General News

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23447, 30 September 1941, Page 6

General News

Wool Bought in Christchurch “With almost as many skeins of knitting wool as one leading city store can boast as its entire reserves, a woman resident of Herne Bay has returned from Christchurch to be the envy of her Auckland friends,” states the “New Zealand Herald.” “The fortunate Aucklander spent about three weeks in Christchurch and bought all the wool she required on the first day. Her purchases included such well-known brands as Baton and Baldwin’s, Aotea, and Petone. Although relatives told her she was fortunate, she said that throughout her stay she could have purchased further supplies at any of the leading stores. From inquiries made in Auckland it is apparent that the wool situation is becoming worse. To prove his point, one retailer sadly displayed his entire stocks, consisting of about three bundles which could almost be carried in one hand. Naming four leading stores, he said that their total reserves could be bought for £100.” Piggery Finances Question and answer on the financial position of the Christchurch City Council’s piggeries both aroused laughter at the meeting of the council last evening. Cr. F. S. Wilding repeated the request for information on this subject which he had made at the previous meeting of the council, and members appeared to regard his persistence in the pursuit of this subject amusing. Cr. J. N. Clarke said the requested statement had been drawn up, but had yet to be passed by the City Treasurer. Supplementing this information, Cr. M. E. Lyons said: “It will afford the commercial minds of the council, and among those I include Cr. Wilding, a great deal of pleasure. (Laughter.) Prices of Knitted Underwear In furtherance of its policy of price stabilisation, the Price Tribunal states that it is steadily controlling, by means of price orders, the prices for all types of knitted underwear manufactured by various mills throughout New Zealand, and a further five orders have been gazetted covering the products of five more firms. Already the products of a substantial number of mills have been dealt with, and very shortly it is hoped to bring the products of the remaining mills on to the same footing. The prices fixed are maximum prices, and retailers may, of course, sell at a price below the maximum. All retailers are obliged to conform to the prices fixed by these orders.—P.A. City Council’s Mowing Problems The Christchurch City Council has insufficient mowing machines to cope with the large amount of work that is required on parks and playing fields, stated the report of the reserves committee to the council last evening. Some of the motor mowers have been in use for 12 or 14 years and require replacement. Mowing work was delayed by the heavy rain of August, which made the ground too sodden to use tractors for some weeks. In many instances the growth after the rain was so heavy that men had to be engaged raking up the mowings before the machines could make a second cut. Owing to the lateness pf the mowing some difficulty was being met in reducing the growth to a close turf. Gaels’ "B” for “V” The Gaels have had to surmount an awkward difficulty in their “V” campaign. Nowhere has the “Victory” idea caught on with more enthusiasm than in the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. When the Gaels began to think of chalking up the symbol on their homes and business premises, however, they were undone. There is no letter “V” in Gaelic. So they reversed the Morse sign. Now they are using the letter “B,” which is means victory. Garden Plots in New Brighton The advisability of removing the heavy wooden railings round the garden plots near the clock tower in central New Brighton has been considered by the reserves committee of the Christchurch City Council. “While it is admitted that the heavy railings are out of all proportion to the size of the plots, the committee has decided that no substantial alteration be made in the meantime,” the committee reported to the council last evening. “It is intended to prepare a plan of the general lay-out of this locality'. When completed this plan, if approved, may mean some alteration to the general design. It is therefore considered that until consideration has been given to the general plan of improvement any such work should be held over.” R.S.A. Membership The financial membership of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association at August 31 was more than 3000 greater than last year. Included in this total are more than 600 members returned from the present war.—P.A. Suggested Memorial to Engineer That engineers of New Zealand should place on permanent record their appreciation of the high qualities of the late Mr Evan Parry, formerly Chief Electrical Engineer of the Public Works Department, was a suggestion made by Mr M. Cable, president of the Electric Supply Authority Engineers’ Association, at a conference of the association held in Wellington last week. Mr Parry died recently in Britain. Mr Cable pointed out that engineers owed much to Mr Parry, and he thought they should do something to ensure that his work should be long remembered. He suggested that a tablet might be erected at the Lake Coleridge hydro station, with which Mr Parry had been most closely associated. Mr E. Hitchcock (Christchurch) said that every engineer who had worked with, Mr Parry owed him a great debt of gratitude. He strongly endorsed Mr Cable’s suggestion that New Zealand engineers should pay some permanent tribute to his memory. “Keep Off the Grass” Because thoughtless persons persist in walking across the newly-laid turf on the Godley plot in Cathedral square, the Christchurch City Council will erect low iron railings along the top of the concrete kerbing. The need for more seating accommodation round the plot has also been recognised, and the council will place seats along the whole length of the plot opposite the tram stop. The new railings will provide the backs for these seats. German Airman’s Coat A German airman’s leather coat obtained by her son, Sapper J. L. Hutton, in the course of the fighting near Mount Olympus has been received by Mrs C. L. Hutton, of Parnell, Auckland. The coat, which is probably one of the bulkiest souvenirs of the present war, is lined with curly black and brown fur which an expert has pronounced to be that of a species of bear. It has many zip fasteners and pockets, and when it arrived one of the pockets was found to contain a clasp knife and a pair of light fabric gloves. The whole garment is of the finest quality, and there is nothing “ersatz” about it. The captor regarded the coat as a great prize in the cold weather and wore or carried it all through the rest of the Greek campaign, discarding his army blanket in order to do so. He was one of the 1500 New Zealanders who embarked from Crete by the “suicide ship.” Even in the stress of this operation he kept the coat, and it was later brought to New Zealand by a friend.