NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 310, 25 September 1943, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF

Weather Should Improve Today

The Meteorological Office last nigflt reported that though the weather this morning will be boisterous, it should improve as the day wears on. Indications are for fresh to strong southerly winds with, intermittent rain during the morning, but the wind gradually decreasing and showers becoming less frequent during the day. "Up till 9 o'clock last night the rainfall in Wellington this month had reached the abnormally high total of 7.84 inches, -with nearly a week still to go. The average for September is 3.45 inches. Luxury Lamb. New season’s lamb, culinary harbinger of spring, is now on sale in Wellington. Most of the legs of lamb, which bore labels, were priced ut 7/6. Heat in New York'. Letters received in Wellington from New York, written during the first week of August, tell of the stifling heat then being experienced. One writer says, “Midsummer is here and it is tough. The humidity is appalling.” Niue Lorries Destroyed. Fire late on Wednesday night destroyed nine cream-collecting lorries and many cream cans belonging to the Cheltenham Dairy Company. The company had the greatest difficulty in arranging for its crenm collection. Eels as Wartime Food.

Most people with limited knowledge regard the native fresh-water eel of New Zealand as food which only the Maoris appreciate. Now, however, partly due to the fish famine in Wellington, eels are being offered for sale and are finding buyers. Properly cooked young eels make a delicious variant to diet, as everyone knows who has lived in the bush. Patriotic Quota Reached. Through the effort of the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the Red. Cross Society, .a cheque for £3404 was handed to the treasurer of the Patriotic Council yesterday. This brings the Southland total in the patriotic collection to £50,000. This means that the quota for the current year has been reached. Southland is probably the first province to achieve this result. —P.A.

Squadron Leader Clouston Safe. Advice has been received that Squadron Leader AVill'rid G. Clouston, R.A.F., D.F.C., the son of Mr. and Mrs. Allan W. Clouston, 5 Thorbey Street, Wellington, is a prisoner of war in. Japanese hands. Squadron Leader Clouston was reported missing at Singnore when that base was taken by. the Japanese. It is reported that he is fit and well and receiving good treatment. ..

Women For Work. With a view to directing some of the members into essential work a survey of the Auckland lied, Cross Transport Corps is being undertaken by the manpower division of the National Service Department. It was explained that the corps had not been declared essential and that the survey was being taken as one of the means of meeting the female labour requirements of seasonal industries. Kaiwarra Stream Diversion.

As there is limited manpower available it will be another month before the Kaiwarra stream is directed from its present | course above the'township through the tunnel which has been bored through the hill immediately south of its present course. This diversion will eliminate a Considerable bend in the stream at a point where flooding has caused a lot of trouble from time to<time. It will enable the Ngaio Gorge, Roaitlb be widened and made safe, and will release an area of stream-bed land for commercial purposes. Conveyance of Mails. '■’’»" Complaints that ships from North American ports were arriving in New Zeitland without overseas mail were taken up recently by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and information was placed before the council of the chamber indicating that an improved service could be expected. It was stated that mails were dispatched under the direction of the military authorities and a request had been made to them that as many vessels as practicable should be used for the conveyance of mails. ..

South Island Conference. • The'conference .of South Island local bodies, which the mayor of Christchurch will call to consider the advancement of the South Island in the future development of the Dominion, will probably be held at the end of October or the beginning of November. Fifty boroughs and 50 counties have replied to the invitation to attend the conference, and it is expected that it will draw between li>o and 200 delegates to Christchurch. The Nel-son-Marlborough area, which has a League of Local Bodies, will be represented by three delegates.

Theft From American. William Henry Gardiner. 30, labourer, pleaded guilty in the Magistrates’ Court, Auckland, to the theft of 310 dollars, the property of Major D. R. Starry, club director of the American Red Cross. Starry said in evidence that Gardiner had been employed as .a storeman at the American Red Cross in Wellington. Gardiner called to see him in Auckland and xvas left in the room when witness was called away. Next day he found 310 dollars missing from an unlocked bag. The police evidence was that Gardiner admitted the theft and changing the dollars into_ N.Z. currency. He had £4O left when interviewed. Gardiner was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence, —P.A.

High Price of Beef. Advice that the Government intended to release a further 700 quarters of beef to relieve the present fat stock, shortage at Westfield had been received in Auckland. The president of the Auckland Master Butchers’ Association said that the retail prices of beef as determined, by the price order were based on supplies of fat stock being available to butchers at a price not exceeding £l/19/- per 1001 b. Thus a bullock weighing lOOib. if bought at present prices would represent a loss of. £7/7/- to the butcher. In spite of the high prices being paid, butchers were unable to obtain sufficient quantities of beef to meet current demands.

Health Teaching. Telling the public which are the most valuable of the foods available, and how much of each is necessary for each age of childhood, the mobile healtn exhibition ot the Department of Health, which has commenced touring New Zealand, will arrive ut Lower Hutt ou September -8,-anil for four days will be on display m St. James Hall. The exhibition is under the direction of Miss M. Ercngley, nutritionist, of the Department of Health, in collaboration with Miss Cocks Johnston, tutor to the co-ordinating committee ol the Women’s Institute and the Womens Division of the Farmers’ Union. Arrangements have been i lade for all pupils of the Hutt Valley High School and also the senior pupils of the primary scliooi«to visit ’the exhibition. Town Hall Repairs. This week the last of the concrete work in connexion with the strengthening ot the Wellington Town Hall by reinforced piers and cross girders has been completed, and a start was made yesterday morning to remove the uppermost platform of the’scaffoloing on the western, side of the main hall. There is. however, apart from the plastering and painting involved, a good deal of work to be done in the north-west corner of the hall, where the earthquake wrench was rather severely fdlt. The strengthening of this section. the replastering ef the walls above the choir gallery aud the completion of the work on the platform and in the dressing-rooms at the rear will keep the present staff of workiueu going till lecember: but it is confidently-hoped that there will be a clear ball by Christmas.

Month’s Jail for Steward. John I’atrick Behan Steward, who was charged in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, was yesterday lined the ujaximtim of £2Q for using room C2 iu Bouleott Chambers, Wellington, as'a resort tor the consumption of liquor, cor keeping liquor for sale without a liceiice he sentenced to a month's jail. Mr. Gouldin% S.M., had reserved his, decision on legal points raised by defendant’s counsel, and in his judgment yesterday ruled against them. Senior-Sergeant G. J. Paine said Behan had been successtul.y conducting three businesses in Wellington for some time past and should not have had to resort to selling liquor. Mr. Gouldiug said that defendant had been lined £">() in 1911 for selling liquor without a licence. ' He was satisfied that Behan knew what was going on by ms presence when numbers of servicemen and numbers of women were together drinking in his rooms.