LOCAL AND GENERAL

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23387, 19 December 1945, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

R.S.A. Badges.—“ln the past it has been necessary for members joining up to wait several weeks for their badges, but arrangements are now being made by which badges can be supplied within two or three days,” said the president ot the South Canterbury Returned Services’ Association (Mr A. Bell) at a meeting of the executive in Timaru last night.

Jugs of Beer.—"l don’t think I am giving any secrets away when I tell you that some day you may be able to go into a Trust hotel, sit down and order your jug of beer, just as they do in England,” said the chairman, Mr S. Anderson, at a meeting of the Southland Trades Council on Saturday night. Mr Anderson is a member of the Invercargill Licensing Trust.

Chances in a Fight.—“ She asked me if I was looking for a fight,” said a woman witness, describing how an altercation arose between herself and another women, in the course of the hearing of a charge of assault before Mr J. Morling, S.M., in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court. “I replied that I was not looking for a fight,” witness continued, and then added: “Anyway, she was bigger than I, and I knew I would not stand a chance.”

“Allotment Marriages.”—“This seems to be an allotment marriage,” said Mr Justice Cornish at Auckland, when hearing a petition for restitution of conjugal rights brought by an exserviceman. Petitioner said he went overseas a few weeks after his marriage in 1941, and on his return his wife refused to live with him. Counsel said there were several similar cases. “I notice,” said his Honour, “that there is no indication of any change of heart by these wives until after the allotment stops.” He made an order for the return of the wife.

Season’s Greetings.— The season’s greetings were extended to members of the South Canterbury Hospital Board, to the medical, nursing and clerical staffs by the chairman (Mr E. Macdonald) at a meeting of the Board yesterday. He said that the co-operation of all had made his job as chairman almost a sinecure. Mr H. J. Clark said that members had been a happy band under the chairmanship of Mr Macdonald. Tire Medical Superintendent (Dr. J. C. McKenzie) thanked the Board for its consideration of the hospital staff and reciprocated the Board’s good wishes.

“Dangerous” Men.—“ When the Japanese were told by some Germans in Java that Catholic clergymen, Protestant pastors, Jews and Freemasons were all very dangerous people, they collected all the Catholic and Protestant ministers, the Jews and Freemasons from the concentration camps in Java and put them together in one camp, and I can assure you that these men, in spite of their differing religious views, got on very well together,” said Captain Johannes T. Schoon, of the Netherlands Indian Army, in an address which he gave at a meeting in Invercargill.

Hospital Patients.—The average daily occupied beds in the Timaru Public Hospital was 166.2 in November as compared with 180 in November last year, stated the Medical Superintendent (Dr. J. C. McKenzie) in his report to a meeting of the South Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday. Other statistics quoted by him with the figures of the corresponding month last year in parentheses were: Inpatients remaining from October, 190 (177); admitted in November, 250 (241); total treated in November, 440 (418); discharged in November, 288 (239); remaining in hospital, 152 (179). Of the 288 discharged, 163 were cured, 108 relieved, eight unrelieved, and nine died. Of the 152 remaining 23 have been in hospital for more than two months. There were 146 operations in November and 35 confinement cases were attended. Thirty-five children were born in the maternity ward.

Missing Personnel.—An official list of all Second N.Z.E.F. personnel posted as missing as at July 31 of this year has been received by the Canterbury Returned Services’ Association from Dominion Headquarters, Wellington. This list contains the names of 262 members of the Expeditionary Force and gives the following information in respect of each man:—Regimental number, full name, rank, unit, date posted missing, theatre of war and name, address and relationship of next-of-kin. Only three names on the list refer to soldiers operating in the Pacific theatre. “This list will be available for inspection by all interested parties, and no doubt it will prove mast useful.” commented the president (Mr A. Bell) at last night’s meeting of the executive. The list is to be retained at the Association’s office in Timaru.

Generous Pocket Money.—An appeal to parents to teach their daughters to husband their money more carefully was made by Miss R. I. Gardner, headmistress of the Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, in her report presented at the prize-giving. She said there was ignorance among the girls of the value of small sums of money, and they were completely indifferent to anything less than half a crown. “If boys of the same age are equally indifferent to small sums, there are going to be many stormy passages when two careless spendthrifts begin to live on the wages of one,” Miss Gardner added. “I would ask parents, therefore, when they let their daughters have so much pocket-money to spend, that they at least make them responsible for providing for themselves something definite out of it.” Staff and Machinery.—“We must be careful not to reach the stage when we have all staff but no machinery.” Mr M. S. Turton warned a meeting of the South Canterbury Catchment Board yesterday. The chief engineer (Mr G. R. Milward) replied that the Board would have two and maybe four draglines at work in the Ashburton County in a few weeks’ time. He reminded the Board that much survey work had to be done before machinery could be put to work. The chairman (Dr. P. R. Woodhouse) said that he did not anticipate any difficulty in securing machinery in the future. There was no doubt that work was accumulating and Mr Milward had a responsible job, and the Board could not afford to waste his time on preparing details. It was decided to call applications to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mr E. Robinson as assistant engineer, and. if a suitable applicant was available, to appoint a third assistant engineer. Latest Howlers.—This is the time of year when, with examination papers all corrected, and, in most cases, the year's work over, school teachers delight in recounting the latest howlers. Each year the magazine of the Hamilton Technical High School specialises in howlers, and the standard' is well maintained in the issue recently published. Here is a selection: “America was responsible for the lend least system.” “One of the things the Labour Government did for the people was to pass a law that if you got into a house you could not be put out of it; this was called the Fair Ransack.” “General Smuts is the only man in the British Army who is allowed to wear a beard ” “Rajah Brooke was the wild man from Borneo.” “Governments in New Zealand now look after school children better than they used to. For instance, instead of Latin and French, we now get free milk, apples sometimes, and some boys get currant affairs.”