NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 236, 6 October 1942, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Not What They Seemed

We are all hearing a good deal these days about dehydration, and some people have treated food this way themselves. Not everyone has seen the result of this magic reduction, however, and when a handful of brittle white flakes was brought into the Star office, they caused much interest. The flakes represented lib of potatoes. The man who brought them in said that his family had had some last night for dinner and they were delicious, and no different in taste from ordinary potatoes, though they seemed to need a little more salt than usual.. The flakes were soaked for a couple of hours, then boiled, which brought them up to their original size. Finally they were fried, which inflated them still more, and made a sizzling panful. They may, of course, be eaten boiled, without being fried.

Matches in the Mail "The sending of matches through the post Is a serious offence under the Post and Telegraph Act, and in future action will be taken against offenders," said the PostmasterGoneral, the 'Hon. P. C. Webb, in Wellington to-day, when commenting on recent instances in which the enclosing of matches in postal packets had come to the notice of the post oflico. Mr. Webb said that some persons appeared to believe that, wax matches enclosed in tin containers, or "safety" matches, could be sent by post. Such an impression was erroneous. Explosive, dangerous or destructive substances of anv kind, including matches, came within the provisions of the Act, and for reasons of safety must be excluded from the mails. College Foundry Wanted Support for the recommendation of the rllreclor of the Wellington Technical College. Mr. ft. G. Itidling, that a foundry should he added to the college engineering workshops was expressed by the meeting of the Hoard of Governors of the college.

"The reorganlnsation of the pngineerInk workshops is approaching complrlion I nit a foundry must, be added to it without delay," said the director. "This should be a model small, foundry complete for the treatment of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and it should he associated with instruction in metallurgy. We find in industry that foundry work is the 'hottieneck' of production. There is diffdence on the part of many suitable workers to undertake this branch of engineering activity. With a modern lutindrv established in the school we could do much to assist industry in the provision of necessary labour and the adoption of modern methods. A proper study of foundry activities '•nd a scientific treatment of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys *fould arousv internal *n udents."

Free from Crime

The Wanganui police district has been comparatively free of crime during the past few months, with a consequent falling off of criminal business in the Supreme and Magistrate's Courts. Of the three Supreme Court sessions held in Wanganui this year two have had no criminal cases. The fourth and final session of the year will open on Tuesday, October 27. So far three criminal cases are listed for trial. Pukekohe's Pride Passengers on the trains to and through Pukekohe are struck by the very fine gardens at the Pukekohe railway station. At present there is a fine show of poppies and the plot is edged with pansies, while at the other end of the platform there is a beautifully cut lawn, and this also is edged with flowers. The ground was given and prepared by the railway authorities and is cared for by the Pukekohe Horticultural Society. The railway station staff is proud of the garden and guards it carefully. At other stations along the line flower plots have been laid down, but there has been no help from local authorities.

"National Emergency" Biscuits Thousands of tons of Britain's new "welfare" biscuit are being stored away in preparation for a national emergency. The biscuit has been evolved, after many tests, by British biscuit makers who are now, to the number of 240, united with the cake makers in the Cake and Biscuit Manufacturers' War-time Alliance, a non-profitmaking organisation. The welfare Is a sweet biscuit made from wheatmeal flour, the purest vegetable fat and the finest grade of sugar. It gives the maximum of nutrition at the low price of 9d per lb, and the industry regards it as the best value ever offered to the public. The biscuits are mainly oblong, for, although the ingredients are standardised, the shapes vary a little so as not to limit production to a few cutting machines. What Boys Will Read "Jt is surprising what boys will read if they are given the opportunity," said Mr. J. L. Cameron, a master at the Southland Boys' High School, in an address at the annual meeting of the Old Boys' Association of the school. "During the first two terms of this year 3000 books were issued from the school library and a little less than, half were nonfiction. History was in favour. On the first day that the library was open this term 110 books were issued, 47 non-fiction and 63 fiction. This shows that the boys' reading is sound and varied and that they are interested in what is going on in the world. I think that the boy of to-day is better read and more widely cultured than was the boy of my day. We often hear criticism of the modern boy, but he is every bit as good as. and in some warn -an, predwcw."