In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23693, 16 December 1938, Page 6

In Town And Out

Australian Athletes’ Tour Although the itinerary for the Dominion tour of the Victorian athletes, Gerald Backhouse and E. W. Best, may be curtailed, as was suggested in a Press Association message published yesterday, followers of athletics in Invercargill are assured of v seeing the two runners in action. They .will arrive at Bluff in ‘he Maunganui on Sunday and are to give training talks and instruction in running and race tactics to athletes and secondary school pupils at Rugby Park both on Monday arid Tuesday. This was arranged by the Southland Amateur Athletic Association, and the secretary of the association (Mr J. D. Walker) told The Southland Times yesterday that it was considered certain that Best and Backhouse would compete at a sports meeting in Invercargill on January 16.

Camping For Fishing A statement that he was intending, to buy camping equipment and camp near suitable fishing places in the South Island, but that he had been told in the North Island that not much camping was done in the South Island, was contained in a letter from a British army officer who has arrived in New Zealand to spend a fishing holiday which was read at last night’s meeting of the council of the Southland Acclimatization Society. The reading of the passage was followed by laughter, and the only comment made by members was: “The North Island is at work again.”

Coal and Electricity “You will get hot water more quickly with a coal range than with an electric range,” said the chairman of the Southland Hospital Board (Mr T. Golden) during a discussion yesterday on the purchase of an electric range. “The electric range is slow compared with the coal range when it comes to heating water.” Not All Prize-winners “I wish to congratulate the prizewinners, but I don’t remember ever receiving a prize myself,” remarked Mr W. M. C. Denham, M.P. for Invercargill, at the break-up ceremony of the Southland Technical College yesterday. “I don’t think I deserved one, however. Only the other day at a similar function the Mayor of Invercargill, Mr J. R. Hanan, remarked that he had not won a prize either. I do not wish to detract from the merit of the prizewinners, but you dp not nave to be a prize-winner to be successful. We cannot all be prize-winners and to those who have not been successful, I say there is no (reason why you all cannot be eminently successful in life.”

School Environments “Many teachers are' spending much time and energy in raising the standard of their school environments,” said Mr K. I. Robertson, agricultural instructor to the Southland Education Board, in his report for November which was read at yesterday’s meeting of the board. Of 38 schools visited 16 could be classified as having very good outdoor environments. The chairman, Mr S. Rice, remarked that on going round the country districts he had noticed that the school surroundings were looking neater and trimmer.

Hospital Farm Lambs The quality of the lambs produced at the Kew hospital farm was the subject of favourable comment by members of the Southland Hospital Board yesterday. A pen' of fat lambs which was exhibited at the Southland summer show averaged 36.331 b when killed at the freezing works yesterday. Mr W. Clark, a member of the farm committee, said that the lambs were sent to the works by mistake, but there was satisfaction in the result of the killing. “It shows we can produce first-class lamb on the hospital farm,” he added. New Gore High School The foundation stone of the new High School to be erected in Coutts road, Gore, is to be laid in February next year. An invitation is to be extended to the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) to lay the stone in the first week of the first term of 1939. Shearers Give £3O To Hospital Advice of a gift of £3O from a party of. Australian shearers in Queenstown was received by the Southland Hospital Board yesterday. The shearers held a concert and dancS at Queenstown and handed the proceeds to Dr W. A. Anderson, superintendent of the Lake County Hospital. The action of the shearers was appreciated, and the Lake County Hospital will be richer in equipment by an invalid chair and easy chairs for the patients. The board decided to purchase those articles with the money.