NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 1, 27 September 1943, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF

Prisoner of War. News has been received by Mr. r. b. Riley, Tihama, Taranaki, that his son, Supply-Assistant E. F. Riley, reported missing in Singapore, is now safe and wall a prisoner of war in Japan.

Fire on The Terrace. Some damage was done to the kitchen, bathroom and hall in the ujipcr flat of 248 The Terrace, by fire early on Saturday morning. Presence of mind in closing the kitchen door confined the flames principally to that room.

Nearly Nine Inches of Rain. A further 37 points of rain were recorded at Kelburn for the 24 hours ended 9 a.m. yesterday, bringing Wellington's total rainfall this month to the high level of 8.98 in., compared with an average of 3.45111. for September.

New Oil Barge. The Hinuwaka, a new oil barge of 1400 tons capacity, and the largest vessel built in Wellington, was launched last week. 'The barge, which will hold 900 tons of Diesel oil and 500 tons of fuel oil, will be used to refuel ships. The vessel has a length of 180 feet, beam of 30 feet, and loading draft of 15 feet 9 inches.

County Propaganda. The Waitemata County Council has decided to communicate with all its ratepayers and give them the fullest information about the council’s operations. This will include riding finances, the amount necessary for interest on loans, and hospital levy expenditure. “It will be a short explanation of the whole position,” said the chairman, Mr. 11. T. Gibson, at a meeting of the council when his offer to prepare the information was accepted. He said he would confer with the riding members before the information was given.

Boulder Wrecks Room. When Mrs. O. Stewart walked out of one room of her bach at the Heads, Whakatane, she wgs terrified to hear a deafening crash immediately behind her and to see a huge boulder break through the wall and smash its way through all obstacles to the other side, where it lodged in the huge buckle made in the boarding. A heavy downpour of rain had apparently dislodged the boulder, which weighed two or three hundredweight, and it hurtled down a cliff at tho back of (lie house. In its progress through the room the boulder made matchwood of a wardrobe, a sofa and two chairs aud ripped a hole in the floor boards.

Service Sports Centre. A start has been made with the construction work for the service sports centre in Wakefield Street, Wellington, states the city engineer, Mr. K. E. Luke. To enable this to be done, tho whole of the interior was gutted, including the dismantling of the old gallery on the south side, and the offices beneath it. Carpenters have now been secured for the construction of the timber floor, which is to cover the whole of the ground area. In the meantime, in order to clear a. site for the Army hut io be placed on. the eastern side of the building the semi-un-derground air-raid shelter in the reserve has been unroofed and its timbers removed. This is tlie first, of the air-raid shelters, built, in 1911. to be done away with. A good deal of good timber was used in the construction of these shelters, for which good use could be found today, and Mr. Duke is now only awaiting labour before salvaging it from the oth"-"