General News

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23848, 18 January 1943, Page 4

General News

Woman Recovers Large Sum Following a recent paragraph in “The Press” about the large number of lost articles handled by the Ashburton police last year, many inquiries have recently been received bw the police for other items of missing property. The note in the paper led indirectly to the recovery by a woman of a sum of more than £4O. There have also been other inquiries for lost purses, and a number of bicycles which were held by the police have been claimed / by their owners. There are still several unclaimed bicycles at the police station. Tram Derailment A tram-car was derailed on the Opawa line on Saturday night, and the service was interrupted for some time. It was not until 1.30 a.m. on Sunday that the line was cleared. , Air Department Takes over Hotel A private hotel in Christchurch has been taken over by the Air Department to provide accommodation for approximately 100 men of the engine repair section at a South Island station of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The work of this section will in future be carried on at a city gatage which has also been taken oyer. Lack of accommodation at the station is responsible for the transfer to Christchurch. Relationship of Press and Censor “The relations of the newspapers with the censorship are good;” said Sir Campbell Stuart, a director of The Times.” London, who is visiting Auckland, in reply to a question whether the press of Britain was in general agreement that as much information as was consistent with considerations of strategy and safety was being permitted publication. Sir Campbell Stuart hastened to add that he did not mean that the newspapers were satisfied. They always wanted more information, but they recognised that the censorship restrictions were generally justified and fair. Cburse for AT.C. Christchurch units of the Air Training Corps have gone into camp near Christchurch for eight days for an instructional course for n.c.o.’s and intending n.c.o.’s. The work will include musketry, machine-gun drill, signals, physical training and drill. Flight Lieutenant A. R. Preston, R.N.Z.A.F., will be in charge. Pied Stilts Near Timaru Large numbers of pied stilts have been seen recently on the lagoon beyond the Timaru Borough Council’s rubbish tip at Saltwater creek. The poaka, or pied stilt, is a fairly common waterfowl in New Zealand, and is distinguished from the white-headed stilt by the absence of a white band of feathers round the neck. It has a glossy black back and white head, and is rather a clumsy bird in flight. The pied stilts, which embark upon a northward migration during the winter, disappear from Canterbury from about the end of April to the end of July. The birds are peculiar to New Zealand, and are protected. Maoris and the War Maoris attach much importance to the bestowal of names. Two infants recently born at Tuahiwi will be baptised at a ceremony there in a fortnight’s time. The question now agitating the elders is the selection of ap-. propriate names for them. One family group the other day discussed the Maori rendering of El Alamein. A close relative to one of the children had fought there. They compromised on “Aramaina.” Another member of this family has suggested “Hereha,” the Maori version of Hellenes, a compliment to the Greeks.’ Others have followed the ancient tradition of bestowing the names of the men who have fallen on new-born infants. It is doubtful whether his officers would recognise “Hironi” as Ceylon, one of the names borne by a sergeant with the Maori Battalion. Ceylon commemorates the fact that an uncle of this soldier, a well-known member of the Arawa tribe (and grandson to the famous guide, Sophia), died there at the time of Hironi Wikiriwhi’s birth. Traffic on Midland Line

Passenger traffic on the Midland line was particularly heavy on Saturday, the rush beginning in the morning with the arrival of racegoers. There were 115 persons in .three cars on the perishable train from Christchurch, while the double-unit rail-car brought another 120, and on the Westport line, the double-unit was also full. The express to Christchurch 1 consisted of eight cars with about 300 passengers, while the express from Christchurch brought' 320 in eight cars. Saturday night’s double-unit rail-car to Christchurch was booked out with a standing list of 25, the surplus being accommodated in the horse train and the perishable train. Motion Pictures of Harvest

A moving picture film depicting work of youths on farms, and the assistance given in* the harvesting of crops in Canterbury by soldiers working as Army units, is being prepared by the New Zealand National Film Unit of the Government Publicity Department. Mr S. Brookes, representative of . the National Film Unit, visited Ashburton on Saturday morning to make preliminary inquiries about photographing men at work in harvest fields in the Ashburton County to incorporate in the film. He intends visiting Ashburton again to take photographs of the harvest at Longbeach where there are 810 acres of wheat, the largest crop of this nature in Canterbury this season. Last month Mr Brookes visited Ashburton and took movie pictures of the Methven linen flax factory and also crops. This will be part of about 6000 feet of film showing work in primary and secondary industries, munitions making, and the Army, which was taken for the British Ministry of Information for incorporation in a film of activities being carried on throughout the British Empire on December 14, 1942.

Meeting In Italy

“Given a shop, we would be able to set up a branch of the firm in the camp and do well,” a former member of the staff of a store in Timaru, who is now a prisoner of war in Italy, wrote to his parents in Timaru. Although they left New Zealand separately, and did not see each other during their stay in Egypt, three employees of the store met again in the Italian prison camp No. 52, 12 miles from Genoa. The three men are Sergeant Tom Healey, Sergeant Rendall Herron, and Driver Cyril Boulder. The three men were taken prisoners in separate engagements. Excursions to Timaru

Three excursion trains left Christchurch for Timaru yesterday, the first carrying 738 passengers, the second 740, and the third 236.- One train from Timaru to Christchurch carried 550 excursionists.

Eclipses in 1943

In the year 1943 there will be four eclipses, two of the sun and two of the moon. The total eclipse of the sun and the partial eclipse of the moon in February will both be invisible in New Zealand. The annular eclipse of the sun in August, and the partial eclipse of the moon, also in August, will be partly visible in this area. Petrol for Soldiers

“I have discussed the matter with the local oil fuel controller, Mr J. Lindsay, and he states that there is no standing order that a man on final leave should get so many gallons of petrol as a matter of right,” said Mr P. L. Hodge at the meeting of the Invercargill Metropolitan Patriotic Committee last week. He was replying to an allegation of a member of the committee that, while men on final leave in the North Island were able to get a certain allowance of petrol on production of documents to show that they were on final leave, the same concession was not given to men on final leave in Invercargill. Mr Hodge added that Mr Lindsay had also said that if a soldier stated his case he would be given sympathetic consideration. Mr Hodge said he thought it was only right, in view of the shortage of petrol, that a soldier should declare what he required the petrol for. It was decided to refer the matter to the Southland Provincial Patriotic Council with a suggestion that it take up the question with the local Oil Fuel Control Committee.