LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3808, 14 September 1936, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An alarm of fire was sounded at about 7.15 on Saturday evening, and tlie Fire Brigade made a smart turnout to find that a chimney in Ivanhoe boardinghouse was ablaze. The outbreak was quickly quenched without any serious damage being done.

A local wrestling enthusiast listened in to a wrestling match at Brisbane Stadium last Saturday evening, and informs us that the former Te Awamutu resident, Bill Bayne, was a contestant, though our informant did not know the result of the match. Advices by mail showed that a fortnight previous Bayne was injured in a match, but as he was able to compete again on Saturday night the injury could not have been serious.

Taking advantage of the discount of 5 per cent offered by the Morrinsville Borough Council during August, Morrinsville property owners paid rates for the current year totalling £5379, or 73.4 per cent of rates due. This is- £139 more than was paid by Morrinsville ratepayers during the discount month last year. As a result of, this high rate collection the district fund account is now £1614 in credit.

Fertiliser workers employed in the works of Kempthorne, Prosser and Company's New Zealand Drug Company, Ltd., at Westfield, absented themselves on Saturday, apparently because they objected to Saturday work. Although the management tried to get in touch with officials of the union, it was unable to ascertain officially whether the action of the men was intended to be confined to Saturday, or whether the absence could be construed as a protest strike that is to continue. It is stated that following representations from the men, two fertiliser works decided to discontinue Saturday work. Kempthorne, Prosser’s men at Westfield had worked on the previous Saturday under protest.

The Waipa Rugby Union’s third grade representative team that has withstood four challenges this season for the Cucksey Cup, and incidentally gave very attractive displays of Rugby in each match, were the guests of the donor of the cup, Mr E. H. Cucksey, at a complimentary dinner at the Te Awamutu Hotel on Friday evening. With the players were officials of the Rugby Union, the selector of the representative team (Mr C. W. Smith) and coach (Mr H. F. Ensor). After full justice had been done to a splendid dinner, delightfully served, a number of appropriate toasts were honoured, including that of the donor of the cup, and afterwards the boys were the guests of Mr Cucksey at a picture entertainment at the Regent Theatre.

At the Wanganui races on Saturday the Gonville Hack Hurdles was won by Mr W. Thomson’s gelding Lucidus, and the Higgle Handicap by Mr L. Hodgson’s Delrain, whicn is trained by Mr J. H. Mcßae at Te Awamutu. The other Te Awamutu horses failed to act up to expectations.

An estimated profit of £lOO will result from the Cambridge Borough Jubilee celebrations, according' to a statement presented to a meeting of the executive committee by the organising secretary, Mr Frank T. Ray. This amount will be available for some public benefit and does not include grants totalling £B2 which were made at the meeting.

Not the least interesting feature of the dinner tendered by Mr E. H. Cucksey to the Waipa third grade rep. team on Friday afternoon, upon their success in withstanding four challenges for the Cucksey Cup, was the presentation to each guest of a souvenir menu, containing the scores in games this season. Some ot the players obtained the signature of Mr Cucksey and his staff on the menus, and doubtless they will treasure the souvenirs as reminders of a very pleasan; function.

At the conclusion of the Waipa Rugby Union’s third grade championship, opportunity was taken by the Te Awamutu team to present Mr W. W. Young, the popular manager of the team, a handsome writing set in appreciation of his guidance and assistance. In making the presentation Mr p. Gedge, the captain of the team, said: ’’On behalf ot the Te Awamutu third grade football team I would ask you to accept this small gift in appre ciation of your invaluable guidance and management which have led us to many victories this season. If we have the good fortune to retain your services next season we feel confident that we will win the championship." Mr Young suitably replied, and in thanking the team for their co-opera-tion assured them of his unfailing support at all times.

“ We intend to make this organisation a live one. There will be no sleeping on the job,” said the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, in announcing-that the first meeting of the National Road Safety Council would be held in Wellington on September. One of the council’s first iobs, Sai dthe Minister, was_ to devise a general educational campaign on safety first principles. The council would from time to time consider amendments to the law, with the object of securing better conditions on the highways. “That, in my opinion,” he said “is the crux of the whole matter. The conditions on the highways are the root cause of the majority of accidents.” Education of th peublic on safety first principles would be undertaken as soon as possible trf this end. “Human lives have got to be saved,” said the Minister, ‘and they are going to be saved, if energy and effort count for anything.”