LOCAL AND GENERAL

Mt Benger Mail, 30 November 1938, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Captain Musick Memorial A design for a memorial to Captain Edwin Musick and his six comanions in the Samoan Clipper who perished in the Pacific in January was approved at a special meeting of the award committee, says an Auckland message. The cost of the trophy will be £205. There will also be provided a replica, which will be retained by the winner. The trophy will be awarded in January each year for the most valuable contribution towards the safety of life in the air and the most efficient working of aircraft, with special regard to trans-oceanic flying.

Nazi Soldier Physique. “I have never been more surprised than I was when I saw the physique of the average German soldier,” said Mr J. Green, a Dunedin business man who arrived at Auckland by the Miariposa from San Francisco after spending several months touring Europe. Mr Green said he bad been led to believe that the German soldier was war material of the highest type, but although he had seen innumerable train-loads of them during the recent concentration on the Czecho-Slovakian border, he had formed the opinion that they were generally flattered by what had been said of them. P.W.D. Men for Seasonal Work. Last week the Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple) explained the new policy measure regarding men trained in seasonal occupations but now employed on public works. He said that when seasonal occupations call for men and the men respond they would not lose their standing with the department in regard to holiday pay and other privileges. On the contrary, if they did not respond when called on he would have no alternative but to order their discharge from public works jobs. This intimation applied to all trades and occupations in which the scarcity of skilled men existed. Shearers from Australia. Quite a number of shearers from Australia reported to the Dunedin Placement Officer off the Maunganui on her recent trip, having been told to do so by the Graziers’ Association, in Sydney, when they would be sure of getting placed m a run of sheds. However, most of the men were machine shearers, and while some were placed the others were advised to make contact with Christchurch, where they were able to get work. Only a few of the men who reported knew anything about blade shearing, as machine work is carried on exclusively in Australia. Angling. The Teviot Angling Club held their fourth competition for the season -on the Rankleburn at the week-end, eleven members taking part. First prize was won by D. Beaton with five fish weighing 9£lbs this same member winning Mr D. Lyttles silver cup for the heaviest fish (3Jlbs). Mr T. Gilchrist was second with seven fish weighing 61bs. The total fish taken for the day was 29 weighing 311bs. The river was running bank high and an east wind all day was very much against fishing. All of the fish taken were in excellent condition.

Stone Walled Shearing Shed. A shearing shed with walls of stone would present a unique feature in farm land architecture today, yet this was the description given of the Teviot shed of some 50 years ago by Mr N. Hobson in a paper read to the annual meeting of the Gore and District Early Settlers’ Association. Mr Robson said that the only wooden structure connected with the shed wes capable of accommodating up to 7000 sheep, although the greatest number seen by the narrator at one time in the shed was 5000 animals, and the building was credited with being the largest built in Australasia. ‘ ‘ There was no such thing as a 40-hour week in existence in those days,” commented Mr Robson. During the mustering season, rising time was 2.30 a.m., and it was necessary; for at least one man to be at the top of the range by daylight, and two or three days were occupied in getting sheep to the shed, where 40 shearers were employed dealing with 5000 sheep per day. Mr Robson described an occasion when, owing to a hitch in arrangements, seven men were compelled to sleep in -a seven by eight-foot tent. Mr Robson’s wage was £SO for the first year and £6O thereafter, his stay at the run lasting five years, at the end of which period he had been promoted to head shepherd at, the age of 24 years. “The basic wage for cooks was very'small,” commented Mr Robson, “ about 2/10 a day ami no half holiday.” ,