Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 267, 5 February 1941, Page 4

Local and General

London Children

Four young children in the Te Puke district received a 10s note to be divided among theyHi as a New Year gift, hut they have sent the note of Mr S. E. Langstonc, secre-tary-manager to the St. John Ambulance Association, saying alsp, in an accompanying letter they all signed, they would like to give it to the London Distress Fund, "to help some poor, homeless child," If the fund was closed, thej r added, they left it to the recipient to find some good use for the money.

Imperturable Chinese,

Photographs of a terrific bombing of the cily ei.' Chungking .by ftie Japanese were used by Mr W. 11. Donald, now visiting Auckland, to illustrate how impossible it is to break the morale of the Chinese. The bombing was (V>ne on the occasion of the dragon-boat "festival, and photographs taken almost as "soon as the bombers had passed, showed that -t crowd estimated at 20,000 had gathered on the river banks and crowded the boats in continuance of the festivities. Mr Donald has been living in Chungking as confidential adviser to Marsha,!. Chiang Kai-shek.

Earthquake Anniversary. Monday, February 3, was the tenth annivcrsaiy of the worst earth quake in the history of New Zealand, It was on the morning of February 3, 1931, tljat tlie Hawke's Bay disaster occurred, resulting in the less

of 255 lives,

White Butterflies Prolific.

Users of the Ohope road lmve been amazed to note the tremendous number of white butterflies which have been attracted by the large paddock of mangolds on the Native Scheme Section. The cultivated paddock, partieuakrly in the morning presents itself as a shivering white mass with the wings of the countless parasites scintillating in the sunshine.

A Nicht Wi' Bums,

Admirers of Scotland's immortal bard fra a' the airts the wind can blaw gathered at Waihi recently l , according to the Waihi Telegraph, which pays high tribute to the. address given at the function by Mr R. Fraser, of Whakatane. Mj: Fraser who was described as being a master of his subject, dealt chiefly witk the lighter side of the poet's life, and an innovation of his- which was very popular was that' Ire punctuated his speech by asking artists to render appropriate musical items.

FARM LABOUR Sir, —I wish tn reply to Te Puke Farmer's letter, as I was somewhat amused at his reply to my first communication to the Beacon. It may surprise him to learn that I was working in Te Puke lor nearly six years and was with one farmer for a period of three years—and one of the 'hardest' farmers at that. He also may he pleased to know that I have been offered a further position at Te Puke at the wage I quoted— not as casual labourer either, and no milking. 1 was sorry to learn that his bad bargain turned out so expensive for liim, as I too have been placed in the same fix with 'duds' as he terms me, but as I have had the farmer's interests at heart, as well as my own, I have paid the hand off, rather than have the herd

dried off through faulty handling. My wife and I have then carried on ourselves. I am sure the badly done by Te Puke farmer coulcl have done likewise, as I have had as many as 130 cows in my charge and have kept my position for 3 and 5 j'ears.

-As for the separator being cut out, it wouldn't have do ire the Te Puke farmer any harm to have put a little oil in it himself. No I'm

that 'To Puke Farmer' is one of those like T" have struck up there who wants to grab all and give a poor man and his wife only £2 a week and found for themselves. This is my first time off farms for 14 years and I'm afraid that unless I can get top wages the farmers and wives and families can have a taste of what I've had. I'm now in a good job (permanent if I like) and it is a job as necessary to the farmers as if I was polling cows teats. My wife and sen don't have to rise at unearthly hours for small wages. Yours etc., EX-SHAREMTLKER. (Con tin lied in next column).

School Not Populai. Probably ever.vono has had the experience of trying to lose a cat and finding it has arrived at home first.. Well, a local young man had a similar experience with his small son yesterday. He took him to school • and with a great line of sales encouraged him t'> try it out. article did not come up to specificates tions evidently five-yea# old was not sold otmJq idea and Shakespeare's schoolboy "creeping like snail unwilling to schooP had nothing on him —nary a ere#, he just wouldn't budge froni hMe after lunch. Father placed.j\ypN n the bar of his cycle and..,del*Ppd him:; for the afternoon effortsof protestation en route >®n several occasions nearly ending with » spill. School was reached eventually - and father tooK the small boy in one door and, as he thought deposited him safeLy, and slipped quietly out another. O# reaching liis bike he found his young hopeful seated thereon. He gave it up for the day.