General News

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21976, 28 December 1936, Page 6

General News

Accidents Late At Night Of five accidents reported to the Automobile Association, Wellington, on Friday, the majority occurred between 11 o’clock on Christmas Eve and 2 o’clock on Friday morning. It was believed that the main causes of these night accidents were fatigue and poor headlights. ‘ Judging from the continuous stream of traffic on the main roads,” the association says, “it is fairly evident that many hundreds of persons set out to spend the holidays away from home after completing a long and arduous days work and were driving while in a condition that left them unable to give 'that concentration so necessary for night driving in an unusually heavy flow of traffic. In the five accidents reported to the association, no fewer than 18 persons wore injured, and of these 16 were taken to hospital for some form of treatment. Headlights were reported to be in bad condition and poorly adjusted. A great deal of overtaking was done in circumstances that created every risk of accident. The record of Christmas Eve again shows up the impatient driver, who, by his actions, involves road-users in danger. Motorists whose cars are heavily laden should remember that headlights properly adjusted when a car is empty may be seriously out of adjustment when the load is heavy. This applies especially to light cars.” Contrast of Conditions Though Germany shows signs of prosperity that astound the English visitor, Vienna is in abject poverty and Austria has suffered greatly from economic depression, according to Mr F. Blick, formerly a business man in India, who has recently been travelling in Europe. He said that the restrictions on Germans leaving with money in their possession meant that there were fewer visitors to Austria, and on one occasion where accommodation had been arranged for 400 visitors to a festival only eight arrived. Similar views were expressed last evening by Flight Lieutenants W. H. Garing and C. D. Candy, of the Royal Australian Air Force, who travelled in Europe recently. Mr Garing said that the Germans were showing remarkable method and thoroughness and there were no outward signs of poverty, but in Austria there was every appearance of extreme poverty. He had not visited Vienna, but had been to Kizbuhel, where the Duke of Windsor w'as now staying. Touring in New Zealand With the experience of tourist travel in European countries, two visitors to Christchurch, Flight Lieutenants W. H. Garing and C. D. Candy, of the Royal Australian Air Force, who are now on a visit to New Zealand, spoke very highly last evening of the attractions of the Dominion as a tourist resort. Though they had not yet travelled very extensively, they were able to pay a high tribute to New Zealand roads, which they said they had been told in Australia were not very satisfactory. On the contrary, they had found them very good, and some were excellent. The arrangements for travellers in Europe, said Mr Garing, wore very thorough, but New Zealand had good hotels and fine scenery, and he considered that a body such as the South Islands Travel Association could do much to further the attractions of the country for visitors. Holidays Afloat Laden with provisions and with crews who refused to be dismayed by grey skies and falling rain, most of Auckland’s fleet of pleasure craft put to sea a few days ago for the annual Christmas cruise. It is estimated that there are at least 2000 yachts and launches on the Wailemata, and that of those about 1400 arc being used by their owners for cruises over the holiday period. If five persons are allowed to each boat, it means that about 7000 Aucklanders must bo spending their Christmas holidays afloat. New Transmitter For 2YA The installation of the new 60-kilowatt transmitter for 2YA at Titahi Bay, Wellington, has now been practically completed, and as opportunity offers the transmitter will be put on trial runs after the ordinary hours of transmission. It is expected that from to-morrow tire new transmitter will take over the programmes of the present 2YA, but for, some weeks these will be regarded as test transmissions and some stoppages may be necessary for adjustment purposes. In this event, the present 2YA transmitter will take up the running. The date of the official opening of the new transmitter has been fixed for Monday, January 25. A Policy of Spending The Government did not want people who received increased wages to place them in a bank; the surplus money should be spent, said Mr W. M. C. Denham, Labour M.P. for Invercargill, in an address to the Southland Storemen’s Union. Money should not bf invested; it was the mechanism which caused the wheels of industry to revolve and should be kept in circulation. When people became too old to work they need not run to the bank. There would be a superannuation scheme to provide for them. Mr Denham also said that wealth must be distributed and indicated that the “taxation pincers might soon be put in a bit deeper.” Horse’s Life Saved By a few minutes, a Napier motorist saved the life of a horse which he found in distress near Tangoio (Hawke’s Bay) a few days ago. At first glance the horse, which was tethered to a fence, but which was lying motionless on an area of sloping ground, appeared to be dead, but a closer inspection showed that it was alive. The animal had apparently slipped and fallen, and its halter had become entwined round its forelegs, with the result that its struggles to regain its feet had only caused the rope round its neck to tighten. The horse was undoubtedly very near to death when a slash from a razor severed the rope round its neck. “Half-Educated Youth” “I have always understood that it is one of the planks of a socialist government that all must have the opportunity of getting a complete education,” said Mr J. N. Peart, headmaster of King’s College, Auckland, in his annual report. “How can a boy get .. complete education if he leaves at 15 or 16 years of age? There is no doul t that many hundreds of boys have left school a year or two earlier than they originally intended because the basic wage at 21 has made employers refuse to take boys oi 18 or even 17. One result is more unemployment, but what concerns me is the thought of all these half-educated youths going cut into the world as products of our secondary schools.” Strange Companions A cat, a hen, and a hedgehog are a strange trio to have as gardening companions, yet this i; the experience of a New Plymouth resident, a keen gardener, who lives in the heart of the town, but spends most of her time in her garden on a small section. A cat and a bantam hen have been household pets for three or four years, and have been regular companions of the housewife during her gardening. It is, however, onlj' during the last few weeks that the hedgehog has joined the pair. No doubt the hedgehog was first attracted by a saucer of milk left out regularly for the cat, which apparently has raised no objection to the intruder sharing its fare. It seems rather to like the newcomer, indeed, as amusing interludes of play indicate. Southland Timber in Demand “I was pleased to learn that the State Forest Service in Southland «vas doing such excellent work,” said Mr W. M. C. Denham, the member for Invercargill, in a recent address. “The service is supplying timber for fruit cases to local mills, and just lately there were 19 trucks of timber for banana cases for export to Samoa on one train. The Forestry Department could supply 3,000,000 feet, rising to 10,000,000 annually, and continue the supply of timber indefinitely.” Mr Denham said he saw a great future for the timber industry in Southland, and paid a tribute to the highly efficient work done by the conservator of forests (Mr N. J. Dolamorej. He remarked that he was pleased with the spirit of co-operation existing between the employers of the department and the officers. He also spoke of the value of the work done by the men, who were rendering a valuable service to the nation, and assumed them that the Government was determined to give its employees every incentive to work by seeing that they had the best of wages and conditions.