Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 117, 16 June 1941, Page 4

Local and General

Thanks From Red Cross. The convenors of the Red Cross shop have expressed thanks to donors for the gifts received for the" stall at the Winter Show. Specir.i thanks were extended to the Whakatane Technical School girls who ser:r excellent cakes and other goods every daj r , and to the "Old Woman in the Shoe," who donated her prize money to the Red Gross fund. The amount raised for the funds was £41 2s. A Genuine Casualty. During an ambulance demonstration in Christchurch, two female enthusiasts called for a volunteer from among the crowd to act as a subject Grinning bashfully, a worthy citizen stepped forth. In lifting him on the stretcher, the girls dropped him, breaking one of his arms. They then put him into the ambulance to send him to hospital, but did not push tin stretcher in far enough and shut the door on his head, causing concussion. Thus within five minutes the hale and hearty volunteer Avas trans-, formed into a genuine casualty tin-, der two separate headings. Ancient Maori Game. In remote rative schools in tho north the ancient Maori game of lop whipping is still played in the same manner and with the same materials as Avere used generations ago. The tops, which are larger than their European prototypes, are panistakingly carved by hand from pohumanuka or totara. The whip »s made from fiax or cabbage tree leaves, tied to a manuka handle, and the method of spinning is to roll the in the fibres, then sfet it in mo4?on with a deft flick of the wrist, it i l -' a matter of whipping, and the children expend vast energy chasing the tops as they spin in playgrounds. clown tracks, in pad- : (locks and even along beaches.

Snowfalls. Gisbornc had another fall of snow around the hills during the weekend, Hawke's Bay district had on*> of the heaviest falls on the hills seen for a long time. Very little rain fell in Gisborne last week. A - strong southerly wind lowered the temperature considerably and the snowfall was fairly general. Farmers' Union Membership. Representing an increase on the previous year of 114, the membership was over 9800, stated the Auckland Provincial president of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, Mr H. M. Rushworth, at the opening of the annual provincial conference in Auckland recently. The actual figure could not be estimated, he said, because of the -JifTerent method of paying fees, but the figure given was for present financial members. Slump in Half-Pennies; In England children of the poor are finding that as a result of the war the halfpenny has lost most of its purchasing power. Where it used to buy anything at all in the sweet line, it will not buy much. One little boy, after being toUl that he couldn't have a ha-porth of this, that, and the other, was leaving the shop and Avas called back and told that he had left his halfpenny on the counter. "It doesn't matter," he said in a tone of resignation. "I can't buy anything Avith it." Sharemilkers Move Out and In. A number of sharemilkers moved from one farm to another on the Rangitaiki Plains at the start of the month to take up new milking en* gagements for the 1941-42 dairying season. The outward and visible signsi of this "general post" of sharemilker families were truck loads of furniture on the roads and the shifting of rural mail boxes. In a district so well served .by rural mail deliveries this annual change round of soni" families causes; quite a lot of quick thinking on thel part of the drivers who deliver mail and parcels,

Territorial Training. The new training year for the Territorial Force commences on Sundav next and the local company will parads under Cantain J. W. Wilson. State Houses. A further 1H S:ate Houses are to be erected in the Borough, a local building firm having commenced on one contract having the preliminary arrangements for another completed. Red Cross Shop. On Friday next the ladies of the Lyceum Club are to take charge 1 of the Red Cross Shop for the day, and intend making a big effort with sale of cakes. Patriotic Dance. Another of the popular dances organised by the Ladies' Patriotic Committee drew a crowd to the King Street Hall on Saturday evening, The usual bright programme was arranged the music being sup- ' plied by Mrs Armstrong's orchestra. 4rt Union Prizes. Four people of the Whakatane district were prize winners in "That lucky Feeling" Art Union. Amounts of £10 .were won by H. R. Tunui, Whakatane, and J. W. Roper, Ohope while £5 went to "Lucky Man," Whakatane, and "Lu?ky as H ," T'e Teko. Dance Attractions. | Edgecumbe is to receive a visit from the local Caledonian Society tomorrow night when a Goodwill Ingleside is to be held in that centre, 'and a bright Scottish night offered. On Monday next the T'aneatua Hall will be the centre of attraction when a dance is to be held to -benefit the funds of the W.W.S.A. Tar on Windows. The windows of Mn C. H. Norries shop in Commerce Street recently attracted the attentions of some irresponsible person or persons, the glass and window sashes being "d«with tar and considerable damage caused. We understand that the local police are making diligent efforts to- make sn arrest. Thornton Home Guard. The Thornton Home Guard has changed its hours of parades at weekends to from. 12.30 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. in view of the commencement of the feeding out of hay to dairy herds occupying the time of members in the mornings. Instruction in throwing hand grenades, bayonet fighting and the making of tank traps out of wire was given at the

recent parade. Bad Approaches. "In Rome Mussolini has shown what can be attained by clearing the approaches to monumental buildings. It is a pity that we cannot tame a real live dictator and employ him in planning and improving our public cities. It would be less costly than allowing him to plunge the world into war," remarked Mr R. L. Atidrew during the course of an address to the technological section cf the Wellington branch of the Royal Society. Mr Andrew was referring to several of Wellington's more prominent buildings, how they had either been placed in the wrong place or were spoilt by the approaches. Clearance Sales. This month finds, a number of clearance sales arranged, sharemilkers having given up herds and farmers who have disposed of the whole or part of their properties offering many head of stock for sale, and a farmer who wished to attend all the sales-would lind his next fortnight a busy one. On Wednesday a sale will be held on Mr E. M. Chalmers property at Awakeri, while on the following day in the same district Mr W. D. Jones' herd will be offered. Again on Friday the ThorntonMatata road property of Mrs A. R. Bennett will attract buyers, making three days of the week. The following week commences: with a large offering at the T'e Teko stcVek sale ond continues with a clearance on Mr A. H. Adams* farm on Wednesday, an auction of land and stock at McGarvey's Road on Friday. To<lfiy on the Athentree property a sale of I'Ofl Jersey and Jersey Cross heifers is to be held.