LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 179, 11 May 1944, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An air casualty list issued last night reported two men, both from Wellington, missing on active service.

“The Battle of France—and Afterwards,” was the subject of an address given by Flight-Lieutenant H. Oakley at the Rotary Club’s luncheon to-day.

The only Mid-Canterbury winner in the “Don’t Pass By” Art Union, drawn yesterday, was “Baldwin,” Ashburton, who holds ticket No. 107595.

To create more interest in the work of the association, the executive of the Returned Services Association last evening decided that at the annual meeting on May 29 several additional committees would be elected. T 1 is, it was stated, would lighten the yurden on the executive. It was decided to apply ta the Borough Patriot’C Committee for a date in November to take over the stall. The president (Mr W. G. Welsh) presided.

A statement that only 10 new locomotives had been placed on South Island railway lines since the start of the war was made before the Industrial Manpower Appeal Committee at Dunedin by Mr G. S. J. Read, assistant locomotive engineer, New Zealand Railways. Of the 38 locomotives ordered in 1938, he said, none bad yet been built. The position was now serious, and rolling-stock simply had to be built. He added that the manpower position was particularly acute.

Concern at the number of loans which had been dealt with by the committee and which were still awaiting finalisation, was expressed by the chairman (Mr S. P. Taylor) at a meeting of the Rehabilitation Committee on Tuesday evening. Mr Taylor said that the position was very unsatisfactory and he had taken the matter up with the Director of Rehabilitation. Five applications for farm rehabilitation were dealt with, all (he'applicants being found to be eligible.

With -the objects of helping to check the spread of tuberculosis in New Zealand, or giving encouragement to sufferers, and of assisting in the aftertreatment and rehabilitation of discharged patients, the Auckland Tuberculosis Association was formed yesterday. The president of the Auckland Rotary Club, Mr A. K. North, presided. Those present included the Mayor, Mr J. A. C. Allum, representatives of various medical services, and of some 30 local bodies and men’s and women’s organisations of all descriptions. The movement for forming the association was started by the Rotary Club. — (P.A.)

It is the opinion of electrical supply authorities near Wellington that the morning half hour radio silence re-’ cently instituted is definitely easing the load, though because of other factors it is not possible to calculate the effect accurately. The weather recently has been warmer than last year and has probably played a major part in the load reduction. Nevertheless, supply authorities are pleased with the response made by radio listeners. A representative of the hydro electric division of the Works Department said that the response was very good. There were still one or two black spots in the North Island, he said, but on tho whole listeners had helped to lighten the load. —(P.A.)

A whirlwind demolished one building and ripped Half the roof off another within a small area at and near the New Plymouth Showgrounds. Apparently travelling in from the north, the wind first struck a cattle pavilion on the Showgrounds, stripping the iron from half of the roof, and then moved across the main north highway, where a large storage shed, the property of Newton King, Ltd., was levelled to the ground. The path of the disturbance appears to have been confined to a very small area, because no other damage was reported. At. least 100 feet of the roof of the cattle pavilion was torn off. Sheets of iron and timber were carried on to the roof of the grandstand, parts of which were badly buckled by the force with which the flying debris was deposited. Paddocks for a considerable distance from the stand were strewn with sheets of iron from the pavilion roof. Nothing of value was stored in the shed owned by Newton iKng, Ltd.

Representatives of the New Zealand Coal Mine Owners’ Association and representatives of the United Mine Workers of New Zealand met yesterday afternoon at Wellington to consider matters for inclusion in district mine agreements submitted on behalf of the workers and certain counterproposals submitted on behalf of the coal mining companies. Mr C. C. Davis, Christchurch, presided. The conference was continued to-day.—(P.A.)

A letter from the Canterbury Reclamation Board expressing thanks and congratulations for the large amount of paper, rubber and rags collected by the Ashburton Reclamation Depot was received by the Town Clerk (Mr R. C. Major) to-day. The Board considers Ashburton’s figures to be most creditable.

Arrangements for exchange between medical officers who had served overseas with the forces for a considerable period and full-time medical officers of militar yage now serving in public hospitals in New Zealand were receiving consideration, said the DirectorGeneral of Health (Dr. M, H. Watt) in a letter received by the Whangarei Hospital Board. Dr. Watt said it was desired to obtain a list of doctors available for exchange in this way, and the Board is to supply the particulars required.

The scarcity of sweets is probably responsible for a sudden predilection for jelly crystals shown by some children in Ashburton. Jelly crystals are particularly popular with children at matinee screenings at the pictures, as revealed by the fact that nearly a dozen packets were swept up after the matinee at St. James Theatre yesterday. From the point of view of the cleaners, jelly crystals are a particularly obnoxious type of sweet to take to the pictures because they spill easily and become sticky on the slightest provocation, adhering to seats and to the clothes of patrons. A member of the staff said to-day that it was likely that the children had raided the pantry at home, because jelly crystals were almost as hard to purchase in the shops as, sweets.