Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 153, 29 April 1940, Page 4

Local and General

Correct Breathing Instruction. The opinion that not one child in New Zealand schools was breathing correctly was expressed by Mr I. W. Mudford at a meeting of the Wanganui Education Board. Mr P. A. Smithells, Superintendent of Physical Education, who was present, . stated that the teaching of breath-* ing was a subtle process and a job for specialists. "We have tried the teaching of proper breathing ifl schools for 25 years in England and made a failure of it," he added. (Mr Mudford stated that there was no reason why a failure should be made of it in this country. There was plenty of pure air, and it was only a question of proper instruction. R.S.A. A change in the constitution of the N.Z.R.S.A. in the direction of making returned men from the present war eligible for membership is expected to be made at tlhe annual meeting on May 1, probably as the result of the action of the Paeroa and Hauraki Plains branch in granting membership to a Paeroa boy who was home on leave from H M.S. Achilles after the River Plate battle. Not only did the branch claim to be the first to enrol a man who had served in the present war, but, as the boy was only 17 years of age, the branch also claimed to have the youngest member of the N.Z.R.S.A. However, the enrolment was uncoustitional, for, while the boy had sex*ved in His Majesty's forces overseas, he had not been discharged, so was not a returned man;

Air Mail Service. The Postmaster, Mr L. G. Wood, advises that air mails for letters by the trans-Tasman Air Service close at the Whakatane post office at 12.15 p.m. on Friday of every week County Finances. "The cash position is good; in fact it is better than it has been for some years/* said Mr C. G. when reviewing the County's finances for the year. The Chairman, Mr I. L. Burnett, congratulated the Clerk on the splendid report commented on the sound financial position. Ragwort Eradication. The Department of Agriculture has advised the Whakatane County Council that a grant of £400 fcfts been made to enable the Council to undertake further ragwort eradica- [ tion. Operations must cease as soon as this additional grant was expend-, ed. The Chairman reported to the Works Committee that action was being taken to expend the grant in badly infested areas. Red Cross Annual Meeting. Members of the Whakatane Red Gross Society are reminded of the annual meeting, which takes place at the Borough Council Chambers on Thursday, May 9, at 2.30 p.m. With the growing need for the raising of funds and the execution of other work in this connection it is urgently to be hoped that all last year's members will rejoin and make themselves instrumental in increasing membership by bringing others ilong with them.,