LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4218, 1 December 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The local Retailers’ Association notifies the general public that most of the local shops be closed next Monday from noon to enable employees so desiring to attend the mass meeting at Claudelands show grounds during the afternoon.

Rainfall recorded in Te Awamutu during November by Mr W. Jeffery, the official recorder for the Dominion meteorologist, totalled 2.74 inches. Rain fell on sixteen days, the heaviest fall, .64in., being recorded on the 16th. Rainfall for November last year was 4.98 inches.

At a late hour on Wednesday night a motorist, travelling along the State Highway, let his car get out of control at a point north of the Te Rahu inter-section, and the vehicle crashed into a telephone pole with sufficient force to knock the post out of alignment and bring down some of the wires. More is likely to be heard of the matter.

A schoolboy named Leslie Bishop had the misfortune on Wednesday evening to sustain rather severe burns on both feet, the result of inadvertently stepping into some hot ashes near the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co’s factory. The lad was hurried home and treatment applied to relieve the excessive pain. He is now reported to be in a satisfactory condition, though he will be a “cot case” for several days.

Is there a genuine shortage of farm labour in this district? Opinions differ for while it has been publicly announced that efforts were being made to secure men for harvesting from outside districts, there were men seeking vainly for this class of work. In one or two instances the difference in wages offered and wages demanded was the obstacle to employment. However, there seems to be an unsatisfied demand for young active men skilled in regular farm labour.

.Citizens are to be asked to submit suggestions to the Christchurch City Council for a new motto for the city. It was decided by the Council at a recent meeting that the present motto was not suitable, and the by-laws and finance committee was asked to consider a change- The committee has now recommended to the Council that suggestions should be received. Many have already reached the Council, but more are required in order to make the scope for the choice wider. The present motto of the city of Christchurch is “ Britons, Hold Your Own.”

Yesterday was a particularly busy* day in Te Awamutu, there being a large number of farmers and their families in town. But a good deal of comment was made owing to the local banks being closed. It was St. Andrew’s Day. Shopkeepers were trying to cope with the demand for goods—and change from cheques and banknotes—and found the banking facilities closed to them. One shopkeeper said he had to turn quite a number of customers away. When asked had he not remembered the holiday, and the consequent need for having an additional supply of change available, he replied: ‘No—< and the farmers didn’t either.”

“In the event of petrol rationing being reintroduced at any time after the restrictions are lifted on December 1 the licenses and coupons at present in use will be used again,” said the Oil Fuel Controller, Mr G. Laurenson, in Wellington on Wednesday. “Holders of ordinary petrol licenses and motorists having coupon sheets are therefore requested to put them away in a safe place in ease they are wanted again. Holders of special monthly license allowing them to purchase supplies from any petrol station should return them at the end of this month to the post Office which issued them. Purchasers of second-hand cars are request in their own interests to insist on obtaining the coupons along with the vehicles.”