News in Brief

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 300, 18 December 1931, Page 8

News in Brief

Women Set Standard.

“ It is the women who set the standard of manners in a community,” said Mr H. S. W. King, member of the Board of Governors of the Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, when speaking at the annual presentation of prizes, Mr King said a great deal was heard about the modern girl, but he impressed upon his audience that there was no need to emulate the type, as it was generally known, in order to be popular or sociable. It was possible to be regarded as a sportsman without drinking cocktails.

No Cows or Calves,

Mr J. Hogg, Agricultural Instructor at Wanganui, relates an amusing incident that happened at a country school during the week. Mr Hogg was engaged on his rounds in connection with the Boys’ and Girls’ Calf Clubs, and incidentally produced some protographs, one of the boys and girls at the Avenue School leading the calves on judging day. He showed a little country boy one of the photos and told him it was taken at the Avenue School. The led remarked that his cousin went there, “ but,” he added, “ they have no cows or calves in Wanganui, for auntie, who lives there, gets her milk out of bottles.”

Paying His Rates.

One Inglewood ratepayer, who is in arrears with his county rates, says the “ Taranaki News,” offered to sell two of his cows to help reduce his debt if the council urgently required the rates. He owned a second-hand car, which he could not sell, but he said he was willing to hand it over to the council if it could make use of it. Councillors recognised his honesty of purpose, but considered that it would not be good business for him to dispose of two cows, considering that it would be better for him to utilise their output to reduce the rates.

Vandalism in Library.

The Nelson City Council recently had to pay £l5O to the Nelson Institute for damage done to books in the Public Library. The council’s representative on the institute said a lot of vandalism had been going on in the reading room; plans and pictures had been cut out of books and magazines, and some valuable books had been otherwise defaced. The matter had been put in the hands of the police, but so far they had 'not been able to locate the vandals. The institute wrote to the council saying that it was realised the thoughtless acts were probably those, of irresponsible persons, but nevertheless much damage was done to the citizens’ property. The institute appealed to all citizens to help in bringing the offenders to justice.