NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 3, 4 January 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Marriages in Wellington. More than 200 more marriage licenses were issued in Wellington in 1940 than during 1939, the figures being 2794 and 2.3U1. Almost 300 more births were registered in 1940 than in the previous year. Deaths laet year dropped by nearly 100, and marriages by the registrar showed a decline. Rotorua Carnival. The proceeds of the Maori concerts during the New Year carnival in Rotorua amount to nearly £150, and will be devoted to the rebuilding of the Tamatekatua meeting house, which is being enlarged. This is one of a serie* of meeting houses being altered or built by the Arawa peoples as a Centennial gesture. Thanksgiving and Memorial. A special service of thanksgiving for rescued crews and passengers of the ships captured by the enemy raiders in the Pacific and rescued from Emirau Island, and of memorial for those who died, will be held at the Flyinjr Angel Missions to Seamen Chapel of St. Peter at 8.15 p.m. to-"morrow. The address will be given by Bishop Simkin, and the lesson will be read bv Captain S. X. Capon, R.X.R. New Zealanders in Egypt. According to members of the party of 52 men invalided home from Egypt, who have just arrived, the New Zealanders have established a reputatio'n among the British troops for their resourcefulness and adaptability in the field of operations. Our troops, however, had not been in action when the returned men left, and the delight of the latter at being back home was very greatly chastened by disappointment at missing "the fun" of the desert war. Motorists on Holiday. Motorists returning home yeeterday after the holiday race carnival in Auckland greatly swelled the traffic on the main highways adjacent to the city. The staff of the Automobile Association (Auckland) was kept busily engaged yesterday and to-day compiling routes for motorists who propose to travel home at the week-end, and for others who intend having leisurely motor holidays during January and February, when the ordinary holiday rush ha* subsided. Holidays at Taupo. The fine weather over the. holidays has resulted in Taupo having more visitors this New Year than for the past four years. A somewhat similar experience has occurred at Rotorua, according to reports,; but anglers in both districts have not had quite the usual good luck on account of the high temperatures, sunny daye and absence of wind making conditions unsuitable for successful fishing. The holidaymakers, however, have revelled in sunbathing and swimming. Incendiary Bomb Memento. Among the many interesting souvenirs sent by soldiers overseas to relations in the Dominion is the tailpiece of an incendiary bomb, which has reached Chrietchurch. About six inches in height, it is made of a light aluminium alloy. There are four fins and part of the container which held the incendiary mixture. The metal has obviously been subjected to a terrific heat, as it was badly twisted and fused. The note which ..ccompanied the bomb had a familiar ring about it, saying that it had been dropped near a camp in England with others of its. kind. "No damage was done and there were no casualties," the note concluded. Business Still Goes On. While "business as usual" remains the slogan of Londoners, each succeeding day's news brings greater realisation of the difficulties created by the enemy's indiscriminate bombing. The shower of incendiary bombs rained on the Empire capital at New Year time had a reaction on Aucikland (business. The manager of the Auckland branch of Messrs. Sargood, Son and Ewen was advised to-day that the firm's London warehouse, in which 30 to 40 hands were employed, wae among the latest list of casualties. But business, of course, is going on, with this as just another note added to the long accounting which is being laid up against the Nazi and all his works. A Public Works Town. A new Public Works town of 600 people has been established at Karapiro, near Cambridge, on the site of the hydro-electric station that is being constructed there, and as the work develops it is expected that the population will exceed 1000 this year. A branch of the New Zealand 'Workers' Union has been formed, and numerous committees having for their object the promotion of the welfare of the men and their families have been set up. A large hall is shortly to be constructed. A medical association has been formed and a district nurse is now in residence. In addition a fire brigade, under Mr. H. Wilton, has been established. The work on the dam is proceeding satisfactorily, and (several shafts have been sunk and equipped wftn-;nft#- for the Die of - ■• • -