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Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 November 1942, Page 2

The Masterton free kindergarten will hold a shop day on Wednesday next from 10 a.m., in a shop opposite the premises of Messrs C. E. Daniell, Ltd., Queen Street North.

The shortage of poultry food is leading in Britain to a widespread revival of the picturesque custom of gleaning, an exchange reports. Gleaning had largely lapsed during the past few decades because it was easier to go to a shop or send off a postal order for imported foods. Only a few years ago, however, Londoners could go to an Essex parish and hear the gleaning bell sounded in the church tower to tell cottagers that they and their children must stop work for the day. There was a starting bell, too, and each family was supposed to pay the ringer a shilling a week. Eight in the morning was usually the time for starting, and five in the afternoon the time for stopping. Gleaning is one of the few rural occupations for which wet or showery weather is preferred to fine, for bad weather causes crops to be gathered in haste and the leavings are much more plentiful then than when the farmer’s men have time to make a proper job of harvesting.