Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 93, 19 August 1942, Page 4

Local and General

- I WHitebait Season The iirst runs of whitebait in (the Tarawera River resulted in small catches last week-end. The first were selling at 5/- a pound in Whakatane. A Conscientious Maori He was a hard worked Home Guard Instructor in one of the country companies attached to the Whakatane Battalion. His immediate task was instructing a group of Maoris under his coniiftfwul in the judging og fiekl distances. One Maori was asked to estimate the distance to a row of trees on the horizon. As he 1 did not appear to have the haziest 1 idea, our hero told him to step it out and report the result. The Maori duly set off, stolidly plodding along. The retjirn trip was also made in the same careful, calculated manner. "Well, what's the distance now," queried the weary instructor. "I 1 idunno, came the shattering answer, "I can't count!" Fire-Watching Story A sharp blow on the head roused a Wellington fire-watcher from slumber on the night of the recent earthquake. Clapping one hand to the injured part, he staggered out of bed and switched on the light. Before it failed, he was horrified to discover that his face, his hands, his clothes and his bed were stained with crimson fluid. Fumbling in the dark, he sought to summon aid. His past wen't before him like a horrible movie. His legs felt faint . But lie almost wished it had been blood when a fellow fire-watch' er pointed out that a bottle of red in!k had fallen from the shelf above his bed! That, anyway, is the 3tory that they are telling in fire-watching circles. The Thomas Splint We have had our attention called to a misnomer which has mysteriously gained wide local currency, and this is in connection with the 'Thomas' splint, which is now the centre of attention in Home Guard Medical Section and other branches of St. John Ambulance instruction. Some culprit! started ithc title 'St. Thomas' splint, j wuich in perfect good faith has been repeated on all sides. The appelation, is quite wrong as our informant (a. qualified nurse) points out. The splint was invented by a Dr. Thomas, during the last w r ar and was directly responsible for saving untold lives. It has nothing to do with St Thomas Hospital, London, Thomas-a-Becket, or Tom Thumb for that matter and it is to be hoped that the 'Beacon' also having erred innocently in the same direction. will by this little explanation assist towards correcting the misconception.