NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 295, 13 December 1943, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

High-priced Holidays

The rush for holiday accommodation in and around Auckland has gathered such momentum that competition has pushed up the price of available rooms to new heights. A double room and breakfast in private houses is reported to command as much as £8 8/ now for one week at the height of the season. Sugar for Jam Making

"Some misapprehension seems to exist about the quantity of sugar at present allowed for jam making," said Mr. J. Railton, president of the Canterbury Master Grocers' Association. "The position is that the Y2 coupon on sheet 11 in the new ration book can be redeemed for 31b of sugar any time between November 1 and December 24. Only one issue of 31b in each book is available for that period.

Quick Movers "They are quick movers, these Americans," said the former licensee of the Hotel Cecil, Wellington, explaining in the hearing of the compensation claim against the Crown why certain daily cash books could not be produced. The books were in a room in the hotel when the troops entered, and as the room was one which they wanted at once, they threw everything out. Wellington Town Hall Now that there is a stadium available in Wellington in the new sports centre in Wakefield Street, there is a feeling in some quarters that the Town Hall, now newly and tastefully decorated, should not be used for boxing and wrestling matches. True, there is not the accommodation for so many patrons in the stadium, but that, it has been pointed out, may not be a primary consideration as, many men being overseas, the large audiences of former years may not be offering, whereas the 500 or 600 seats might be ample for present needs. The immediate fear is that if the Town Hall is allowed to be used as in the past it will not be long before it will become shabby once more. Co-operative Effort An unusual co-operative effort for patriotic purposes came to fruition on Saturday. A prominent Auckland business man recently called for volunteers from the Y.M.C.A. Optimists' Club to accompany him to the Waitakere Ranges and help in the building of a rest home he is erecting there for the post-war use of members of his staff who are on active service. He offerecl to pay £1 to the patriotic funds for each dav's work per volunteer, and on Saturday he and four assistants manhandled banjo shovels .and Seles hewing access out of virgin bush' Net result: "the boss got his access the patriotic funds got their donation five desk-weary, business limbering up — »»«» joyable day m the raises ana everyone was satisfied.

Girl's Work on Farm

An idea of the way in which young women were assisting to carry on primary production in the Dominion was given in evidence to the Industrial Manpower Committee at Greymouth. It was stated that a 20-year-old girl on a 207-acre farm at Paroa milked nine cows, tended 77 ' sheep, and performed general farm work, including stumping and burning off. "Every day last week she was shearing sheep, and if ycu went out now you would probably see her in the paddock with a horse pulling out stumps," said the girl's mother. Sh- added that the girl was assisted by a sister, aged 14.

Pillaging Ano%2r instance of pillaging of goods ui transit has been reported to the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association by a Christchurch firm, and has been added to the substantial evidence which is being collected by the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation for presentation to the Government. The firm was advised by the Railway Department that a case of wooden tobacco jars consigned to Wellingtpn had been found broken open, apparently in the Christchurch railway yards. Eighteen of the 90 jars had been removed, and the Department returned the case, temporarily repaired, to the consignors.

Mutilation of Books Mutilation of books and periodicals in the Canterbury Public Library is reported by Mr. E. J. Bell, the librarian. He said that a good deal of clipping went on all the time, but that gaps in pages were not always immediately detected. Lately, however, some particularly bad cases had come to light. Examples are displayed in the library office. A new volume of Tennyson's poems has had more than 100 pages removed, a volume of the works of Voltaire has been discriminatingly cut, and a copy of Harper's Magazine indicates the treatment given to - magazines. Some of the damage has been done within the library, but the greater pre portion has been done when the hooks were out on loan. "It tpoils the books for other people, ..o say the least," said Mr. Bell. Treble Surprise Coincidence was writ in large letters over a totally unexpected reunion in an Auckland family on a recent week-end. Of three sons on active service, one is in the Navy, a second was in Australia on Air Force duty and the third was in Canada, also in the Air Force, as far as the family knew. Then dad received a 'phone call from an Auckland aerodrome, with a request to send out a car to pick up his son just back from Canada. Joyfully he did so. Not long after he got home there was a knock, and when he opened the front door he was greeted by his second son with: "What's in the larder, dad? I've just flown 1200 miles, and Ave were so excited I didn't eat before, we left." The filial trio was completed the same week-end when the son in the Navy walked casually in, also on leave. It was their first reunion in three years.