LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 April 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tree on Fire.

The Masterton Fire Brigade was called out at 4.30 o'clock yesterday afternoon to a fire in a hedge in South Road, opposite Vivian Street. It was found that the fire had spread to a pine tree. The flames were quickly extinguished.

Fernridge School Committee. The following have been elected members of the Fernridge School Committee:—Messrs W. James (chairman). P. R. Welch (secretary and treasurer), J. C. Broad, W. G. Laing and G. C. Boys. There was a very poor attendance of householders.

Planting of Potatoes. Up to 200 acres of potatoes arc soon to be planted by the Maoris on Matakana Island, off the coast of Tauranga, for digging in the early season to supply the Armed Forces in New Zealand. A statement to this effect has been made by the acting-Director of Internal Marketing, Mr R. P. Fraser.

Interhouse Dance. The Wairarapa Interhouse Association will hold another of its popular dances in the Town Hall next Saturday night, to which members of all the fighting forces, as well as the general public, are invited. Arrangements are well in hand, and a good night's entertainment for everybody is assured.

Ranfurly Club Competitions. Winners of competitions in aid of the Patriotic Fund, held at the Ranfurly Club arc:—los order, Mrs McDougal; cigarettes, Mr Nathan; cheese, Mrs Ahrens, Rangitumau; China tea, Mrs J. V. Gordon; painted box, donated by Miss Lett, Mrs Bull. 138 Dixon Street; table napkins, Miss N. Pearson, 23 Church Street. Gifts Acknowledged.

The convenors of the Red Cross Sewing Group acknowledge with gratitude parcels, etc., from the following: —Mesdames Reid, Quinn, Humphries, Wallis Anderson, Jacob, Nielson, Carpenter, Knowles, R. Burling Wellwood and Lewis, Misses Baird and Miller, Messrs Ninnes, Joyce and Rex Thornton, St. Matthew's School, Te Wharau Busy Bees, Levin and Co., and many anonymous donors. Gift of Ambulance.

A fully-equipped ambulance is to be eiven to the Hutt Battalion, Home Guard, by Mr and Mrs A. J. Pascoe, Normandale, Lower Hutt. Mr Pascoe announced this following the Anzac Day observance in the Hutt Valley, when Mr Pascoe, as president of the Hutt Valley Returned Services’ Association, laid wreaths on the Pctone and Lower Hutt memorials. The chassis had gone to the mot or-body builders and the ambulance was expected to be finished in six weeks, said Mr Pascoe. Record Sales of Poppies.

Poppy Day sales in Wellington on Friday set a record £lOOO above the total proceeds from any previous Poppy Day effort in the district. Consequent upon the generous response made by the public this year, the benevolent fund of the Returned Services’ Association will benefit to the extent of £3200. Proceeds in 1941 were £2206 6.5, and in 1940 they were £2065 17s 6d. A record return was also again attained in Auckland this year in the Peppy Day appeal. The estimated aggregate is in excess of £3lOO.

Riotous Soldiers. The behaviour of soldiers on trains had become so bad of late _ that the guards were practically objecting to ■carrying them unless they had some protection; only recently a guard was almost thrown off a train by soldiers in uniform, said Senior-Sergeant G. J. Paine in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court today, when Jack Lovett, soldier, aged 23, pleaded guilty to using obscene language, behaving in a manner offensive to other passengers, and obstructing the guard. Mr J. L. Stout, 5.M... convicted and fined Lovett £2 on one charge, and convicted and discharged him on the others.