General News.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20225, 1 May 1931, Page 10

General News.

The schedulo for this year's Winter Show is in the printer's hands, and should be ready for issue shortly. The level of Lake Coleridge yesterday was 16G9ft, or 3ft below overflow level, and .05ft lower than last Thursday. Fifty-four passports were issued and eleven renewed in Christchurcli during April, making the totals to date for this year 205 and 28 respectively. The Heathcote County Council had 395 men engaged tinder the ° Scheme on different works on Monday, and yesterday the total had risen, approximately, to 500. "I venturo to say that if a party of men were to commence pulling tip the road in front of, the Post Office in Cathedral square, no one would say them nay!" said Cr. M. E. Lyons to the electors in the North Limvood School last . evening. 7 "None of the local bodies would know anything about it." Catching fire after a collision with a car at the intersection of Cranmer square and Chester street at about noon yesterday, a motor-cycle was badly damaged. The ridel 1 . Herbeit Arthur Elstob, of 209 Page's road, was cut about the face. The Central Fir o Brigade put out the fire with a chemical extinguisher. The car was very little damaged. A number of the unemployed men in the Grey district have started prospecting for gold. Already promising results have beett secured in some localities. The chairman of the Unemployment Committee in Qreymouth (Mr J. W. Greenslade) states that his committee is applying to the Unemployment Board for financial assistance to enable these men to pursue their efforts, the result of which may bo beneficial to the whole district. 1

Breaking into the chemist's shop of Mr I>. F. Glanville, in Holm wood road on Wednesday evening, a thief tooic away a few pieces of brown paper. The papers, on which Mr Glanville hod written some notes, were in the easn register, and it is probable that m the dark tho thief mistook them foi bank notes. Komo moneym the register drawers was apparently over looked.

Speaking regarding the bad weather in which the Anthony Wilding Shield Challenge match was playeu in Wellington, the chairman at last evening's meeting of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association (Mr W. N. Seay) eaid he regretted that such competitions could not be arranged to played at a time when there was a fair certainty of good weather. Haying in spiked shoes and with wet bails made tennis another game altogether, he said, and it was time the players took action in the matter. Donations to tho Earthquake Reliqf Fund in Masterton total £3327. Though the disbursements include sent in cash to the Mayor of Hnstings srnd £l2l spent on foodstuffs and goods sent to the stricken area in the early days of the disaster, they total only £263. Generous donations in kind were made by the tradespeople and public of the town and district for tho local relief of refugees, of whom 290 were on the ration strength of the local food oepot. Approximately 600 refugees were temporarily resident in Masterton. The credit balance of £3064 has beeu paid into the Primo Minister's Fund. —Press Association. An opinion that unemployed women prefer to hang aronnd Wellington and starve was expressed at the bi-monthly meeting of the Bush Nurse and Housekeepers' Auxiliary of tho union by Mrs C. Jackson, Dominion president of the Women's Division of the Farmers' Union. It was stated that there were a thpusand such in Wellington, and an appeal for help was received. Mrs Jackson said that it had been suggested that country women might be willing to talco some of these girls into their homes. •The Dominion secretary had interviewed numbers of unemployed, but so far only two girls had accepted positions in the country. A new, powerful locomotive is foreshadowed in the message of the General Manager of Railways (MrH. H. Sterling) appearing jn the Railways Magazine' l for April: typical of the economy measures now m train is the evolution b,y our technical stuff of h new type of locomotive which will save a large percentage of the banking now r;eccssarv in various parts of New Zealand, and help to produce it better operating figure in train and online mile/ige. In this and othor ways our costs of operation are being reduced to assist in striving towards our ideal—all needful service at the lowest possible cost." The new engine will hav® a capacity approximately 60 per- cent, greater\ than units of the existing "AB" class engine, with the added advantage that the trailing boeie of the new engines will be bo built tt>at a "booster can later be conveniently fitted provision of this added power is found necessary,,

