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Evening Star, Issue 23683, 17 September 1940, Page 6

The Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association has sent circulars to its branches throughout Otago pointing out that an appeal is being made for a supply of books, magazines, and periodicals for camp libraries and troopships. The books, which may be left at the office of the R.S.A., should be bright, readable, and in good condition Material that is not wanted includes books for women, children’s books, scientific and religious books now out of date, women’s magazines, trashy pul]) magazines, and torn or dirty books.

The steadfastness of British morale and the determination to see things through to the end, however hard and difficult the road, are not mere empty statements confined to radio commentators or to cabled messages. A Dunedin manufacturing concern has unexpectedly received a cheering cablegram from one of its London clients which shows that indiscriminate bombings have not yet by any means achieved the Nazi aim. The cablegram reads: “ With the aid of your fine men we have got the Rosehe taped.” It is something to know that our own “ boys ” are aiding to sustain that

Though a report is current that men of the Fourth Reinforcements are to be called up tor camp at the beginning of next month, ccrttral district headquarters stated yesterday (says a Wellington message) that no announcement could yet be made about when the concentrations would take place. The measles epidemic, which is affecting not only the men in camp, but the civil population also, shows signs of slackening. At Trentham IS cases have_ been reported this week, as against 67 last week. That there would always be a North Ground and that the Grange Club should be free to occupy it during the summer months was the up.nion strongly expressed by the president (Mr O. G. Stevens) and other members at the club's annual meeting last night.. Mr Stevens waxed eloquent concerning the beauty of that popular playground, and remarked that, although Carisbrook's si/.o and its Illness for big cricket made it the chief centre in Dunedin, the fact remained that the North Ground was the true homo of cricket in this city. And sports grounds, added Mr Stevens, were of far greater benefit to the community than flower beds or gardens, and should bo made available at less cost to clubs than was now the case. Mr J. Hobson, a vice-president of the Otago Cricket Association, who was a visitor at tho meeting, agreed that the ■ provision of such grounds should be a community charge. But all the speakers were unanimous in declaring that nothing should induce the Grange Club to leave its old home—in short, they made it clear what the North Ground meant to them. At last night's mooting of the St. Kilda Borough Council mention was made of circulars distributed to householders stating that it was not permissible to use water through a hose unless a fee of 10s were paid. Referring to this matter, the mayor (Mr ,T. J. Marlow) thanked the town clerk (Mr J. V. Tressise) for the courteous manner in which he had worded the intimation. Cr W. J. Lovell then remarked: “ 1 was speaking to one of the ratepayers the other day, and he showed me the circular. Ho said: 'lt is no longer Mark Silverstone, but Mark Marlow instead.’ ” The implication was appreciated by the mayor and councillors alike.

“ Tucked away in the Education Act is the authority to establish school savings banks,” states ‘ National Education.’ the official organ of the New Zealand Teachers’ Institute. “ The school savings bank scheme as we now know it was introduced in 1934 mainly for the purpose of encouraging thrift among school children. At the end of 1939 there were 764 schools in the scheme; 393,897 transactions had taken place; £38,851 had been deposited during the year; £1,115 in interest had been credited, and £67,666 had accumulated to the credit of the children.” ,

September not only brings spring to us all, but it also brings that additional half-hour of daylight which is so welcome during the summer months. True, the month itself does not benefit to any great extent, as the clocks are not put forward until 2 a.m. on Sunday, the 29th. The official date for tho advancement of time is the last Sunday in September, and the period of daylight saving holds good until the last Sunday in April. Already the evenings are much lighter than they were a month ago, and it is possible to do a little work in the garden before darkness falls; by the time the extra halfhour is operating the evenings will be pleasantly light, and atmospheric conditions should be congenial for “ pottering about ” the garden in the evening.

Every precaution to ensure that the discharge from the linen flax factories which are to be erected in Southland will not pollute fishing streams is being taken by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The director of tho linen flax development branch of the department (Mr J. W. Hadfield). writing to the executive of the Southland Acclimatisation Society, stated in a letter which was received by the executive that it was the processing water liberated into small streams that was likely to injure fish. At Otautau discharge water would run round the hill for some distance before discharging into a swamp, and it would be regulated so that it was spread over the 24 hours of the day. This swamp fed a stream which later entered a river, by which time, it was expected, the discharge would be innocuous. “ It’s still pretty hot here, but it should cool off shortly. . . . The

majority of our crowd are going great guns, and if Mussolini has anything in mind it’ll be just too bad—for Muss. At the moment the Tommies, the Navy, and the Air Force are just playing games with him. It’s just a picnic so far, and I’m darned if 1 can see him, or anybody else, for that matter, getting anything out of this end of Africa. The British have it beantinlly sewn up, and their sewing will take some unravelling.” The above is an extract from a letter received by a Timaru resident from his brother, who is serving with the New Zealanders in Egypt. The writer, who left New Zealand with the First Echelon, also served in the last war.

A little scene reminiscent of the old gold-rush days was re-enacted in a Christchurch city hotel recently when a big, hard-bitten man strolled into the bar and asked for a drink. “ I haven’t any money on me,” he remarked cheerily, which remark stopped the beer-pump in mid-stroke, while the barman looked up and glowered. “ But I can pay or it,” grinned the customer, “ in something better than money, if you’ve got the scales,” and he produced from a vest pocket a bottle still labelled “ Cascara sagrada pills,” full of gold dust and nuggets, some of which were as big as dried peas. “ I’m waiting for the bank to open ; I've just come over from the West Coast,” he explained. “ Yes. it’s all out of my own claim. Can you cash tin’s?” “This” was a small nugget that he shoved across the bar. “ Don't think so, but that’s all right; we can usually trust West Coasters,” said the barman graciously, and gripped the pump handle again.

The collection of waste non-ferrous metals throughout the Dominion has had many interesting and perhaps humorous sidelights, hut it is believed that Waipawa, to use a popular term, “takes the biscuit,” and thereby hangs a tale. On Tuesday afternoon of last week the staff of the Waipawa Borough Council was busily engaged in collecting waste metals from the houses of residents of the district,, and one collector, observing an attractive aluminium canister outside the front door of a house, placed it in his collecting bag with feelings of regret that such a useful article should be destroyed. However, orders were orders, and he proceeded to jump on the canister to flatten it out so that it could be easily handled. This action brought to the door an anxious householder. who arrived on the scene just in time to see the collector drive away with her new milk billy. Hat and coat were quickly donned and the householder gave chase and eventually recovered the canister, which resembled a badly-constructed tin plate, '(’lie conclusion of the incident can be left to