LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 246, 28 July 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

“Hell Corner” at Dover is the scene of a swiftly-moving story by Colin Hope, entitled “With Dover Between.” This story will bo published in serial form in the “Ashburton Guardian,” commencing to-morrow.

Last week 222 towns attained their weekly quotas of national war savings, thi9 being an increase of 10 over the previous week. All principal centres and 17 of the 18 postal districts attained their objectives.

Lists of persons from whom broadcast messages have been received from Singapore and Saigon have been *cceived by the Prisoner of War Inquiry Office. Copies ,of these lists may he seen on application at the “Guardian” office.

The Dunedin branch .of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Association has forwarded a telegram to the Prime Minister (the P. Fraser) and the Minister of Railways (the Hon. R. Semple) reqhesting that men on furlough from the Middle East should he granted free rail travel to and from all suburban areas. This concession, it is pointed out, would place the men affected on the same footing as those in the city who already had been granted free tramway travel.

' The fact that, before Japan entered the war, Now Zealand had accumulated £750,000 worth of reserve foodstuffs, was mentioned by the Food and Rationing Controller (Mr J. E. Thomas) in an address in Auckland. Mr Thomas said that the gradual release of these goods on the market as the need arose had softened ,the impact of shortages. The commercial community had done a wonderful job in that respect, keeping the goods on their shelves sometimes as long as 18 months. That had been done with rice, sago, and tapioca, and the orice had been kept down in consequence.

The decision to reduce the number of persons serving in the E.P.S., or the amount of training required in vulnerable areas, and the action of placing the E.P.S. in other areas on a peacetime footing, did not prejudicially affect the statutory rights of members of the emergency reserve corps or their dependants for compensation for injuries or death arising from service in the corps, said the Minister of Civil Defence (the Hon. D. Wilson) yesterday. Members of the E.P.B. performing voluntary and compulsory service in tho E.P~S. would continue, to be covered by insurance.—P.A.

Wartime conditions have demanded substitution in many industries, and the Government- laboratories aro guiding commercial enterprises in the most suitable materials to use. An interesting development has* been made by the State Forest Service. When rubber conservation became necessary, experiments were made for a substitute for the rubber corks rn water-bottles. A wooden stopper lias been devised by the department after many _ trials. Among the woods tested were iiwsignis pine, North American white pine, pukatea and New Zealand white pine. Tbo best results were obtained with insignis pine. To soften the wood and provide a certain degree of flexibility, it is boiled in a caustic soda solution, and then immersed in glycerine and paraffin.

A letter written in Wellington, New Zealand, on Christmas Eve, 1941, arrived in a. German prison camp last January, after a 13-month cruise round the world. Through being addressed to Stalag VII B, instead of Stalag VIII B, the letter was sent all romid Germany, including a visit to the Fiihrer’s own estate, finally, preaching tho prisoner for whom it was intended.

Although there are tho names of some 20 women on the present jury list of the Auckland Supreme Court it so happens that none of their numbers was drawn in tile ballot to provide a panel of 400 for the coming quarterly sessions. It will, therefore, he another three months at least before any women have an opportunity to serve in this capacity in tho Auckland district.

An unusual case in which a farmer applied to have his sister—a corporal—released from the Air Force to assist him on t-lie farm was dealt with by the Southland Armed Forces Appeal Board at a sitting at Gore. In making his application the appellant stated that his sister was a first class -and capable hand oil the farm. He required her to assist "with the lambing. Indefinite leave was recommended by the Board.

Because of a shortage of electric batteries for hand torches, members of the night staff of Wellington Public Hospital are being obliged to make their periodic rounds of the wards after dark with primitive substitutes Candles are being used by ward nurses, while supervising sisters are carrying out their night inspections with storm lanterns —-picturesque hut clumsy illuminations, which liavo to be partly shrouded in order to avoid disturbing patients. Few electric torches remain serviceable in the hospital. Those that still emit a gleam of light are being reserved for emergency use.

, An indication of the strain being placcq on individual schoolteachers owing to tho shortage of manpower was given at a sitting of the No. 1 Armed Forces Appeal Board, when group appeals by the Auckland Education Board for teachers in its employ wore being heard. Evidence was produced showing that at tho Parnell School, with a staff of three men and nine women teachers, the roll of pupils was 515. One of tho reservists. Hoyden Martin Joseph McDermott, married, aged 39, who had been with the Board for 22 years, was stated to be in charge of 55 pupils in Standard V. at the school.