General News

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24483, 5 February 1945, Page 6

General News

Linton Mine To Resume A report from Ohai on Saturday Stated that work would be resumed at the Linton coal mine to-day. The mine has been idle since Tuesday. The Coal Mines Council is still engaged in hearing representations from the miners, truckers, and the company.— (P.A.) Ineffective Sheep t)ips ’ Alarm at the Ineffective results obtained from dipping sheep With 1 materials lacking in derrlS powder was expressed in a resolution adopted at a meeting of the Waimate branch of the Farmers' Union. The resolution, which will be forwarded to the South Canterbury executive, makes a request that the Department of Agriculture Should recommend a suitable substitute. The subject was Introduced by Mr W. J. Fletcher (president of the branch), who said that'ticks were more prevalent in sheep than for many years past. It had been suggested, he said, that derris powder, if available in New Zealand, might be added to dips, as derris destroyed the eggs and was more effective than disinfectant, which simply killed the ticks. Walnut Prices Ceiling prices for walnuts are defined in a price order just gazetted. The new order, which replaces an earlier price order dealing with walnuts, provides that the retail price Shall hot be more than 2| per lb between March 16 and November 15, of more than 2s 2d per lb between November 16 and. March 15. Wholesale prices are also defined by the price order. “Good News for Some" “I have what will be good news for Some—distilling has been recomtnericed in Scotland,” said Mr William Young, a member of the United Kingdom farmers’ delegation, in a national broadcast last evening. He said that Scotland had so increased her cereal crop production that she Was able to help supply what Britain required and still reopen some of her old industries. New Penicillin' Product Research workers of the Watford Chemical Company, London, reports the "British Medical Press,” have developed a new penicillin product. The new drug, called hypholin, is made from the mould which produces penicillin, and contains in addition ’■ to penicillin bodies living In the filaments of the mould. Tests in chemical conditions have been carried out over several months at the Wellhoyse Hospital, Barnet, London, and among notable recoveries claimed arc cases of meningitis, pneumonia, septicaemia, certajn throat infections, and air raid casualties. The cost of production is stated to be lower than penicillin which, at present, is to be reserved for service use, Its production on a large scale will make available the benflts of penicillin treatment to civilian patients. A wider use of the new drug in ointments, sprays, and gargles is also foreshadowed Peaches at 10s Each “There are a few grapes in the fruit shops at 15s a pound, but few can buy at that price. I saw Some peaches one day at 10s each. Well, we just looked at them and passed on,” a resident of Aberdeen in a letter to a friend in Invercargill. “However, the war will end one day and we Will be able, to buy all the fruit we w&m and at a reasonable price. Ice cream is to be made again by permission of the Government, but it will be some time before it is on sale to the public. We arc in luck this week. We have received a cargo of oranges from South Africa, and that means that each one will get one pound of oranges. It is just grand to see an orange again.” 1500 Girls Interviewed During the last two weeks the Auckland manpower office has Interviewed about 1500 girls with a view to having a sufficient number available to staff the 39th General and Middlemore Hospitals when they are taken over by the Auckland Hospital Board, The interviews were conducted to determine the eligibility of the girls for the work, and it was stated at the National Service Department on Friday that enough girls should be available for direction when they were needed. No definite information has yet been received regarding the dates on which the hospitals will'be taken over and opened for use. 1 Army Weeds Onions Goad work in onion weeding by men from the Army was reported to the Manawatu Primary Production Council recently. They had arrived on the scene at Opikl at the critical stage in November and December, making it possible for the growers to save their crops, weeds having got away as thp result of the abnormally wet season. As many as 210 men from camp had been weeding at the one time. One grower had made an appeal for assistance because his Maori wooers had all gone to a tangi. 1 Owing to numerous deaths in the tribe, no work was done by the Maoris for about a month. As regards potato losses through blight and waterlogged ground, these wer# estimated at close on 1000 acres out of 4000 planted in the Manawatu-Rangi-tikei area. Benefit from Milk The people of the United Kingdom had received severe cuts under the food rationing scheme, but the health of the people .was better than ever before, said Mr William Young of the United Kingdom farmers’ delegation, in a national broadcast last evening. All were entitled to, and could secure, the food allotted under the rationing scheme. He believed much credit was due to the national mllk-ln-schoola scheme. While adults received only two pints a week in the winter, children and expectant and nursing mothers received a greater allowance. As a result, the average height of children now leaving school was one inch more than before the war’ ( Vessels Delayed at Greymouth With the accumulation of several thousand tons of coal on the Greymouth wharf, it was anticipated that a "good quantity would have been loaded into vessels by last evening, but four vessels which were to have berthed bn Saturday were held up in the roadstead waiting for the abatement of heavy seas on the bar. While there was an improvement at high tide yesterday afternoon the seas were still t6o rough to permit the berthing of the vessels, and it is hoped that they may put into port on this morning’s early tide. The vessels affected are the Kaimird and Poolta, to load coal for the North Island, the Holmlea and Rata, to load coal for Picton and Nelson. With the advent of the neap tide, the depth on the bar is again causing concern, though the fresh in the river at the week-end may have a beneficial effect in scouring the silt deposits oft the bar. The rainfall at Greymouth for the 24 hours ending on Saturday morning was 1.37 in, and for the 24 hours up to 9 a.m. yesterday morning 1.35 in. The weather cleared yesterday. Restoration of Parks The Auckland City Council has decided to forward to the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) a petition ' signed by 12,000 Auckland citizens asking for the immediate restoration of those recreation greas in the' city which had been vacated by the armed forces. A report from the city engineer, Mr A. H. Dickson, said he understood that a contract would be let this week for the removal of the buildings of the former American Navy barracks in the Domain. Both this area and Victoria Park should be available for grassing in the autumn, but they could not be used for sport until next summer. Camp Hale, in front of the War Memorial Museum, and various other areas were still required for different purposes. New Wood Concrete A new synthetic building material which combines the properties of concrete and wood has been evolved in Britain, reports the “Daily Mail,” London. It Is made by mixing sawdust with concrete. Hitherto no way of “marrying" sawdust to concrete had been found; but British scientists have discovered a chemical nrocess which successfully blends them. The new wood concrete can be produced in bricks or sheets of any shape or size. It is specially suitable for interior walls or panelling, since it can be sawn, drilled, or nailed exactly like wood. Unlike wood, it does not warp, takes a high glaze, and can be stained any colour.