General News

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24941, 31 July 1946, Page 6

General News

School Holidays Primary schools in Canterbury will begin the August holidays on Friday, August 23, this year, reopening on September 9. Secondary schools will also close on August 23, most of them reopening on September 17. Attendances at Lancaster Park The turnstiles at Lancaster Park record that 14,347 persons paid for admission to see the Rugby football match between Canterbury and the Kiwis on Saturday, and complimentary passes for school children and others numbered about 600. The attendance at the New Zealand-Springboks match in 1J37 was 43,000, and other big attendances are as follows:—1930, New Zealand v. England, 35.079; 1930, Canterbury v. England, 24.992; 1933, Canterbury v. Southland, 22.000; 1926, Canterbury v Hawke’s Bay, 21,836. The largest crowd to witness a club match was in 1923, when 13,665 persons paid admission fees to see the game between Marist and Merivale in the final of the championship. The Session The House of Representatives will probably consider Ministers’ replies to members’ questions when it meets this afternoon, and in the evening the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) will probably reply to the foreign affairs debate, but the programme will not be determined until the Prime Minister returns from Auckland in the morning. It is expected that the House will discuss the report of the Select Committee on Local Government on Thursday and Friday.— (F.0.P.R.) Shortage of Hospital Staffs An extensive advertising campaign has now been begun by the North Canterbury Hospital Board to attract staff for its various institutions —especially the new emergency maternity hospital which is to be opened at the end of September. Particular emphasis is being laid in the approach to churchgoers. The aid of all denominations is being enlisted by the board in its effort to have the influence of the churches exerted to persuade women and girls to enlist in the hospital service, and advertisements are being inserted in church magazines. Arbor Day’s Importance

Those New Zealanders who gave intelligent thought to their country’s welfare were being impressed increasingly with the vital importance of tree-planting and the safeguarding of plantations, said the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry), in a message on Arbor Day, which will be observed on August 7. There was evidence, he said that some of the plantings on Arbor Day would be living memorials to New Zealanders who died in the war, and he agreed that memorials of this kind should be increased. The war and reconstruction had hindered the development of programmes worthy of the spirit of Arbor Day, but he was confident that within the netft year there would be developments to make the celebration impressive. Arbor Day would serve in arousing interest in the beautifying of unsightly waste places and in improving others, but its best purpose would be in lessons that tree-planting and tree-saving were linked with soil-saving. National Savings Last week national savings quotas were attained by 284 places in the Dominion. All the principal centres were successful, and in each of the 20 postal districts the full district quota was obtained. ZSighiy-five areas have now recorded the attainment of their full, annual quotas.— (P.S.S.) Put to Civilian Use

Possibly because of the difficulty in buying new civilian clothing, many male workers about the city are wearing dyed battledress—blue or black being the predominating colours. The civil version of battledress is particularly popular among drivers of trucks, but postmen are to be seen wearing them, and they are popular, too, with men in the building trade. Swedish Matches For the first time since 1939 a shipment of Swedish matches has been landed in New Zealand. They will be retailed at Ud a box. Consisting of 791 cases of various brands, the shipment will greatly relieve the present serious shortage of matches. Before the war New Zealand imported large quantities of Swedish matches. Further I shipments of Canadian book matches which have sold widely in New Zealand in recent weeks will arrive soon. Four Years in Transit

A letter written by a New Zealand soldier to flanceer in Auckland while he was a prisoner of war In Italy in 1942 arrived last Saturday, more than four years after it was posted. The letter arrived in Auckland in December, 1942. but was not claimed immediately as the man’s fiancee was in Wellington at the time. During her absence the post office, in an effort to find the addressee, sent the letter to a Timaru address, but it did not reach its true destination until last week. Since he wrote the letter the soldier has spent three and a half years as a prisoner, returned to New Zealand and married his fiancee. Ballast for Reclamation

Several hundred tons of rock loaded by the British steamer Samlyth at Bombay as ballast for her voyage to Auckland, are being dumped at the reclamation between the bases of King’s Wharf and Export Wharf, Auckland. The Samlyth made the voyage without cargo and. in addition to the rock ballast, filled tanks to help her trim. The rock is being taken away from the steamer in trucks. Moslem Festival

With the breaking of dawn yester'day commenced the Moslem festival of Ramadan, and will be observed for one month. During the festival. which became familiar to New Zealander: serving in the Middle East. Moslems may not touch food or drink between dawn and sunset, but during the hours of darkness religious feasts are held. By ancient custom, the daily period of fasting commences when there is sufficient light to distinguish a black thread from a white one. - State Flat Radios

An amplifier to improve the reception of radio sets in the new State flats in Symonds street, Auckland, is being installed in a penthouse on the roof of the front block. The sets will be served by the one aerial, a plug for connexion being supplied in each flat. The amplifier will offset any loss of reception caused by all the sets being served by one aerial through long enclosed leads. „