Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 36, 24 December 1943, Page 4

Local and General

A Flip with "Paddy" Ted Upton, avlio is* serving on a Hospital ship in the Mediterranean area tells in a letter to his father, Mr W. W. Upton., Opotiki, of his meeting Avith Pilot Officer ''Paddy" Chambers who some time ago won fame and the D.F.C. Avhen he shot down four out of five Italian torpedo bombers single-handed in ten minutes. Ted had the privilege of being taken up for a "flip" by Paddy. Ohope Learn-to-Swim Pool An S.OwS. has been sent in ane.nt the learn-to-swim pool at Ohope, by the main sponsor of the project, Mr F. Mahy. Apparently the pipes feeding the bath have become blocked with silt and as it is imperative to have the bath functioning fully for the holiday season a Avorking bee of those interested is necessary. Would parents and otlicr persons interested please contact Mr Mahy with this work in view at the. earliest possible moment. Health Stamp Sales The sales of Health Stamps during October and November totalled the substantial sum of £37,800. This is well over double the amount received during the whole of the five months of last year's campaign. Health camp funds have already reaped a benefit of £13,000 from this year's sales, but the objective set is £25.000 for this year. There is no doubt that the triangular | stamps, with their portraits of the I Princesses, are proving very popuI lar, and it is expected that the twe. ve million which have been printed will all be sold before the campaign concludes in February | next.

Longest Day Passes By Tuesday—a summer's day in Whakatane —was generally regarded as being the longest, day of the year with the occur ranee of the summer solstice. Actually the length of the. days scarcely vary for a wc-ok. The sun is now at the; most southern portion of its apparent path, rising highest, in the New Zealand sky than.at the Equator. An Interesting Carving Those who pass C. S. Armstrong's Stationers window, and who have been arrested by the beautiful piece of Maori carving on display there will be interested to learn that it is a carved memorial plaque, which will shortly be sent home as a New Zealand tribute, to the memory of Dr. Frank Collie. The late Dr. Collie established himself in the Old Country as one of the foremost workers in the. interests of dumb animals. Not only did he play a prominent part in the founding of numerous 'kennels' lor strays, found in the streets of the larger citics, but during the present war lie paid the registration fees (personally) for/ 500 dogs whose owners had gone; oversea s with the lighting forces. His interest in dogs anil horses led him to build up a world-wide organisation which supported, his funds by means of used postage stamps, which were cashed in on by the dealers. In the 1 Dominion there were two such collectors one in Dunediu and the other in Whakatane, and it is due to the interest of these two ladies that the decision to have a suitable plaque carved and forwarded to the. Old Country, was first conceived and carried into effect. The plaque will he mounted and hung in the Surrey Kennels Avhich the late Dr. Collie founded and wiljf serve as a reminder of the Avidespread nature of his work and supporters.

Whose Leg Was Pulled ? The following paragraph is from the New York newspaper., P.M. :—■ "Lieutenant John H. Fulling has reached Denver on the last leg ol a 10,000 mile journey from New Zealand to the. Smithsonian institution at Washington, bearing a cage which contains two rare ke.wee birds, also known as cagou. I o the uninformed lie looks like an Army lieutenant bearing a cage which contains two seagulls." School "Howlers" When school examinations are very much in evidence the following "howlers" are apropos: Mana was Moses' sister. Rabies are Jewish priests. Medusa was one of the Grogans. An expert is a man who knows nothing else. Indian summer is mighty near all that i.s left of the lindians. The. Zodiac is the zoo of the sky where lions, goats and other animals go when they die. There are two genders, masculine and feminine; the masculines are divided into temperate and intemperate, the feminine into frigid and torrid. Public Opinion and Bookmaking "For any law to be enforced effectively it must have the support of public opinion," said Mr D. Campbell at a luncheon held by South Canterbury Justices of the Peace Association in Timaru. "There seems to be a strong opinion against I lie. idea that it is a wrong tiling to take a bet with a bookmaker. Many people cannot see why it should be legal to make a bet on the totalisator and yet be illegal to place a bet with a bookmaker. The fact is that the law against bookmaking has not got the. support of a great deal of public opinion."

Lady Godiva Rides To-night Another reminder to the public is given, that Lady Godiva. will ride through the Strand thijs evening, headed by a brace of pipers and escorted by mounted henchmen. An invitation is extended to all who are in town to freely support the siale of tickets, one of which will be the lucky one, and which is worth £5 to the buyer. Lady Godiva whose identity will not be known, has expressed a desire to assist the project of the V.A.D. buiMing fund, and knowing Whakataneans as we do, we have no fear as to the liberal support they will give to such a worthy cause.