NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 173, 18 April 1942, Page 8

NEWS IN BRIEF

Ration Books

Ration books numbering 751,350 were issued throughout the, Dominion during the firsLfour days of this week, including 119,762 in the Wellington postal district. On Thursday 200,812 books were issued for the Dominion, including 38,253 in the Wellington postal district.

Wellington Fire Police. The annual swearing-in ceremony in connexion with the Wellington Fire Police, to l>e followed by the annual smoke concert, will take place on Tuesday evening next. Members of the Wellington Fire Board have been invited to be present.

Syphoned Petrol. "I am not going to grant probation to people who syphon petrol out of other > people’s cars,” Said Mr. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, sentencing Alexander James Walter Potter to 14 days’ imprisonment with hard labour for the theft of 12 gallons of petrol.

War on Red Admiral. Two Dunedin schoolboys, Stephen and Terrence Johnson, both keen entomologists, have discovered that a parasite introduced to combat the white butterfly is waging a war of extermination on the Red Admiral butterfly. .A local authority reports that their investigations give conclusive proof, of this.—P.A.

Civic Reception. Brigadier-General Hurley, United States Minister to New Zealand, will be the guest at a civic reception in the Wellington Town Hall at noon on Tuesday. Tlie mayor, Mr. Hislop, requests that citizens by their presence will express appreciation of the assistance given to the Dominion by, the American people.

Twelve Months’ Fires. According to the report submitted to the Wellington Fire Board yesterday by the superintendent, Mr. U. A. Woollev, 1118 calls were received by the brigade during the twelve mouths ended March 31, compared with 1181 for the previous year. Actual fires numbered 604 (compared with 6451, justifiable false alarms were 323 (391), and malicious false alarms 191 (136). The Moon and Venus. A brilliant spectacle for early risers this week lias been provided by the close approach of the moon and -the planet Venus. Conjunction occurred early in 'the week, when Venus appeared only a tenth of a degree or about a fifth of the moon’s diameter from the lunar crescent. As seen in some parts of the world, the planet disappeared behind the moon’s disc.

Defaulter Committed. On a charge of refusing to accept an order to report for military duty at a caufli, William Roy Wills, a young carpenter, was yesterday committed by Mr. Morgan, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court, Ashburton, to the defaulters’ detention camp for the duration of the war. Defendant had appealed on conscientious, grounds and said that, as he had not changed his views, he thought it honourable to default. ,

Failure to Report. Norman Campbell Pratt, truckdriver, and Albert. Alexander Stead, porter, appeared before Mr. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, charged with failing to report for military service. Stead was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment with hard labour, and Pratt’s case was adjourned, as it was stated that there was a possibility of him coming to an agreement with the military authorities. , Eels That Climb and Burrow. Eels will burrow and climb! This was disclosed in a report which Mr. T. Andrews, the Palmerston North district ranger of the Wellington Acclimatizaiton Society, presented to the council this week on the eel trap at Lake Hunia. Eels, he said, would burrow under a foot of sand, and alternatively climb a 30-inch netting wail without the least trouble. There was no comparison between trapping eels and trapping trout.

Millions Spent on Pictures. The fact that nearly 31,500,000 admission tickets to picture theatres were sold iu the Dominion last year was mentioned during the hearing of the fi-ont-of-bouse employees’ dispute before Mr. Justice Tyndall in the Cour; of Arbitration in Auckland this week. Of Hie total, 11,500,000 tickets were sold in the northern industrial district, which Hie present award covered, the average admission price being 16.9(1. The theatres’ income for the same year was over £2,000,000.

Buildings in Hutt County. The building inspector for the Hutt County Council reported to the council yesterday that the emergency building regulations had been amended recently. It was now necessary for the county to submit to the building controller every building application it received for his approval before a permit could be issued. This had reduced building activity considerably, as could be seen from the fact that only seven building permits had been issued for last mouth, of a value of £1373, as against 29. valued at £10,20(1, for March. 1941. First of All, Give the Alarm.

Saving of lives and property from tire depends enormously mi the time taken between tlie tirst discovery of Hie lire and the giving of an alarm to Hie brigade. This point was made yesterday at the meeting of Hie Wellington Fire Brigade, when a letter was received from the father of the young man who perished in the Sydney Street fire last month. He wrote that if the alarm had been given as soon as tlie tire was discovered, the consequences might not have been so serious. It was pointed out that in the excitement of discovery people often neglected their tirst 'duty by alarming tlie people of the house, or houses adjoining, instead of communicating at once with the brigade.

Hospital Fire-fighting Equipment. The superintendent of the Wellington Fire Brigade has been asked to report on the tire-tighting equipment of the Wellington Hospital. When this was reported at yesterday’s meeting of the Fire Board, Mr. M. Fraser asked Mr. Woollev to examine carefully the situation as regards the upper story of the new temporary hospital. In ease of tire, patients on the ground floor could be rapidly removed, be said, because there were central doors as well as those at cither end of tlie building, but upstairs such was not the case, and, with patients being taken out of the different wards in that long corridor, he was afraid there would be a jam. Mr. Woolley promised to look into the point raised.