NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 139, 9 March 1943, Page 5

NEWS IN BRIEF

Hair For War Effort

A woman has given her hair for the war effort. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry, said yesterday that a parcel was received by. post on the covering of which was written: “Hope this hair of mine will be of some use for the war effort.” The parcel contained some thick long broyn tresses from a woman donor. Mr. Parry said that often jersonal treasures and keepsakes were received for selling or raffling to raise money for the patriotic funds, but it was the first time tresses had been given to the funds. Plenty of Sliarks. There are plenty of young sharks about in Wellington harbour at present. In two of the several hauls with fishing nets made on Sunday, seven young sharks were found.

Winter Clothing. . . The necessity for an adequate provision of working clothes during the coming winter was stressed at the annual conference of the Drapers’ Federation in Wellington, following an address by the subController of Textiles, Mr. R. F. Frank-

Deserter Jailed. Sentence of a year’s jail with hard labour has been imposed by court-martial on Sapper Malcolm Frederick Williams, 2nd N.Z.E.F., found guilty of desertion. He was absent 10 months and a week during which time he married and. for four months worked as a truck driver. He gave himself up at the camp.

Loss of Mails by Enemy Action. The Postmaster-General. Mr. Webb, announced yesterday the loss by enemy action of mail comprising 91 bags of letters and other articles and 43 bags ot parcels, dispatched from Australia to New Zealand in January last; also of a small mail from India dispatched in March of last year. U.S. Post Office. A United States Post Office has been opened in Wellington on the ground floor of the building in Victoria Street, adjoining the Working Men’s Club and almost opposite “The Dominion” building. Here members of the United States services may obtain stamps, remit money, or send parcels to the United States of America.

Drapers’ Conference. The twenty-second annual conference of the New Zealand Federation of Drapers and Allied Retailors was held in Wellington last week. Mr. B. L. Blodorn, Timaru, president, was in the chair, with an attendance of 80 delegates from all parts of the Dominion, including representatives of the Auckland, V flli'igton. Canterbury, and Otago Softgoods Associations.

Accommodation Shortage. Due to the difficulty of obtaining, accommodation in Wellington, the New Zealand Educational Institute may this year hold its annual meeting in another centre. A decision is to be made by the executive early this month. . The annual meeting has taken place in Wellington every year since 1913, when it was held in Auckland.

Sleeping On Benches. So acute is the accommodation shortage in Palmerston North that many overseas servicemen have been forced. to sleep on benches in the Square. The position was particularly severe over the weekend, when the police provided shakedowns for 14 in the police station waiting rooms, providing cushions and rugs. Tne military authorities have made provision for a supply of blankets and palliases to meet any future demands.

Melrose Ratepayers. Officers elected at the twenty-seventh annual meeting of the Melrose Ratepayers’ and Electors’ Association were:—• President, Mr. E. Bull; vice-president, Mr. C. B. Martin; treasurer, Mr. 1. Eves; secretary, Mr. C. E. Lloyd; auditor, Mr. G. E. Bradley; executive, Mesdames Zantuck, Blenkiiisop, Coiiue.ll, Murray, Messrs. Bull, C. B. Martin, Eves, Lloyd, Bradley, Zantuck, Cross, Tonkin, Murray and Austin. Shop Workers Protest. The Dominion Conference of Shop Assistants which met in Wellington, unanimously passed this-motion :—“That thi< conference desires to record, its strongest protest against the stabilization regulations recently issued by the Government, and is strongly of the opinion that the said regulations are quite unwarranted and can have no otjier effect but t<> inflict a tremendous hardship on the workers of this Dominion.” Clothing Coupons. . . Following au address by the Rationing Controller, Mr. J. E. Thomas, to the annual conference in Wellington of the Federation of Draperk and Allied Retailers, the conference discussed with Mr. Thomas,- the extension of the "M’ and “O” coupons beyond May 31, 1943. A resolution was also adopted, asking the Government to initiate a scheme ot, registration, of traders in order that there should be an additional cheek on traders complying with the rationing regulations.

Wedding Day Wills. The fact that the will under discussion had been signed by the testator on his wedding day was mentioned by counsel during the hearing of a widow’s application in the Supreme Court, Auckland. “In all my experience,” said Mr. Justice Callan, “I have known of only one other case of a will being signed on the day ot marriage, and that was my own.’ IBs Honour explained that he was going away that day, and for that and other reasons he found it advisable to take this course.

Shower of Shellfish. . „ . An occurrence recalling the “rain o.f frogs which was recently reported from Australia has been experienced at St. Clair, Dunedin, when a localized shower of small ehellfish fell in a garden in Forbury Road on a recent morning. The shower lasted about three seconds, during which time several dozen shells pattered down on the roof of an outhouse and were strewn about the garden. The only explanation of such occurrences appears to be that objects falling in this way have been picked up in a heavy wind or whirlwind and are then deposited in the form of a shower.

Radio Station Guarded. After spending five days on guard at the IZB broadcasting studio in Durham Street West, Auckland, a special uniformed constable was withdrawn on Saturday after an uneventful period of duty. During the time the guard was maintained all doors from the street other than the main entrance were locked. The constable was at first posted in the foyer, from where he could see individuals or groups of visitors, but later he used a nearby room. A number of doors in the building which arc usually left unlocked were locked during the five days, and the staff had to sign for the use of keys. The public was not permitted beyond the ground floor. The period passed without the constable’s services .being called on.

Earthquake Throes. Manners Street is not yet out of th< earthquake throes. No soouer has the scaffolding been lowered on structures at the western end of that thoroughfare than others are erected on buildings in the central section. These latter include the three-storied brick Mercantile Building, which was badly jolted last August, aud Fowld’s Building, also three storeys in brick, which is being deprived of some of its top hamper. Work is steadily progressing on the Regent Theatre, which has now been closed for six months, and there are prospects of this popular house becoming once more available to the public before winter sets in. Further eastward the Clarendon Hotel, on the corner of Courtenay -Place and lower Taranaki Street, is being attended to.

“Live” Doll Preferred. A baby girl aged 11 weeks was reported stolen from her bassinette on a front veranda at Randwick, Sydney, recently, and the mother and detectives searched from 2 p.m. till 4.30 p.m. before the ejirhl was found. Detectives found the baby in a cot at a house a mile away, and nt an air-raid shelter nearby they tound two sisters, aged six and four years respectively. The baby was unharmed and the girls admitted that they “stole t’u* child so that they could play a game of “mothers.” When they got tired of ploying ‘mothers” with the baby, they placed it in the younger girl's cot. as their mother was away from the house. Jhe detectives took no action against the girls, leaving it to their parents to punish them.