronged with people last evening and brisk business is reported by’ the retailers. If Christmas Eve is proportionately as good shopkeepers say that they will have no reason to complain. ♦ * * * Motor Car. Destroyed. A motor car, the property of lan Russell Anderson, bank clerk, of Leet street, alleged to have been stolen from Jed street during Wednesday night, was found on Thursday at Otatara just over the bridge. The car had been destroyed by fire. * Road Temporarily Closed. The secretary of the Southland Motor Association (Mr J. S. Dick) yesterday received advice from the Otago Motor Club that on account of a heavy thunderstorm the Lindis Pass road has been temporarily closed to traffic, a wash-out having occurred between Dip Creek and Appleby. The Public Works Department is giving attention to the road with a view to having it clear for traffic in about three days. » * * • Few Fat Geese. A Winton district farmer mentioned the other day’ that the present dry spell would be responsible for at least one or two items on the Christmas menu not being as popular as they had been in other years. The reporter was enlightened on the subject when the farmer went on to say that with the present shortage of grass on district farms, this year’s Christmas geese were of poor quality. As geese feed a good deal on grass, they had not done well at all this year and fat ones would be hard to secure. —Winton correspondent.

Kindergartens Lose Grants. The Government has informed the Invercargill Kindergarten Association that all capitation and subsidies for free kindergartens in New Zealand will cease at the end of the current year, and last night representatives of each kindergarten committee met with members of the Advisory Board to discuss the position. It was decided to protest: .against the withdrawal of the capitation and to write to all Southland members of Parliament enlisting their aid in pressing the claims of the free kindergartens for aid. It was resolved to carry on the free kindergartens in the meantime.

Winton School Under-staffed. That the Winton School was understaffed, was a statement made by the rector of the school, Mr J. A. Cushen, at the annual break-up last Thursday evening. There were close on 300 children attending the school, he said, and with six teachers, this averaged 50 pupils each. One teacher had 70 children under her charge for part of the year, while another had 65 for the best part of the year. “The department says that the maximum should be 30 per teacher,” added Mr Cushen, “and the successful results of the year's work of the school I attribute to downright hard work.” He asked Mr P. A. de la Perrelle (who had spoken prior to him) to see what he could do in the matter when in Wellington.—Winton correspondent. * » » * R.SA. Christmas Cheer. The cxcutive of the Invercargill Returned Soldiers’ Association is at present arranging for the dispersal of about 150 Christmas parcels to the families of returned soldiers who are unfortunate enough to be out of regular employment at the present time. A donation of £6O from the War Funds Association will be partly applied to this purpose, a percentage being for a similar purpose in the country centres, and several donations of money and food have been received from sympathetic friends. Several tradespeople have kindly offered to assist with the preparation of Christmas puddings and cakes, and a quantity of lamb will probably be secured to supply the main item for the Christmas table. The parcels will be issued on the 23rd and in the meantime several members of the executive are busy getting the nonperishable articles ready. * * * * Insufficient Rain.

The light showers of rain that fell around the Winton district on Wednesday and Thursday evenings last were welcomed by all members of the community, writes the Winton correspondent of the Southland Times. At Dipton it was reported that a fairly heavy shower had fallen, but the same story was told as in the Winton district —that it made very little impression. The Central Bowling Club at Winton is experiencing a very anxious time with its newly-formed green. For a start the grass came away quickly, but without nourishment it is commencing to wither, while in some parts of the green the surface has crackoi A similar state of affairs is the lot of the Winton Amateur Athletic Society, which recently top-dressed the cycling track on the Recreation Reserve. The members of the society are putting in a good deal of work on the track so as to have it in good order for the fixture on Christmas Day.