General News

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23301, 10 April 1941, Page 6

General News

No Paper To-morrow “The Press” will not be published to-morrow, Good Friday. Price of Deerskins « The price of deerskins has advanced sharply in the last few weeks. First quality stagskins are quoted at 3s 3d per lb, second quality at 2s 9d, and third quality (badly weathered) at 2s. A good quality stagskin of 101b weight is worth on the above basis about 32s 6d. A.t the present time the average weight of all skins is about ,51b, but in the winter the average is about 71b. The keen inquiry, it is understood, is due to the American demand.

The Unusual “If you feed people on the unusual you cannot expect them to appreciate their surroqndings,” Mr G, Guy, education officer at the Canterbury Museum, in an address to the Canterbury School Committees’ Association last evening. “Of. course, it is useful to have some unusual things; but if you fill a museum with monstrosities you give people a false idea of reality.” For example, he 'said, it was not so instructive to exhibit in a- xnuseum the largest fish ever caught in the neighbourhood as to exhibit a typical specimen. Damage by Lightning Lightning which struck telephone and power wires and a tree near the homestead on the Selma Estate, Pendarves, on Tuesday afternoon caused damage to electrical equipment in the house and started a fire in gbrse at the foot of the tree. Mr R; Weir, the farm manager, said yesterday that the ground shook when a violent flash of lightning seemed to strike nearby at 4.30 p.m. The telephone fuse in the hall was shattered, and pieces were thrown 20 feet away. The living room was filled with smoke from the radio set. in which all the valves were burnt out, even though, a lightning arrester was fitted to the aerial. One of the electric lights was on at the time and this was burnt out. Then it was discovered that a fire had started in the, gorse in a bluegum plantation near the house, where it appeared that a tree had been struck. The fire was'quickly put out because the gorse was wet with the rain which fell at the time. At the foot of the tree was a dead rabbit, killed either by the fire or the lightning. No Fifth Column in Java “There can exist no fifth column in Java, because they have such efficient political research,” said Mr R. Meyers, an administration official from Java, who has come to New Zealand with his family for a few months, in an interview yesterday. He described the “political research 1 ” system of his country- and said that the police there had power, but good training as well. If I was an alien in Java and you were a reporter seeing me you might meet an officer from the research afterwards, to ask what I had said. I tell you there can be no fifth column there now. In Holland they had democracy and'they could not take steps before the war. In the Netherland Indies we have a democratic administration, but the police have the necessary power.” Repairing Ashley Stopbank The repairs to the Ashley River Trust’s embankment at Fernside. where the break occurred during the flood last month, will be completed next week, according to a report by the engineer to the Waimak'ariri River Trust (Mr H. W, Harris) to a meeting of the trust yesterday. “Our tractor loader and two trucks are. putting in the new piece of embankment for the Ashley River Trust,” said Mr Hams “The work entails the placing of some 370(1 cubifc yards.” Explaining the assistance given to the Ashley Trust, Mr Harris said that the great danger of escape flood water at this point affected not' only Rangiora, but? also a large portion of the Waimak'ariri rating area and the Gust Main Drain. “As far as the breaks in the Ashley banks on the south side near the Mam North road were concerned, it was fortunate from ouf viewpoint that the bulk of the flood- . waters got away through the beach at Waikuku. Otherwise all this water would have found its outlet to the Waimakariri via Saltwater creek at Kairaki." America’s “Pep” Bread Enriched bread, locally known as • “pep” bread, is now on sale at American bakeries. The bread is baked from flour of twp general types. One brand is produced from special milling processes that retain increased percentages of vitamins and minerals, and the other from ordinary flour to which vitamins and minerals have been added synthetically. Bread has been chosen as the medium through which the most recently discovered materials capable of fortifying human foods are to be introduced into the public diet, because they are natural elements of wheat and because bread is in universal use. Trucks for Home Guard The use of the Waimakariri River Trust’s trucks for the Home Guard in the Belfast area, in cases of special need, was agreed to by the trust at its meeting yesterday. The trust’s engineer (Mr H. W. Harris), who is commander of the Home Guard in the area, explained that occasions for the use of the trucks would occur, if at all, only once in two or three months. They could be used, for instance, if exercises were carried out with northern units of the Home Guard. “The main thing is that, should an emergency arise, the trucks would be available,” he said. Summer Time Extended , Emergency regulations temporarily- extending the present half hour of Summer Time throughout the whole year have been gazetted. The Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) commented that the Government had regard to the fact that there was general acceptance throughout the country qf the idea that in present circumstances an extension for the whole year would be of considerable advantage from the national point of view. In particular it would assist very materially in relieving the heavy load on the hydro-electric system of the Dominion during the peak loading period. Another important feature was that in view of the reduced lighting, the extension of daylight saving would enable many workers to’ get home in daylight.—P.A. American Cars * Defence needs are expected to force changes in the construction of American motor-cars, according to motoring writers in American newspapers. Aluminium pistons may have to give way to cast iron, and engineers are already studying design problems that may come about when defence priorities are invoked in other materials. There, will be 1942 models, but their originality will depend on defence pressure. Meanwhile 1941 models are pouring out of Detroit 20 per cent, faster than last year to clear the assembly lines for Army orders. Magazine for Troops A-copy of the first issue of “Reo Mihi” ("The Voice of Greeting”), which has been received by the Rangiora branch of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, is a publication .containing messages from the soldiers of the Great War to members of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force overseas. It is intended to issue the publication quarterly to members, of the forces, who are thus to be kept informed of all measures taken in the Dominion for the welfare of themselves and their dependants. % i Teacher Peeled Potatoes “It- is not the board’s policy to appeal for teachers -called for service overseas; but it has been found that some on territorial service have been doing clerical work,” said the chairman (Mr W. Campbell) at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board, when notification was received that more teachers were to be called for home service for the duration of the war. “One of our teachers put in the greater part of his time in camp peeling potatoes,” said ■Mr W. I. Boyer. Other members agreed that teachers were too valuable in their own sphere to do non-essential work in camp; but if their services were considered essential there was nothing-the board could do about it.—P.A.