In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24860, 28 September 1942, Page 4

In the News

Help from Students x An idea which might well be adopted by Southland farmers who are finding difficulty in securing labour for the sowing of essential crops was tried out successfully by an Invercargill resident on Saturday. Mr Frank Holloway approached the principal of the Southland Technical College (Mr C. A. Stewart) for the services of some students on Saturday to help in the planting of three acres of potatoes at South Invercargill. Six boys reported for duty and worked with a will to complete the job. A single-furrow plough and two teams of horses were used and between 7.25 a.m. and 5.10 p.m. the task was finished. “They were great workers and farmers who are desperately short of assistance could use these boys with every confidence,” Mr Holloway said. Not for Children When the broadcasting hour of a certain serial heard from Station 4YZ was changed until later in the evening the alteration was made to meet the objections of parents to the unsuitability of the item for juvenile ears. However, at least one Invercargill mother apparently did not consider the broadcast undesirable for her son because it is reported that she roused the child from sleep to ensure that he would hear the continuation of the story. “Mayoral” Elections A novel way of raising funds for patriotic purposes, the holding of “mayoral” elections, has been introduced in Eastern Southland. Early in the month a community sing and mayoral election was held at Balfour when more than £5OO was raised and last week a community sing and mayoral contest was held at Wendon resulting in about £3OO being raised. The election at Balfour resulted in each candidate being equally supported, but at Wendon Mr Andrew Dickon was placed at the top of the poll. This week a community, sing and mayoral election is to be held at Knapdale and it is confidently expected that another successful night will be held. Reading of Modern Boy “It is surprising what boys will read if they are given the opportunity,” said Mr J. L. Cameron, a master at the Southland Boys’ High School in an address at the annual meeting of the Old Boys’ Association of the school on Saturday night. “During the first two terms of this year 3000 books were issued from the school library and a little less than half were non-fiction. History was in favour. On the first day that the library was open this term HO books were issued, 47 non-fiction and 63 fiction. This shows that the boys’ reading is sound and varied and that they are interested in what is going on in the world. I think that the boy of today is better read and more widely cultured than was the boy of my day. Wje often hear criticism of the modem boy, but he is every bit as good, and in some ways better, than his predecessors.” “Abe, My Boy” A popular ballad of other days was resurrected by anglers when honouring a toast at the annual social function of the Southland Anglers’ Club on Saturday night The toast was “Our Patron, Mr Abraham Wachner,” -'and the ballad was “Abe My Boy!”. The toast was honoured enthusiastically, more so because of the association of names than the exhortations of the theme of the song. First Bluegum The first bluegum tree grown in Canterbury was propagated from a seed placed in error in a packet of onion seed received from Australia over 50 years ago, according to a paragraph in the City Beautiful. The seeds were sown in a suitable place, and, to the surprise of the gardener, a “stranger” appeared. It soon showed that it was not a spring onion, but a gum seedling, and it grew over 4ft high the first year. Becoming too large for the home garden, it was transplanted to the river bank near the Gloucester street bridge, and there grew into a mighty tree which was a well-known feature until it was of necessity cut down a few years ago.