Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 148, 29 August 1941, Page 4

Local and General

Boys' Band Donation. In a list of collectors authorised to accept funds for the Boys' Band published in our last issue the name of Mrs K. S. Eggers was omitted. Red Cross Campaign. Shoppers are reminded that all day to-day and to-morrow morning there is to be a Bring and Buy effort at the Red Cross Shop in aid of Mrs J. Crapp's group. Good Weather for Lambs. Young lambs on Whakatane district sheep farms have been doing well during the mild weather of recent weeks. A continuance of fine Sunny days will be beneficial to ewes and lambs by ensuring a good supply of succulent grass. Hospital Problems. "I don't know what the position is going to be in the future—the hospital is full now even with all the extra money which has been spent," said Cr A. F. McGougan on Tuesday when the County Council was discussing hospital finance. Kiss Me Good-night Sgt. Major. At a recent concert in the King Street Hall the audience was convulsed by the innocent remark of a tiny tot in one ot the front seats who at the phychological moment remarked very loudely "He should have sung Kiss me Good-night Sergeant Major." Hospitality ! Apparently there is nothing which can prevent the dispensing of hospitality at Waimana and the reputation of that centre for welcoming visitors must be maintained at all costs. On Wednesday, when a number of visitors accompanied county council members to witness the opening of a canal, several ladies braved the heavy rain and dispensed refreshments on the river bank. The scene of the operations was too far from any house *o, in spite of the downpour, Mrs Ft. F. Wardlaw and her helpers saw to the inner needs of man. Plenty of Hay in Stock. Thanks to favourable haymaking weather last summer most farms on the Rangitaiki Plains were well supplied Avith stocks of hay for the winter. With winter merging into spring there are still plenty of untouched haystacks to be seen. It is probable that a good many stacks uill not be required as supplementary feed for the herds this year, and ao will be carried over until next winter. This is very desirable, as no one can fortell what the weatner will be like when next harvesting ?eason comes round. Another point ts that there will certainly be less manpower for haymaking next summer, and so farmers may not be able? to harvest as much hay as in previous years. ' . Wouldn't Play. Although its completion was perhaps not quite as important as that of the Boulder Dam or even Arapuni, the opening of the canal for the diversion of the Waimana river, which took place oh Wednesday, attracted a great deal of interest. A river may be, coaxed, but not driven, and the Waimana may have decided not to adopt the new course so attractively laid out by the county engineer. In spite of heavy rain, and with oilskins and gumboots the order of the day, settlers watched the blowing of bank and the alteration of the river's course. One spectator at least was in one way disappointed as; he was heard to complain to the coun-r ty chairman that he had at least expected him to jump into the :anal as a form of an opening ceremony. The suggestion did not meet with enthusiasm, although conditions were practically as wet Dn the river bank as they would have been in mid-stream. Overdone ! Government Departments are adopting many ideas for the saving of paper—Using envelopes twice find so on—but it appears that their efforts in some directions are misguided.. While many of the usual circulars are "dished out" at random from several departments, others are curtailing paper to great inconvenience to the general public. For instance the printing of telephone directories is not undertaken so often and, although this 1 !s not minded generally, some local residents feel that a directory which could at least be read should be placed in the public telephone booth. Yesterday a man entered the public box in the Strand and for the second time found a torn and filthy, directory, unreadable. He was wrath when he had to visit a nearby store to look Up his number.