The doubles competition in connection with the Mansfield and District Bowling Association commenced on Saturday, when Messrs. T. Bradley and B. Hill (Huthwaite Bowling Club) won their match at Mansfield.
Councillors Davies (chairman), Iball and Clarke figured in the Mansfield Hospital procession to St. Peter's Church on Sunday. There were also present several members of the Huthwaite Nursing Association as well as the Nurse (Mrs. Dickens).
Sunday was a special day devoted to the Girl Guide movement, and the First Huthwaite Troop played their part. On Sunday morning they attended service at the Parish Church, where the Rev. W.L. Boulton officiated. The Guides was in charge of Capt. Chapman and the colour bearers were Millie Fox, Gwennie Hargreaves and Frances Hargreaves. The Vicar received the colours from them at the chancel steps, and placed them in the sanctuary, where they remained during the service. There was a good congregation, but probably the dismal weather prevented greater interest being taken in the event.
There was no sport in Huthwaite on Saturday, but New Hucknall Cricket Club fulfilled a League fixture at Rufford under conditions that were a long way removed from serious sport. The New Hucknall team never expected that play would be possible, consequently, when a message was received from Rufford at almost the last minute that the ground was fit for play, the eleven wanted some finding. Eventually nine men made the journey, and these included the scorer, Mr. Watkinson, who was deputising for Mr. Barker, the latter being a flu victim. The visitors had not much chance with a team which was anything but a representative one, and they got a low score. Two of the veterans, however, gave a good display. Watkinson, in addition to recording the runs of his side (which wasn't a heavy task) also went to the wickets, and, with Bacon, made a praiseworthy stand for the sixth wicket. New Hucknall need not have made the journey, but that would have meant forfeiting the points without a struggle, and it is more satisfactory to make an effort, even though it is likely to be a futile one.
Farming is rapidly becoming mechanised in Nottinghamshire. Tractors are replacing horses, and electricity is taking the place of milkmaids.
"Nearly four times as many new tractors have been put into operation on Nottinghamshire farms in the last 12 months as in the previous year," said an official of the Ministry of Transport to a newspaper correspondent.
"This rate of progress is the highest for any county in England, while 16 counties have actually bought fewer tractors than in the previous year. "
Nottinghamshire has bought 23 tractors in the past 12 months compared with six in the previous year, representing an increase of 283 per cent. Leicestershire and Rutland were second as regards the rate of progress with 12 tractors against five the previous years, showing an increase of 140 per cent.
"In the whole of Great Britain 1,900 new tractors have been brought in the last 12 months, compared with 1,620 the previous year, an increase of 18 per cent. From the point of view of numbers, Lincolnshire held the lead with 200 tractors, but this was an increase of only 24 over the previous year."
More than 1,000 cows are now milked by electricity in Nottinghamshire.
This new method has been brought about by a shortage of milkmaids; and it has been found that the use of electricity reduces the cost of milking by 50 per cent., while certain bovine ailments peculiar to hand milking have ceased to exist.
Sheep shearing, and horse and cattle clipping are being done more and more by electricity in Nottinghamshire. On poultry farms the latest electric device plucks all the feathers from a fowl in one minute.
An authority on mechanised farming said that tractors halve the cost of ploughing and enable one man to do eight or ten times as much work as he can with a team of horses.
"In some instances, where crude oil tractors have been used, the cost has been brought down to one-third of the cost of doing the work with horses," he added. A ploughman with a tractor can plough an acre an hour compared with an acre a day with a team of horses.
The British coal import trade in France is topsy-turvy, as a result of the latest reductions of the quota from 70 to 60 per cent., which is, as a matter of fact, a reduction to 50 per cent., since 10 per cent. is retained for its own purposes by the Direction des Mines, the Government Department in charge.
British coal importers are further handicapped by the fact that Great Britain alone of the countries exporting coal to France is still subject to the system of import licences.
One after the other, Germany, Poland, Holland and Belgium have obtained the removal of the licence nuisance. The have to keep within a quota, but can distribute the sale of their coal as they choose.
In the case of Great Britain the channels through which coal flows are still commanded by the French authorities. Importers of British coal in this country have taken the matter up. The maintain that the quota system is illegal, as being imposed by decree instead of voted by Parliament. They consider the latest coal quota reduction to be still more illegal, as it was decreed by a Government whose power of action is connived to "current business."
The case has been submitted to the Conseil d'Etat, the tribunal for administrative law. ....
What part do the railways play in our everyday life? What services do they perform that are essential to each and everyone, and are so interwoven with life to-day as to be accepted as a matter of course?
Breadwinner and business man, workman and sportsman, office worker and holiday maker - all depend upon cheap travel. The season ticket, the workman's ticket, or the millions of cheap tickets provided by the railways afford the cheapest form of transport in fair weather or foul, morning, noon and night and over long or short journeys.
The railway is the most reliable, the most comfortable and the most convenient of transport organisations. In speed and safety it has no equal. The well-lighted corridor train affords facilities for reading and refreshments and freedom of movement for the passenger available by no other form of transport.
The trader depends upon the railway for the rapid carriage of his goods; for their distribution from railhead to the remotest village by an efficient and ever increasing fleet of railway road motors; or their storage in warehouses provided at extremely low rentals. What other industry can offer the coal owner facilities for distributing large quantities of coal throughout the country or providing storage accommodation for hundreds of thousands of tons of coal at the ports when unfavourable weather conditions prevent the arrival of vessels for shipment! Who else can offer the manufacturer such exceptionally cheap rates for the conveyance of the raw material on which the basic industries of the country depend - rates in some cases nearly back to pre-war level!
These and a thousand other services, each different but meeting individual cases, are furnished daily by the British railways.
Written 26 Feb 12 Revised 26 Feb 12 © by Gary Elliott