Local and General

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 February 1916, Page 2

Local and General

• The winners in the weight-gu easing competition of five slieep at the recent iiorowiienua A. and l'» Show were us follows:—Mr -Neville \\ iniata, 315ilbs •"ii;st and Mr J. Guy, Te Horn, second. The correct weight of the slieep nils 3151b5. Both these gentlemen have kindly returned the prize money in aid of the Wounded Soldiers' Fundi. It might be interesting to note that Mr N. Winia.ta won the six slieep competition at the 1915 show wi-tli a guess of 354185, the correct " eight- being 3531b5. ' The sitting of the commission to enquire into the JToxton Harbour and Levin-Greatford railway lvas been adjourned for six weeks. Several cases of scarlet fever, and one suspected case within the borough have been reported within the past feuweeks. Steps have ibeen taken to isolate the sufferers.

A new' club for Levin is in process of formation, and a meeting of members and intending members is to be held next Friday evening, in the old County Club rooms. Details are advertised. Tlie Levin Borough Council which decided a few week's ago to assist in the new recruiting sclfeme, have been unable so far to find an honorary secretary to take up the necessary work, and, locally, the scheme * is like an arch without a keystone. Two very necessary qualifications for the position are plenty of tact and plenty of time in which to exercise it. The mayor or town clerk will be glad to hear from or of anyone at liberty to take up the position. The Levin Methodist Church harvest festival was brought to a conclusion in the Century Hall last evening when the produce was offered ior sale, with satisfactory financial results. Several competitions were heJdi. The nail driving for women was won by Airs Harvey and the sawing by Miss Parsons. The men's nail driving was won ! by Mr Ransom. Musical items .were contributed by Mrs Nation and Mr H. Andrews and reoitotions by Miss Gray.

ii.xtract from a letter ot a Wellington volunteer sister in jbgypt. —"The tearooms are situated in the Esbekiali Gardens, which are under the I.M.C.A. -The tables are all outbide and in the middile of the gardens the I.Ai.C.A. has a roller eltating rink, just like a large tennis court, with a ■stage at one end, and aloug one side writing und reading fitted up for the soldiers under a shelter, the side ot which screens it from the rest of the gardens. At the end is the tea place in which we do our work. Along the fourth side of the rink aio the tea tables for the men, for whom the tearooms hare been started. They skate and have s'kating hockey matflies, and in the evening there are moving pictures, entertainments, concerts, etc. The tearooms are just supposed to pay for themselves, not to make anything. Tlie soldiers come in at all tunes, in hundreds, from throe to nine, and they make the tea their proper meal. Numbers of them say how much they enjoy seeing white women, and the ones just • from the Dardanelles especially enjoy it. < It seems to Be a thing they* cannot see enough of. Anyone who Had money could do splendid work of this kind, and for several friends to combine and do it would be just the thing. There is not questions of its not being appreciated." Miss Wilson gives a vivid picture of the way in which the .soldiers thronged the place. She writes: "We had five or six helpers, with natives to do the Washing-up, but even then we were so riißheif that we did not know what to do. Even the criwts of bread with paste on them, to wh'oli we were finally reduced/, the soldiers took willingly, and food that had been got in for two days' supply at least, went in this one day. Over and over again the men will come and say: '*M«y I shako hands with you, Sisto#P ion are the first white woman to whom I have spoken for month. (It might be ten. twelve or more months, as the oase may be). Over and over again they say how splendid it is to b<> surrounded by their own kind and to eat proper food again,, and that just to talk to us is a pleasure."