NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 83, 5 October 1938, Page 12

NEWS OF THE DAY

"An Urger.'^ "I understand that you have a source of revenue from the occupation of an urger," said counsel to a defendant in the Wanganui Magistrate's Court," states the Wanganui "Herald." "I don't Understand what you mean," replied defendant. "An urger is a person v/ho tells other pei'sons 'good things' for race meetings and receives a commission from the proceeds if the 'good things' come home," said counsel. Defendant denied that he followed that Occupation. A Month's Messages. Toll .messages on New Zealand's telephone trunk circuitis now .-.exceed, one and a quarter millions every month, the total for August being 1,274,934, an increase of 11 per cent, over the corresponding number last year. The Post Office handled 430,000 tejbegrams during the same month, and this side of its ■business shows an improvement compared with the figure in August of last year of 8 per cent. Rugby Union Donations, The management committee of the Wellington Rugby Union last night decided to donate £5 5s to the funds of the Wellington division of the St. John Ambulance, and £'2 2s to the funds of the Petone branch of the St. John Ambulance, The Wellington District Free Ambulance was also granted £5 ss. Playing Fields Fund. As a result of the Wellington representatives v. Wellington Public Service Rugby match—the game arranged by the Wellington Rugby Union for the benefit of the City Council's Playing Fields Fund—the sum of. £58 Is has been forwarded to the council. A statement of expenditure and receipts in connection with the match was read at last night's meeting yof the ;nanage> ment committee of the Wellington Rugby Union. Infectious Disease. Twenty cases of infectious disease were reported in,the Wellington health district for the Week ending yesterday, two deaths occurring, one from pulmonary tuberculosis and the other from septic abortion. In the central Wellington area there were eleven cases of diphtheria, two of pulmonary tuberculosis, two of erysipelas, and one case each of scarlet fever, puerperal fever, and lethargic encephalitis. In the NejsonMarlborough area there was one case of pulmonary tuberculosis and one of erysipelas. A Conscientious Taxpayer. Hypertrophy of the conscience appears to have been the ailment from which a British taxpayer was suffering on filling in his income tax return. He had spent the evening on the task and then nosted the form with a sense of relief, in the night watches he remembered an omission. Next morning he telegraphed the tax officer asking for the return oi£ the form in order that he might conrect it. He did, so, adding "omitted from return of income: 6<i found in Christmas pudding." Assembly of Lockheed. Good progress is being made at Rongotai Aerodrome with the assembly of Union Airways' new Lockheed Electra machine, which arrived at Wellington by the Ciydebank on Saturday, The machine, the fourth Electra in Union Airways' fleet, is being assembled by Union Airways' ground staff from Palmerston North under the supervision of Mr. £•, Mangnam, the company's chief engineer, and it is anticipated that by Friday the machine will be ready for a test 'hop" around the airport, She will then be flown, to Palmerston North, where, it is expected, a fortnight or so will*be spent in adjusting radio and other matters. She should then be ready to join the rest of the fleet. Advantages of Control Tower, After a visit to Australia, Mr. C. W, Roots, officer in charge of Rongotai airport, has returned greatly impressed with the value of control towers at airports. While in Australia he had ample opportunity of studying and actually controlling air traffic at the Mascot (Sydney) and Essendon (Melbourne) aerodromes and, in an interview yesterday, he stated that he now realised the value of the control tower at Rongotai, which will be put into operation in the near future. He considered that a ■ well-thought-out system of control, embodying all the peculiarities surrounding Rongotai, and its geographical conditions, was most desirable. The tower at Rongotai has just been painted, and should be ready to equip with the necessary signalling 1 apparatus very shortly.

Epidemic Waning.

Indications are that although the staffs of city firms and organisations are still affected by the measles epidemic, the number of cases, both among adults and children, is now declining. Dr. F. S. Maclean, medical officer of health for the Wellington district, stated yesterday that although the epidemic was waning, the number of cases among children was not decreasing as rapidly as had been hoped and a fair number of children was still absent from school. One hundred fresh cases of measles had been reported from the Wairarapa, but that was less than the previous week. The epidemic appeared to be increasing in Marlborough but waning in the Nelson town area. For some time past the staffs of city firms, Government Departments, and other organisations have been seriously affected by the disease and although the effects of the epidemic are not now being felt so severely, there is stated to be still a considerable number of absentees.