LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 October 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tennis Opening. Members of kindred clubs are cordially invited to attend the official opening of the St Matthew's tennis ■courts which will take place at 2.15 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Band Recital in Park. The Petone Salvation Army Band will render a programme of music in the Masterton Public Park Rotunda on Sunday afternoon commencing at 2.45 o’clock. This splendid band, under the conductorship of Bandmaster B. Dutton, is stated to be well worth hearing. Bronze Coins. For the waste metal collection a number of bronze coins, most of them from South American States, have been handed to the secretary of the Wanganui R.S.A. One among the number, however, is a very old French coin, known as a Paris miner’s halfpenny. It is an 18th century coin. Mischievous Birds. Farmers in the Shannon district and particularly onion growers, are suffering seriously from the depredations of birds, which are pulling up thousands of plants, not apparently with the object of obtaining food, as the plants are quite undamaged, but out of pure mischief. It is thought that the culprits are mainly skylarks and yellow-hammers. One farmer who sowed six acres of barley has had to resow this area. Definition of an Adult. “There is no such thing as an adult or a youth. The law speaks of them as minors when under 21 years of age, for purposes of contracts, and unless in specified statutes there is no such thing as youths,” stated the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. S. Ritchie) at a meeting of a Conciliation Council in Invercargill. He added that the best definition of an adult that he had heard was “a youth who had stopped growing except in the middle.” (Laughter). Y.M.C.A. Card Party. Another very successful card tourney conducted by the Ladies’ Auxiliary was held last evening in the Y.M.C.A., there being a large attendance. The popularity of these gatherings was again demonstrated by the enthusiasm of the players and the happy spirit prevailing. The bridge winners were Mrs Wilmshurst and Mr Palmer, and those in the “500” section Miss Baikie and Mr Malmo. The supper of homemade dainties provided and dispensed by the Auxiliary Ladies’ Committee was much appreciated. Workers in England. “The engineering trade in England is working seven days a week and 24 hours a day,” said Mr F. Shawcross, a railway engineer from England, who is visiting Christchurch. He said that the employees had been working so hard that it had been found absolutely necessary in spite of their willingness to work, to give them frequent weekends off to allow them to recuperate. Mr Shawcross said that he considered that the fine spirit brought about by the needs of the war and the good feeling that had arisen between employers and workers would have permanently good effects on industry after the war was over.

Tasman Air Crossings. The two flying-boats Aotearoa and Awarua, operated by Tasman Empire Airways on the Auckland-Sydney service, made 45 crossings of the Tasman Sea in the four months ended August 31 last. The distance between Sydney and Auckland is 1340 miles. Forty-one of the crossings were made on regular time-table trips, and four were extra flights. In the first 15 weeks of operation the time-table was for one flight in each direction a week, but from August 15 the service was increased to three flights in each direction a fortnight in order to give a connection with the Pan-American Airways’ service and give full effect to speed advantages for passengers and mails. Regimented Life. “I know what it is to live under the Fascist regime,” said Lieutenant-Col-onel W. A. Ebbs, the new Chief Secretary of the Salvation Army in New Zealand, in an interview. “I was over five years in Italy under Fascist control, and know the degree of regimentation that exists —regimentation applied to one’s thinking, reading and culture, exerted by propaganda and direct law; so I can sympathise with the puzzlement that transplanted Latins in America may have. Generally speaking, I should say that the people of the United States have warm sympathy with the British Empire in its present struggle, but at the same time there is a very strong feeling that America should not enter the war, in the sense of sending men away to fight in Europe.” New Zealand “March of Time.” The Minister in Charge of Tourist and Publicity, Mr Langstone, has received advice that following on a reception given to him while in New York last year, during which the matter of the production of a film of New Zealand was discussed with representatives of the “March of Time” film organisation, arrangements have now been completed to have this done, the subject being New Zealand’s war effort. Mr Victor Jurgens, representative of the “March of Time” in the United States, recently arrived in Auckland by the American Clipper, en route to Australia, where he will first produce a picture of the Commonwealth’s war effort. He is expected to return to New Zealand about two months hence, when he will set to work on the Dominion picture, which is to include industrial and scenic shots. Farm Work by School Boys. Authority was sought at a meeting of the High Schools Board by the rector of Otago Boys’ High School (Mr H. P. Kidson) for the sending of boys, if the necessity arose, for turnip-thin-ning in country districts. Should it be necessary for boys to be released from school during term time, it was suggested that part of the wages should go to the Patriotic Fund, but the work would have to be of national importance. The secretary (Mr C. R. McLean). explained that the rector thought that with so many men away it might be a help if the boys could be released to do turnip-thinning and such work towards the end of the year. It was proposed that they should go out in groups. The board decided (o grant general permission for the proposal to be carried out, subject to approval being given by a sub-committee when the necessity arose.