NEWS OF THE DAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19999, 26 July 1939, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Reserve Committee’s Approval Reporting to the Borough Council last evening, the reserves committee stated that approval had been given to small works on the Childers Road Reserve and in the neighbourhood of the Waikanae Park, in Grey street. Both projects were regarded as necessary, and the amount involved was comparatively small. Retarding Mental Development The system in New Zealand of providing with everything they required, although good for their physical development, tended to retard their mental development, according to the opinion expressed by Dr. C. Debden-Wilkins at Lhe annual meeting yesterday of the Wairoa branch of the Plunket Society. The extent to which the system did retard the mental development of the child was only now being realised. “I don’t know what we are going «to do about it,” he added.—Special. Chinese Refugee Children The donations 'of Gisborne people to .funds for the care of Chinese refugee children, -contributed through the Borough Council’s list, totalled between £BO and £IOO. This was reported to the council last night by the Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman, M.P., when referring t k> an Auckland committee’s request for further assistance. The council decided; to advise the Auckland committee of what had been done, and of the fact that Gisborne was co-operating with the Wellington committee. New Native School The official opening will take place on Saturday of the new Rangiahua Native School. The ceremony will be performed by Sir Apirana Ngata, M.P., and the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, will be represented at the gathering by Mr. E. L. Cullen, M.P. The new school comprises two class rooms of the latest open-air type, together with cloak room and other facilities'. At present there are 48 pupils attending the school, which serves three Maori pas, and the new building will fill a longfelt want.—Special. No High Heels There is no Plunket system ,in West Africa, but according to Dr. C. Debden-Wilkins in an address to members of the Wairoa branch of the Plunket Society yesterday, there was mother very useful practice adopted there in teaching the children balance and poise early in life by making them carry things on their head» This upright balance and poise, with no high heels, added Dr. DebdenWilkins, resulted in the ladies having a much better time of it later on. However, in view of the fact that a large percentage of those present had high-heeled shoes, he .thought it would >e unwise for him to comment further on the subject.—Special.

Jeer and Sugar for Babies! Some quaint but very foolish '■e hods of quietening a crying child are adopted in some countries, according to Dr. C. Debden-Wilkins in an address at the annual meeting of ihe Wairoa branch of the Plunket Society yesterday. He stated that he had never heard a baby cry in Persia and he made inquiries to- discover why. He then discovered that opium was given to the child on the corner of a piece of rag. “Very soothing,” he added, "but . . .!” Another practice adopted by some mothers in the East End 1 of London was to soak the corner of a handkerchief in mixed beer and sugar. He had never tried this himself, but he did not think it would be any good for the child.— Special.

Borough Footway Policy Eight signatures were attached to a letter to ,the Gisborne Borough Council last night requesting the tar sealing of the Onmond road footpath between Fox and Stafford streets. The letter pointed out that a grant for the work was previously on the estimates, but later was transferred to another locality. The Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman, M.P., said that the statement in the letter was correct. He explained, however, that the works committee had recommended the removal of the grant on the grounds of the policy of the council to give each street in- the borough one bitumen footway before any ’ were provided with two such footways. He moved that -the petitioners be advised accordingly, and this motion was carried

Kaiti School Footbridge Repairs to a footbridge in the vicinity of (the Kaiti School were asked by Ithe .school committee in a letter which came before the Gisborne Borough Council last night. The letter stated that the council had advised that it '.had repaired the bridge, but on. a recent inspection members of the committee “noticed with some surprise" that the repair work consisted of the insertion of two nails into obviously unsound and halfJrotiten uprights.” Since that work had .been done, one rail had fallen. The Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman, 'M.P., stated that the committee’s allegation was correct, according to his own observations. He moved that the handrail of the bridge be repaired with new timber, the motion being carried.