General News

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23948, 15 May 1943, Page 4

General News

Missing Man Returns The rough country behind Waihao Forks was searched yesterday for Mr Restall, of Seadown, near Timaru, who had been missing since Wednesday, when he left with a party of five others on a wallaby shooting expedition. Fires were lit and guns were fired by other members of the party when Restall did not appear at the meeting place on Thursday evening. The missing man stumbled into Mr J. Barclay’s house at Waihaorunga late yesterday afternoon in an exhausted condition, but otherwise apparently none the worse for his experience. “All I want is a good sleep,” he said after completing his journey of eight or nine miles across the hills. He had evidently travelled in the wrong direction to come out at this point. War Loan Subscriptions Advance subscriptions for the new War Loan already exceed £4,000,000. The principal totals are:—Auckland, 197 applications, £913.280; Wsllington, 154 applications, £390,005; Christchurch, 78, £53,730; Dunedin, 52, £96,910; Invercargill. 49, £99,260; National institutions, 46, £2,080.000.-^(P.A.) Rationing of Strongman Coal Greymouth coal retailers have rationed their customers to a quarter of a ton of Strongman coal at a time. Officials of the Mines Department said yesterday that there had been no reduction in the quantity of coal to retailers, but the heavy demand for Strongman coal from all classes of wholesale consumers had resulted in some delay, sometimes of two days, in the fulfilment of orders. Alamein Club In recognition of the Bth Army’s stand to save Egypt and of its ultimate success in commencing Rommel’s retreat, which developed into a flight, an Alamein Club is being established at Cairo for the use of all Allied troops, states a message through the N.Z.E.F. Official News Service, Cairo. Standardised School Stationery The Now Zealand Educational Institute. which met in conference in Christchurch yesterday, placed on record appreciation of the action of the Minister of Supply (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) in arranging for the foundation and issue of standard specifications for school stationery “in order to protect school children from the unnecessarily high costs that resulted from the practice of seriously reducing the number of leaves in exercise books.” The conference urged the Government to issue the necessary price order and enforce it rigorously. Conference of Farmers’ Unions To discuss the wheat programme for next season a conference of representatives of South Island Farmers’ Unions is being arranged at Ashburton for May 25. Mrs A. N. Grigg, M.P., Mr J. Acland, M.P., and representatives of United Wheatgrowers, have also been invited to attend. In the afternoon there will be another conference among North, South, and Mid-Canter-bury Councils of Primary Production to consider the question of manpower. The Minister of Industrial Manpower (the Hon. A, McLagan) has been specially asked to be present. Dredging Temporarily Suspended Dredging at Timaru by the Otago Harbour Board’s dredge Otakou was suspended from Monday until yesterday because of a mishap in which a heavy beam of timber struck the tumbler and threw several buckets out of alignment. Repairs were made by members of the crew of the dredge, and the only financial loss to the Timaru Harbour Board will be the time taken to make repairs. It was thought that the mishap had been caused by part of a beam from the old eastern extension, and a diver will be employed to locate the obstruction. Waitaki High School Jubilee The diamond jubilee celebrations of Waitaki Boys’ High School, Oamaru, will begin to-morrow. At a meeting of the Old Boys’ Association it was stated that Otago and Canterbury representation would be particularly strong, but because of war-time restrictions, there would not be a big North Island contingent on this occasion. LieutenantGeneral E. Puttick has accepted an invitation to be present, and the president of the Old Boys’ Association, Captain R. H. Hill, of Christchurch, will also be in Oamaru for the occasion. Shipwrecks Recalled The wreck of the ships Benvenuc and City of Perth at Timaru on May 14, 1082, was recalled yesterday when the Mayor 'Mr A, E. S. Hanan) placed a wreath on the wreck memorial in Sophia street. Sixty-one years ago yesterday the two ships were wrecked under .he Bcnvenue cliffs and nine lives were lost Standards of Farm Production Keen dissatisfaction with the standards of farm production set down for the guidance of Armed Forces Appeal Boards was expressed at the general meeting of the West Coast Primary Production Council at Greymouth yesterday. One delegate said the standard of butter-fat production was 60001b a male unit, which was not applicable on the Coast. Many farms would disappear if the rule were maintained. Another speaker said: “The standards are absolutely ludicrous so far as the West Coast is concerned.” To obtain the production set, double or treble the areas at present worked would be required, he added. Teaching of the Deaf “This is the first conference of its kind in New Zealand, and the teachers are making use of it,” said Dri’ J. Hardie Neil, director of education of the deaf in New Zealand, in an address to teachers at the Dominion conference of the New Zealand League for the Hard of Hearing in Auckland. Students would advance in proficiency in lip-reading only if they had skilled, tactful, and experienced teachers, he said. The board of governors of the league was delighted with the increasing happiness and enthusiasm which marked the progress of the student, from being practically a recluse, to one with happy, social contacts. This Dr. Neil attributed to proficiency in the art of lip-reading, and, he added, 75 per cent, of the results obtained in teaching the hard of hearing were due to the personality of the teacher. •Prospecting at Blackball Mine The Blackball State mine authorities are making all necessary preparations to prove the coal contents of the “smoko” area, and for this purpose a boring plant is being taken along the Croesus track to the first boring site at the top of Hughes’s Hill. A series of bores will be put down and the contents of the field thoroughly tested before any major operations arc started. The area comprises about 30 acres and is about a mile and a quarter from the entrance to the present Blackball State mine workings. Milk Bglow Standard “It looks as though the Health Department told them to be good boys and not do it again,” said Mr G. W. Dell, a member of the City Milk Supply Commission, which is now sitting in Dunedin, when the chief sanitary inspector of the Dunedin City Coun- | cil, Mr E. J. King, stated that so far as he know the Health Department had not prosecuted any of the vendors whose milk had not complied with the 1 required standard last year. Mr King i said that 982 samples of milk had been sent to the Government laboratory for , chemical tests. Of these. 52 had failed j to comply with the regulations, 35 1 being deficient in milk fats. 16 in milk solids other than fats, and one in both. In addition, three samples contained added water of 7. 9, and 18 per cent, respectively, Mr King added that of j 70 samples analysed by the Medical School three showed positive tuberculosis infection and 18 positive Brucella abortus infection. Enough Shortages A juror engaged in the baking industry was excused service by Mr Justice Callan at the Supreme Court, Auckland, when the panel was being sworn in for the week. “We have enough shortages of gas, of electricity, and ot water,” said his Honour. “We . do not want any shortage of bread.” 1