General News

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23495, 25 November 1941, Page 6

General News

Message From Polish President The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) has received the following cablegram front the President* of Poland, M. Raczkjewicz, in London: “I am deeply touched by your cordial message on the occasion of the anniversary of Poland’s independence day, and I wish to convey to you and the people of New Zealand our heartfelt thanks for this new proof of your sympathy and friendship. At a time when the people of Poland are fighting for their very survival, the consciousness that they are united in their struggle with the freedom-loving nations of the British Commonwealth is a powerful source of comfort and confidence for them. The magnificent example of the heroic New Zealanders who, without hesitation, dedicated themselves to the noble cause of human liberty and dignity, is one more assurance that it , will prevail against the forces of evil, and that our common victory, will be a triumph of justice and peace.”—P.A. Air Force Recruiting More than 200 recruits were enrolled last week during the special campaign held in Christchurch by. the Royal New Zealand Air Force to increase the strength of the local squadron of the Air Training Corps, and to secure recruits for the ground _ and air crew sections and the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. There were approximately 100 Air Training Corps recruits, sufficient for two additional flights of the local squadron, 50 Women’s Auxiliary Air Force recruits, and more than 80 groupd and air crew recruits. It is expected that the number of recruits will be increased when additional applications come in this week. An Abbreviation “Flak” (the word used to denote anti-aircraft fire) is the abbreviation' of the German word-monster Flugzeugabwehrkanone, states a correspondent of "The Times,” London. Flug is our word flight or flying, Zeug is stuff, implement, craft, and thus the two words together mean aircraft or flying-machine. Ab is our preposition off, and Wehr defence, a body of armed men, which makes Abwehr mean warding off, fighting off. Kanone is our .cannon or gun. No wonder that even the Germans thought it advisable to reduce their word for an A.A. gun to the monosyllabic flak. Another recently adopted German word, Panzer (pronounced puntser), is the medieval German word for a coat of mail and now signifies armour and armoured. Thus a German Panzerkreuzer, e.g., is an armoured cruiser and a Panzerauto an armoured car. ft Sign Fainted on Road Unknown persons at some time on Sunday chose the surface of the roadway near Victoria Park, on the Cashmere Hills, on which to paint in large letters “No more troops for overseas. Advised of this yesterday the acting-county clerk of the Heathcote County Council (Miss E. M. Suckling) had the sign painted out with tar. Miss Suckling said that she had been told that a similar sign -had been painted on .the roadway some time ago. The police, according to an inquiry yesterday, have received no complaints of such offences. Letter from Corporal R. M. Macfarlane The winter heat of Egypt is found very trying by the former Mayor of Christchurch, Corporal R. M. Macfarlane, M.P., who is at present at the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force training base. In a letter to Mr G. W. Dell, secretary of the Canterbury Labour Representation Committee, Corporal Macfarlane reports that he is well, but that he is not looking forward to the Egyptian summer. “I think you were here last war as well as in England and France, so you will know the conditions that exist,” Corporal Macfarlane says. “Though it is supposed to be the winter here, I find the heat during the day very trying. It is, of course, aggravated by the clouds of dusty sand that fly about. I do not know how I will fare in the summer. . . . you will be spared a very strenuous - time as the General Election has been postponed for a year. A very wise decision. The average person is not interested m elections to-day, and anything can happen in a small poll.” The letter ends with the wish that the writer may be remembered to his friends in Christchurch. Overdraft Limit Increased Advice that its overdraft limit had been increased to £SOOO with no time limitation, was received by the Riccarton Borough Council from the Bank of New Zealand at its meeting last evening. The Town Clerk (Mr R. Sarjeaht) explained that the previous limit was £2OOO, while the legal limit was £20,000. Launch Damaged by Fire Extensive damage was done by fire early yesterday morning to the launch Reliance 11, which was doing temporary service as pilot launch for the New Plymouth Harbour Board. The Reliance is 38ft by 10ft beam, and Diesel driven. The launch is owned by Mr J. Crabtree, of Eltham, and operated by Mr W. Growcott, of Moturoa. She is considered one of the best of the New Plymouth fleet of launches. The vessel is valued at about £6OO. The launch was out on fishing operations on Sunday, and everything appeared in order when she was tied up at the berth usually occupied by the pilot launch. After the fire, to the cause of which no clue has been discovered, the cabin was found burnt out, and all the fishing gear destroyed.—P.A. Demand for Electricity The demand for electricity in Riccarton is still increasing at an alarming rate, according to a report by the electricity committee presented at a meeting of the Riccarton Borough Council last evening. The report stated that 42 applications had been received for electric ranges, 43 for electric water heaters, and the capacity of electric motors required for industry was 285 horse-power. Air Training Corps Uniforms The uniforms for the local squadron of the Air Training Corps, which are similar to those worn by the Air Force, except that they have black plastic buttons and a special shoulder badge, are now in Christchurch. Some have been issued, but it will be at least a fortnight before all members of the squadron receive their, uniforms. Hazardous Flight A hazardous 600-mile night flight from Cairns to Coen, a remote telephone station on Cape York Peninsula (Queensland), was made by an Airlines of Australia aeroplane to save the life of a man severely burned in an explosion, writes the Sydney correspondent of “The Press.” The finding of the tiny aerodrome in the head of the peninsula at night was described as a miracle by an official of the company. Piloted by Captain T. C. Jones, chief pilot of Airlines of Australia, and Captain H. Moore, ? Stinson aeroplane took off shortly after news was received that two men had been injured and needed hospital treatment. Bush fires were burning over a wide area, and the aeroplane circled many times before distinguishing the landing ground flare from the fires. The injured men—J. Strang, who was burned on the legs, body, arms, and face when petrol exploded in a well in which he was working, and J. Muir, who received less serious injuries from the blast—were taken aboard the aeroplane and flown back to Cairns. Strang was admitted to hospital in a critical condition. New Zealanders Arrive In Canada What was described by the commanding officer as a “big draft” of men from England arrived at No. 31 Personnel Depot of the ROyal Air Force in New Brunswick, Canada, last month, according to a Moncton, New Brunswick, paper received in Christchurch. The report says: “The trainees will be stationed in New Brunswick some time before proceeding to flying schools in the United States for instruction. The men came directly from England, although included in the party in addition to Englishmen are a large number of Scotsmen and New Zealanders. The greater number are members of the Royal Air Force, although there were a number of trainees in the Fleet Air Arm. Members of the latter unit. are mostly New Zealanders who enlisted in the Royal Navy’s aerial branch.” Michael Redgrave, one of Britain’s best-known film stars, who is now an able-bodied seaman, was among the arrivals. Food seemed to be the main topic of conversation among the men. One trainee said: “We had a tremendous amount of food for breakfast this morning. I had more butter than I’ve seen in a long time. There was a whole bowl of sugar on the table, and we just helped ourselves.”