NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 137, 12 June 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Chaplains and Command Statements to the effect that chaplains with the armed forces could be ordered to command combatant troops in the event of other officers not being available are denied in the "Methodist Times." The matter was drawn to the attention of the president of the Methodist Conference, ihe Rev. W. A. Burley, by the Crown representative of No. 2 Area Armed Forces Appeal Board. He said: "This is contrary to fact, and I have since verified it by reference to Army Headquarters. You will probably agree that this misapprehension should be cleared up." Favouritism Alleged The making of the Waikeria Borstal property a game preserve for highly-placed Government officials was alleged in a' criticism at a meeting of the Hamilton branch of the Acclimatisation Society by Te A wain utu delegates. They said that notices forbidding shooting were posted all over the property, but at the commencement of the shooting season it was the habit of highlyplaced Government officials in Wellington to come through and take all the game. It was decided to bring ihc matter before the next meeting of the council in Auckland, and to suggest that the block be declared a ;, r ame sanctuary. Tidal Reflections High tides on the Waitemata have been the order this week, and this morning sea water was pouring over portion of the rock wall which has been erected by the Auckland Harbour Board as a preliminary to reclaiming an area in Okahu Bay. After the stormy weather of the past few days eastern beaches had a clean and fresh appearance, and Judge's Bay, in particular, in the brignt sunlight, presented a picture of dancing reflections. The water here was lapping the retaining wall below the park, and the contrasting shades of green, russets and golds of the trees studding the well-kept reserve completed a delightful winter scene. Lost and Found There is an old saying that it is better to be born lucky than rich, and the truth of this was brought home to a Timaru resident when he visited the post office to purchase his new number plates.. He approached the registration department carrying the necessary forms and also four £1 notes. He was directed by the clerk to another part of the building, and after standl ing in the queue for a time reached I the counter only to discover that one iof the notes was missing. He beat I a hasty retreat to the first departIment visited, and saw the note peepling out from under the shoe of a I woman who was being attended to •.at the counter. A polite "excuse me" and the noto was retrieved, much to the relief of the los ?r.

"Not a Bad Old Rooster" In a letter received from Egypt a New Plymouth officer stated that he had recently had detailed to him as batman a young man from a wellknown South Island school, whom he described as "a very casual young man." One day when censoring letters the officer came across this passage: "I have got a new job. I am batman to a staff captain. He is very easy to bluff—not a bad old rooster, though." Shortly afterwards the batman resumed duties on motor transport. Coastguards* Services In appreciation of the work of the New Zealand Coastguard Service, the Devonport Borough Council at its meeting last evening decided to vote £5 5/ to the organisation. It was pointed out by Mr. W. F. N. McLean that the Coastguard Service co-operated with the local units of the Home Guard, and on several occasions had used its vessels to transport guardsmen to various parts of the harbour for tactical exercises. West Coast Storm The West Coast of the South Island was visited by the storm that raged over New Zealand on Monday and Tuesday. Otira Gorge Road was blocked by slips between Bealey and Arthur's Pass, a train was derailed near Greymouth through a large rain-loosened boulder slipping to the line in a cutting, and power lines and radio aerials in a number of townships were brought down by heavy wind that accompanied the rain. At Ikamatua the flooded Little Grey River scoured out one end of the-bridge, isolating a sawmill and surrounding population. The rainfall for the two days varied from 3in to 4in. Telephone Directories Efforts are being made by patriotic bodies to save old telephone directories, which will be out-dated after midnight on Saturday. The Metropolitan Waste Reclamation Committee has suggested to postal authorities that subscribers be advised to hand in the discarded "books at the nearest post office, so that they can be delivered to one of the waste paper depots operated in conjunction with the Salvation Army. The transport and public bodied group collecting for the Fighting Forces Fund has also interested itself in the matter, and is arranging to make house-to-house visits with the assistance of the Boy Scouts' Association. The Carriers' Association has agreed to deliver the directories free to the waste paper depots and the money secured by their disposal will swell the funds of the collecting group. It is to be noted that the new directories do not contain the list of subscribers connected with sub-exchanges in the vicinity of Auckland, and it has been sugecsted that, subscribers should retain iht'ic pages. I