BLUFF NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 25794, 4 October 1945, Page 7

BLUFF NEWS

CROQUET CLUB.— The Bluff Croquet Club has opened its 1945-46 season. The Mayor, Mr N. W. McGorlick, congratulated the women on the appearance of their green, and added that he thought that perhaps the council would assist the club to get the extra piece of ground they had into playing condition. Mrs H. Newton, club captain, welcomed the members of the various Invercargill clubs who were present. Several competitions were held and the results were: French croquet, Mrs M. Wilson; angles, Mrs T. Stirland; Comer ball, Mrs A. Begley; ladder, Mrs M. Wilson; silk stockings, Mr N. W. McGorlick; groceries, Miss M. Nichol; wool winder, Mrs D. Martin. AWARUA BOATING CLUB.— The annual meeting of the Awarua Boating Club was held last week. The election of officers resulted: Patron, the Hon. T. F. Doyle; president, Mr C. S. Hunter; secretary, Mr J. Parry; vice-presidents, Dr A. R. Ross, Messrs A. E. Budd, S. Davidson, C. Beaton, T. Ross, T. West, J. Dawson, A. Rouse and C. Barry; club captain, Mr E. Robertson; deputy captain, Mr F. Sargeant; auditor, Mr R. N. Porter; delegates to the Southland Rowing Association, Messrs N. Johnston and W. Burtenshaw; vice-president on the Southland Rowing Association, Mr T. West; committee, Messrs F. Lindqvist, C. Calder, J. Nixie and M. Crosse; selector, Mr C. S. Hunter; caretakers, Messrs C. Calder and M. Crosse. It was decided that the date for the club’s opening be left till later in the month. The possibility of running the New Zealand championships at the Bluff regatta this season was referred to, but it did not appear likely that the club’s claim would be successful. U.F.S. SILVER JUBILEE.— The Bluff United Friendly Societies recently celebrated their silver jubilee. In 1920 there was the likelihood of the chemists’ business at Bluff being closed, and the proposal to form a Friendly Societies’ dispensary was brought before the Loyal Awarua Lodge by Bro. J. S. A. McDougall, who outlined a scheme which he thought could be successfully carried out. Unanimously, the Lodge approved the suggestion and agreed to hold a conference of representatives of the three existing societies in Bluff. Bro. McDougall was appointed secretary-treasurer at that meeting and has served in that capacity ever since. In recognition of the service he has given during the past 25 years he was presented with a sum of money. , - , VITAL STATISTICS— For the month ended September 30 five births and two deaths were registered at Bluff compared with six births and one marriage in 1944. Eighteen births, five deaths and two marriages were registered for the quarter ended September 30 compared with nine births, six deaths and two marriages in 1944. W.E.A. LECTURE— “Although coal is the number one power resource, oil must be recognized as an important factor in modem warfare,” said Mr S. Parks, when speaking on “Coal and oil power politics” at the Bluff W.E.A. meeting. Mr Parks spoke of the four major oilfields of the world, and mentioned the immense portion controlled by the United States, which was still trying to get more oil from the Middle East region. Russia, too, was becoming more interested in the question of oil and was naturally turning to those fields which lay closest to her own frontiers, he said. A suggestion which had been made to internationalize this area was not favoured by American oil interests. Control of oilfields had been one of the underlying reasons for Germany’s and Japan’s attack on the Allied nations, and until some new force such as atomic energy had been explored international attention would remain focused on oil.