Troops At Rugby.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 142, 16 May 1940, Page 8

Troops At Rugby.

The National Patriotic Fund Board

has decided to purchase 400 footballs for use by the men of the Expeditionary Force overseas. A grant of £525 lias bean made for Air Force regimental funds in New Zealand. Post Office Expansion.

Plans for the remodelling of the ground floor and basement of the Auckland Chief Post Office will be put in hand within a few weeks, to link up with the new four-storey mail building which is now nearly finished at the rear.

Training of Orchardists. Efforts by orchardists to train young fruitgrowers iu. order to overcome a shortage in that occupation have not been helped by the Labour Department, according to Hawke's Pay iruitgrowers. The department, it is stated, has insisted that these young men should not be paid by the case but at the weekly award rate. Income Tax Returns.

A suggestion that, because of the delay caused by the shortage of forms, some extension of time for the return of land and income tax forms should be granted is made by the secretary o'f the Wellington Chapter of the New Zealand Institute of Secretaries in a letter he sent yesterday to the Commissioner of Taxes. Red Cross Ambulances.

It was announced yesterday that the National Patriotic Fund Board will be calling for tenders shortly for the building of two ambulances for the British Bed Cross Society, provided as the result of the decision by Mr Leslie Lefeaux (Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand) to give one year’s salary, amounting to £SOOO, to help in the war effort.

Only Solution. “1" am profoundly convinced that Christianity is the only solution for the troubles that beset the world today,” declared Rev. G. R. Monteith, of Auckland, speaking at the Dominion conference of the Church of England Men’s Society in Wanganui yesterday. The world had gone very far from original righteousness. Of its own power it could not save itself. There was no human leader who could puli it together and give it a fresh lease of life. Farmers’ Holidays. Although a request that farmers be allowed extra petrol lor their annual holidays, winch arc generally taken in the winter, was relused by the Minister for Transport (Hon. R. Semple), the Manawatu provincial. executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union decided, at its meeting yesterday, to endeavour to obtain a compromise. It resolved to ask that farmers be permitted the use of two months’ coupons for their holidays, as was permitted for the Easter holidays. Value of Massey College.

“We should make more use than we do of Massey Agricultural , College,” said Mr J. McL. Blair (Maxwell) at the annual meeting of the Wanganui provincial branch of the Farmers’ Union yesterday. Mr Blair referred to the arrangements made for farmers’ classes and a series of lectures. Mr A. It Laird (Westmere) endorsed Mr Blair’s views. He had attended a dairy farmers’ course himself, Mr Laird stated, and had found it most useful. “There is a service there we are paying for,” he said, “and we should make full use of it.”

Asylum For Refugees. , A suggestion that children from England, now exposed to the dangers of air bombardment, should be brought to new homes in New Zealand for the duration of the war was made by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Hon. W. E. Barnard), speaking at the Democratic La hour Party meeting in Wellington, last night, “There, are hundreds, and probably thousands, of homes in New Zealand, to-day which would be glad to contribute' to the war effort by doing something to save the lives and nerves of the children of the he added.

Teachers’ Enlistments. It was reported to the 'Wanganui Education Board, yesterday, that to date 15 teachers from the board’s area were serving with the Forces and six were awaiting instructions to report for duty. Survey of Hockey. The Manawatu I-lockey Association has decided' to ask the New Zealand Hockey Association to make a survey of hockey generally, in New Zealand ,in order to see if anything can be done in the way of devision of boundaries to assist to keep the game going in the weaker centres.

Hospital Maintenance. \ The view that representations should bo made to .the Government to take over as a Government responsibility the support and maintenance of hospitals was expressed by Cr M. F. Luckio at a meeting of the Wellington City Council, last night. The Government was already doing it with mental hospitals, he said. Landing On Racecourse. Strong head winds, with accompanying rough flying conditions, yesterday forced Mr E. V. West, who was flying back to Palmerston North after a business trip to Hannevirke in a pri-vately-owned Piper-Cub machine, to land on the Woodville racecourse. Mr West had a passenger, Mr 13. C. Malcolm, also of Palmerston North. At about 4 p.m. the pilot made a second attempt to cross the ranges but oil this occasion also to continue was considered inadvisable and a return was made to the racecourse where the machine was tied down for the night. It was hoped to fly the ’plane to Palmerston North to-day.