, . nprhaps a record for school +} ?no been set up by Robert attendance..jo. o m the NelMead. of M J school every son district. _ during a period of time it w' ls P leav i ng lie received a ten years. U" from thfl Nolgon Ed „. special le colivey ing its. hearty conon Ws splenSld record. . 0 T.,e S™: Southland, j,aving been received no norm 11 an interview Mr T° r A Broom' who will continue to 1 lrl nffira is 'Mayor until May 22nd, hold office • ■ unsatisfactory said that it was e ed Mr Broom will seek renomination only Mi -t>roon . forthcoming, as he remarked that- he was not keen on the position. Tho Union Company's trans-Pacifia steamer Waikawa is to pin the fleet of idle vessels laid up at Aucklano owing to slackness of trade, bix of tho company's steamers, coastal as well as foreign-going, are lying in the stream. The Waihemo, Kairanga, Waiten.ata Kurow, and Kaituna have all been laid up owing to slackness of trade, but the sixth, the Waitomo, has not been m commission for close on three years, having been withdrawn from gervice after breaking her taushaft off the coast. The Post and Telegraph Department has advised the Wellington Fire Board that it does not intend to proceed any further with the placing of placards m slot telephone boxes, announcing the numbers of lire stations, police stations, and the Free Ambulance. Discussing the matter at a meeting of the Board last week, members generally held tliat iu tho case of some queer-mindeu people tho very reminder as "to what was a fire brigade station's number was enough to make them givo a falso alarm. It was thought that,, on the whole, it was best to have no such special intimations m the telephone boxes. "I would rather lose my job than turn starving men and their families away, said the secretary of the Waikato Hospital Board, Mr 33. G. Johnson, at a meeting of the hoard, in reply to the chairman, Mr J. J. Ryburn, who, when tho question of reducing wages was being discussed, expressed the opinion that it was not the Board's duty to find work for tho unemployed. Mr Johnson added that he had no option but to employ men who came to him destitute and starving. He had savod the Board every penny ho could, by giving the applicants employment at the hospital instead of charitable aid. The existence ol : a ban against Town Hall officials giving lectures or addresses on civic matters was suggested bv Mr G. W. Hutchison, candidate for tho Auckland Mayoralty, at his meeting at Nowton (states the "New Zealand Herald"). Some years ago, he said, the former Auckland city engineer. Mr W. E. Bush, gave an address before a public 'body, and was told afterwards he must not do it again. "Since then I have never seen another officer of the City Council have the temerity to clp such a thing, said Mr Hutchison. His own opinion was that "contact between the Town Hall and tho people would # break down a great deal of the animosity and lack of respect that exists between a section of the public and Town Hall officers."

"Those nre difficult'times, and the economies now enforced are of a kind which normal conditions of trade • would not require; but they have this advantage, that when business does recover wo will bo in a position to mako the best use pf it by reaching the present maximum operating capacity more quickly than would otherwise be possible, and then letting out sail only upon such courses as the future trend of our business demands," says the General Manager of Railways, Mr H. H. Sterling, in the "Railways Magazine." Ho. adds: "The decrease in expenditure for the year ending March 31st will be in the vicinity of 75 per cent, of tho reduction in the gross revenue, a result which compares vory favourably with that achieved by the most successful of overseas railways;" A strong protest against home lessons was voiced at the householders' meeting at tho Newton School, Auckland. A parent who is bitterly opposed to his children applying themselves to lessons at home said the system in vogue was a curse. His children came 'home "crying their eyes out" on account of the tasks set them at night, and ho considered it harmful to their nervous systoms. Ho moved that the Education Department be urged' to aliolish homework for children up to Standard VI. Mr A. G. Hultquist, a member of the School Committee, said the abolition of homework at Mount Eden School had been successful, and a plebiscite taken aftor the experiment had been tried disclosed that 95 per cent, of tho parents were in favour of it. The chairman, Mr C. S. Morris, expressed the view that homework should be limited to half an hour. The motion was carried. The current issue of the "New Zealand 'Medical Journal" contains two articles giving graphic descriptions or the recent earthquake disaster in the ■Napier ' district. Dr. A. C. Biggs, superintendent of the Napier Hospital, desoribes the destruction of that institution and the subsequent measures taken for the care of the injured. Recognition is given of the valuable services rendered by the doctors and nurses, and the numerous other volunteer helpers. "I consider," states Dr. Biggs, "that tha services rendered by the Health Department were perfect; in fact, I am certain that no country in the world could have given a better organised or more efficient service however much preparation had been made beforehand. A sense of duty as well as pleasure compels me to testify to the great efficiency of all branches ot this Department, and to express my admiration for the organisation therein that must have talsen many years to build up to such a, high standard. Dr. Biggs also expresses his admiration for the courage and devotion to duty displayed without exception by the whole of the hospital staff. The second article is by Dr. R. Campbell Begg, who states, in conclusion: —"As an historical event, as an epic ln which the soul of our infant country was tried and not found wanting, those days of anxiety and thrill and horror and brotherhood will live throughout our annals. New Zealand will not forget." Passengers by White Star Buses ask the driver to 'phono for a Gold Rand Taxi for you, and insist on getting one, a,s vou will save money; and don't be bluffed by others in sayinir that their fares are the same as Gold Band Taxis, as we are the cheapest. V7e carry all luggage, prams, etc,, free of extra charge. 'Phones 34-075 or 35-572. Thank vou. —2 New Taxi Firms are coming and going, all the time, but the Gold Band Taxis are here to stay, we do not change our nilrae or prices, which are half the price of others, so why go elsewhere and pay more. We have the largest fleet and are open continuously, so 'phone 34-075 or 35-572 at any hour. Thank you. —1