NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 120, 14 February 1941, Page 9

NEWS IN BRIEF

Overseas Ballot

The drawing of 19,000 names from the first, division of the general reserve in the second overseas ballot was commenced yesterday by the National Service Department. At the close for the day 15,291 had been drawn, so that the ballot will end early today. Tlie 'drawing is being supervised by Air. AV. F. Stilwell, S.AI. The list will toe pule lished in tlie Gazette on Alarch 4, and subsequently will lie published in the newspapers.

Exempt from Stump Duty. Tlie Stamp Duties Emergency Regulations, 1939, Amendment No. 1, gazetted last night, provides for the exemption from stamp.duty of declarations contained in applications made to the Soldiers’ Financial Assistance Board.

Strength of Singapore. An assurance that Singapore is the strongest fortified and garrisoned outpost of tlie Empire was given in New Zealand recently by Air. J. AL Fraser, an arcnitect attached to the Singapore Improvement Trust. It was as a member of the trust that -Mr. Fraser inspected the fortifications.

Croquet Postponement. Because of the heavy rain which fell throughout yesterday there was no play in the Wellington provincial croquet tournament. The draw arranged for yesterday will hold good for today, when it is hoped that, conditions will permit the continuation of the tournament. Fishing Industry.

Two features of the fish industry in New Zealand are dealt with in regulations gazetted last night. One cancels the prohibition on the removal of mussels from Tauranga Harbour and the other raises the minimum size of oysters taken in Foveaux Strait from two to two and one-eighth inches. Record Salmon aud Trout.

Believed to be the largest catches recorded this season, a 311 b. quinnat salmon aud a 12-}lb. brown trout have been taken this week from the mouths of the Rangitata and AVaitahanui Rivers respectively. The salmon was caught by Air. C. AlcCullougb. Rangitira Valley, and the trout, which was landed, under difficult conditions, by Air. T. 8. Galloway, tlie Rotorua golfer.

The Bride Fainted. Weddings have been delayed by numerous causes, but it is not often that, tlie eenemony is held up by the bride fainting at a critical moment. This occurred at a wedding at a Hastings church recently. The bride was about to answer those fateful words "1 do.” when, to the consternation of the company, she wilted and fell. Brandy was produced, and after some delay tlie ceremony was continued.

Storage of Meat. As part of the New Zealand Government’s plan to make available all the storage space possible for the present season’s killings, the work of restoring the Kakariki works is progressing steadily, and the building may lie in use for the storage of meat before the season ends. Refrigerating machinery from the wrecked vessel Port Bowen at Castlecliff is being installed.

Maiden Address to Jury. His first address to the jury as Crown Prosecutor was delivered in the Supreme Court, AVellington, yesterday afternoon by Air. AV. R. Birks, who was associated with Mr. C. H. AVeston, K.C., iu tlie prosecution of two accused persons. Air. R. Hardie Boys, who addressed tlie jury after Air. Birks had finished, said he would like to congratulate him on his effort, which, he said, had been made with traditional fairness to the two accused. Musician in tlie R.A.F. AVriting from Egypt, Flying Officer Ronald Thorby. AVellington. now of the stores department of the R.A.F., says he has given several pianoforte broadcasts in the Near East, notably iu Cairo, Alexandria and Tel Aviv. This officer was a pupil of M. A inogradofl and Air. Ernest Jenner in Wellington. He was in London on holiday when war broke out and joined the R.A.l’., going to Egypt some months ago. When in AVellington Air. Thorby was on the accountancy staff of AVellington East Post Office.

Chewing Gum Blobs. The AA’ellington city _ engineer has drawn attention to the disfiguration of pavements by rejects from gumchewers. Sometimes they are carried away on the soles of shoes, tout more often they are trodden out and become permanent blobs on the pavement. Not only does chewing-gum disfigure city pavements, but keepers of restaurants and other places frequented by the pullie find the same trouble. Recently one firm covered its floors with new linoleum, but within three months the design became spotted with trodden-out deposits of chewing-gum which people discard before they eat or drink. In American the nuisance is of such proportions that many eating-houses have a box in which customers are asked to deposit their chewing-gum.

The I’aremata Redoubt. The dwindling remains of the old redoubt near i’aremata, not far from the new bridge on the main road to Plimmerton, have attracted the attention of a good many visitors to that part of the district, during the holidays. The redoubt was erected when a militarystation was established there to combat the depredations of the rebel Maoris, under To Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata. who, in April. IS4G. were carrying on a guerrilla warfare with the settlers. This station was established close to the residence of Mr. Walker (the original of the Walker estate, and was close to the old whaling station belonging to J. Thoms, commonly called Jordie Bolts. It was in that April that the war sloops Driver and Castor, with the Slains Castle (troopship), went to this spot with troops to safeguard this entrance to Wellington. A few days later these troops began the construction of the Porirua Road, now a section of the main road northward from Wellington. A Green February.

As a general rule the prevailing tone of the landscape in February is biscuit brown, for by this time the summer sun has dried up the ground and taken the pigment out of the grass that clothes the surrounding hills and more remote farm-lands. This year, however, unusual conditions have prevailed. Save for one splendid blaze of warmth in early January, the weather has been marked by overcast skies and strong northerly gales, shifting to the south after a few days’ blow, with a good deal of rain. Instead of being scorched up, the playing-grounds of Wellington, lawns and reserves, are trs green as they were in November. This is to bo seen at Newtown Park, the Basin Reserve, Koiburn and Anderson Parks, and in the grounds of Parliament Buildings and the new Central Library in the centre of the city. The heavy rain which fell on Wednesday and all day yesterday is likely to sustain these conditions for a week or two to come. The conditions yesterday might easily be compared with a typical day in July, the temperature being well below the summer mean.