Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 226, 16 October 1940, Page 4

Local and General

Efficiency Tests. Members of Government Departments are at presentu ndergoing the annual efficiency tests. In Whakatane the examinations, held yester day and to-day, were in the County Council Chambers, the supervisor being Mr K. Eggers, of the Post and Telegraph Department. Camouflaged Cars On a recent visit to Waiouru, two staff officers left their camouflaged car parked on the side of a hill while they went on a tour of inspection over surrounding country. After being away for a considerable time, the officers decided to return to their car, which they could not find. It took about 10 minutes searching through binoculars before they located it, blended in naturally with the grass around it. The incident showed the effectiveness of army Uietiiods of camouflage.

Total Collection The pakcha section of the Awakeri Patriotic Committee has to date collected in all ways the sum of £227 ! 18s Gel. Soomethimg of a Judge. . Recently a Hauraki Plains farmer caused a spot of amusement for | the local collectors of bobby calves. The farmer in question visited -the Paex-oa Railway Station while the calves were being loaded, saying that lie wished to pick out a few good heifer calves to rear. It was pointed out that it was rather a difficult thing to do to select good calves without some information as to their dams. Our farmer friend, however, claimed that he could tell good calves and knew where to look for evidence of butterfat production. He selected seven calves and took them home well satisfied with his bargain but next calf day re-* turned one of the calves per carrier for shipment to the freezing works, His high production heifer calf had proved to be a bull. !

A Pig Drive At the last meeting of the Awaken District Patriotic Committee it was decided to hold a pig drive, the pigs given to be auctioned at the first sale in November. I Home Guard Training. "I understand that arrangements have been made for copies "of somfe of the Army Manuals to be printed for assistance in the training of the Home Guard," said Mr R. Sinel, Dominion Organiser, on Monday. Owing to the shortage of paper, said Mr Sinel, only a,limited number of copies would be printed. A Request. Would ladies knitting for the Red Gross and Patriotic Guilds kindly-re-turn completed articles to the depot int he Strand as soon as possible. A case of ccrmforts is being packed for Red Gross Headquarters and the committee wishes to complete quota of knitted goods" for the Patriotic Board before the Xmas vacation. Hillcrest Water Supply. An improved water supply for Hillcrest, involving the installation of a higher pressure tank and enlarged mains, is at present engaging the Borough outside staff. It has been found necessary 011 two days to close part of the Hillcrest Road to enable the ma.ins to foe laid. The estimated cost of the work is £200, Only One Penalty. Replying to a question asked by Mr F. W. K. Raymond, Mr R. Sinel, Dominion Organiser of the Home Guaid, said that, if a Guardsman, after taking the oath, did not parade when ordered, he would be dismissed. That was the only penalty provided for. It would foe possible for a man to secure a discharge upon representations to the commanding officer. Instructions in Shearing Eight young farmers who had been receiving instruction in shearing at the special classes at Ruakura Farm had made very satisfactory progress, said Mr W. R. Ranstead, at a meeting of the executive of the Waikato Agricultural < and Pastoral Association. Similar classes, said Mr Ranstead, would "be held at the farm in November. The president, Mr. W. R. J. Franklin, said that the association would do well to foster such shearing classes to ilie best of its ability.

Purchase of Mower A matter for much discussion at the monthly meeting of the Borough Council on Monday night -was the purchase of a mower. It v was stated that the present horse mower would have to be replaced and the same applied to the horse. The question resolved itself into the purchasing of a power mower, at a cost of about £325, or the replacement of the horse and mower at an estimated cost of £50. Though the Borough Foreman explained that operating costs for the power machine would be less than those for the other, the council, on the score of economy, decided on the cheaper course. Bombing of London'. - Even where there was no direct hit, the destruction that can be done to buildings of massive character by bomb blasts is described in a letter received by an Auckland firm from its. London manager. He told of the virtual destruction of a sevenstorey building that contained the London offices of the firm. The bomb fell in the centre of the roadway and, while the floors generally Withstood the shock pf the explosion, all the partitioning walls were blown away. All the records in wooden cupboards were lost/ but those in iron, filing cabinets were preserved. Yet the iron grillework and the gates of the lift shaft', which were in the part of the building farthest from the bomb, were torn out and missing>