ITEMS OF INTEREST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 61, 3 April 1945, Page 7

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Soldier's Reaction to Strikes The following extract dealing tlie recent railway strike is taken from a letter written to relatives in Wliakatane by a sergeant Avlfo has been on overseas service fwr the past live years, ami who is at present in Italy. He states: 'This railway strike is a nice sort of thing and was thoroughly appreciated by Jerry who told us exactly what sortof scum our stay-at-home friendg were when lie broadcast, a day or two ago. The. way the people in New Zealand carry on though certainly does, not make them anyone to be proud of.' Joke Home to Roost A Christchurch girl who some time ago became engaged to an American serviceman on furlough in the South Island is in the habit I of referring to herself, jocularas I "half half New Zealander/' as she was born in England and came to the Dominion with her parents as a child. Her joke came home to roost in a letter she received recently from her fiance's sister in America. It was a friendly and charming letter, but it concluded : "As my brother said in his letter home that you are half English I hope you arc able to read English or can get someone to translate my letter to 3*ou."

j "Drunks' Not Tolerated" "They arc rough on drunks, in the Russian army [ learned particular, ly in 'fighting posts/ which eorrespond to the area occupied by a division when in the line. Drunkenness in such localities is liable to meet punishment by death " states Colonel Muir, describing his meeting with Russian officers in Italy. 'We. do not tolerate that sort of conduct ' said a Russian Triend, waving his hand towards a group of Allied soldiers who evidently had been making a day of it in the Bari wine shops and now were bent upon a 'beat up' of the promenade where they were making life somewhat hectic for

civilians enjoying the evening air. "It was the only comment I ever heard a Russian make on the conduct of troops of the armies of the Ailies but I sometimes wonder what they really thought when a lively party got a bit out of hand at the Iniperale " added the colonel.

Tip Worth Knowing In Wellington recentlv a burning motor car blocked trams ancT attracted a large crowd, several persons went in search of fire extinguishers a policeman arrived and hurried into a nearby -shop the car bonnet was hinged up and three men attacked the flames, from the blazing engine, using coats and what looked like car mats. The fire had the upper hand ? - but the fire brigade was on its way. A member of the "Motor World" staff walked up to the driver of the. and suggested that he start the engine. "What will that do?" he asked. "Put the. fire out," was the reply. Incredulously, the driver climbed in among the smoke of the front. seat ? started the engine, revved it, and within a few seconds the flames were out. It seems, that there was only one in the crowd who knew what to do in case-of fire under the bonnet, and few by.standers if any, knew what had been done. The. draught from the radiator fan' had extinguished the flames. Hay for Horses Much hay can be. wasted annuall> through animals being given a daily ration greater than will serve the purposes of bodily maintenance and full health and production. Uncompleted experiments being made at the Agricultural Research Station at Beltsville, U.S.A., include an attempt to determine the minimum hay requirements of farm work horses receiving a ration of hay and oats. With timothy hay, horses rc± ceiving hay at a level of 0.65 falling to 0.40 per cent, of bodyweight equalled .control animals receiving a hay allowance of one per cent, bodyweight in endurance and spirit., and seemed to be better in genera; appearance and in coat.

Similarly, lucerne hay led at a level oi" per cent, ol' the bodyweight appeared to* be .superior to lucerne at a one per cent, level. Indications are that the minimum roughage requirements of idle ponies is a ration oi' hay no higher than 0.4 per cent, of body\veight ? and probably lower than that.