NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 2, 3 January 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Tbe Centennial Stamps,

Had it not been for the war and the consequent shortage of paper, New Zealand's Centennial set of postage stamps would have been withdrawn from issue on December 31 last. That was the original intention, but in order not to waste paper they will continue in use until stocks are exhausted. Some denominations will naturally be used up more quickly than others, but gradually each will be replaced by the corresponding value in the pictorial set which was, in use immediately prior to the issue of the Centennial set at the beginning of last year. King George VI stamps will as before be used for the three lowest denominations, these having replaced the corresponding pictorial .values some time before the issue of the Centennial set. The demand overseas for the Centennial stamps has been very large, and used copies of some values are comparatively hard to acquire. As these at present are not allowed to be sent out of the country in quantity, many people are hoarding them until after the war.

'Lonely Soldiers."

The National Patriotic Fund Board has received from its overseas commissioner, Lieut.-Colonel F. Waite, D.5.0., M.L.C., a preliminary list of the names and other particulars of eleven members of the N.Z.E.F. in the United Kingdom whom the padres consider get neither letters nor parcels sent to them individually. These particulars have been forwarded as a result of an inquiry made by Mr. G. A. Hayden, the board's secretary, in order that the names of genuine "lonely soldiers" may be passed on to people willing to correspond with them.' Information on the same subject has also been sought from the board's representative with the New Zealand Forces in the Middle East. Mr. Hayden stated today that there were people who last year had intimated that they would be prepared to write to such men, who, he had no doubt, would appreciate this further evidence from their homeland of interest in their' well. being. The names of "lonely soldiers" as they were received from the board's representatives would be made available on application to those who would undertake to render this little extra service. Appropriate Label.

"Honeymoon Carriage" was the inscription on the rear of one of the Napier-Palmerston North service cars during a recent trip. The title was appropriate. There were four bridal couples aboard the car when it left Hastings, two of the couples having boarded it at Napier, and the other two commenced their honeymoon trip from Hastings.

A Crayfish Story,

Supported by the evidence of eyewitnesses, a Gisborne amateur rock fisherman claims to have set a record in crayfish catches. In a pot at Pouawa during the past week he entangled a crayfish which measured 3ft in length with the tail extended. Its girth was that of an average infant, and in order to cram it into a kerosene tin for cooking it had to be stripped of legs and feelers. The incident occurred not far from a beachside residence where until recently crayfish was sold to the public and supplied to town retailers, and where now stands a sign reading: "No crays. Blame Hitler!" The sign, states the "Gisborne Herald," has reference to the departure of the professional fishermen to take part in hostilities against the Nazis and Fascists.

On the Box Seat.

A good story is told in a letter. recently received by a Napier resident from a relative "somewhere in England" of the attitude displayed by the many "suicide squads"—men engaged on the removal and demolition of unexploded bombs. "I passed an Army lorry yesterday," comments the writer, "on which the words 'Suicide Squad' were written and containing half a dozen laughing lads. The other day they were asked why they were silly enough to be sitting on a delayed action bomb, which was being driven away to be fired off. They said, 'Well, if it goes off it just won't matter whether we are sitting on it or on the lorry. So we sit on it to keep it from rolling about!'"

Speedboat Runs Ashore,

While competing in a speedboat race at the Raglan regatta on Wednesday Miss Hydro, the speedboat owned by Mr. Reginald Murphy, of Pukekohe, jammed its steering gear as it was rounding a buoy at 40 miles an hour and struck the shore in the midst of the spectators. Although Mr. Murphy switched off the engine whe v the boat failed to answer to the helm, its momentum carried it on to the shore Three children were struck by the boat and suffered bruises and cuts.

Whale Stranded

Travellers on the north road between Waitati and Evansdale (Otago) on a recent morning saw a moving object in the water about 200 yards out in Blueskin Bay. Thinking at first that a man was in difficulties in the water they made, further investigations and discovered a young whale. About 10ft long and weighing, it was estimated, at least 6001b, this unusual visitor to the shallow waters of the bay could have come in only through the narrow channel when the tide was high. It was kept under observation from 10 a.m. until about midday, and was seen to spout several times. At length apparently exhausted by its efforts to move in the shallow water, the whale expired and it was then dragged some little distance to dry land in order that it might be more easily inspected.

Eight Balls, Seven Wickets

An eleven-year-old Dunedin schoolboy was responsible for a remarkable bowling performance in a school cricket match recently. In an eight ball over he took seven wickets, including a double hat trick. The flrst six balls of the over sent six youthful batsmen back to the pavilion; the seventh failed to take a wicket, but another fell to the last ball. Five of the batsmen were clean bowled and two were caught. The player responsible for this amazing performance was Peter Gray, a pupil of the Macandrew intermediate school, who s spending his holidays in Invercargill. According to Wisden the greatest number of wickets obtained by a bowler with successive deliveries is nine. Eight have been taken three limes, six once, five once, and on one occasion seven were taken in eight balls Herrings Round the Wharves.

Shoals of herrings of various sizes were darting about the wharf piles ai many points of the waterfront this morning. Near the Lyttelton Ferry Wharf, and in the vicinity of one of the centre tees of the Queen's Wharl, they were particularly thick, the attraction for them in these places being large pieces of bread, in one case almost a whole loaf. The herrings were attacking the bread in great style, so much so that it bobbed up and down in the still water. It was suggested by one of a number of people who stopped to watch that the presence of the thick shoals of herring? may be due to some extent, to the prohibition since the war against boys Mtid others rtshins from 'he wharves This may or may not be so. but it is n fact that durine the Christmas holidays in normal time* countless small.boys used to make * practice of catching the herrings with home-made nets. "Nowadays." said a Harbour Board officer, "the fish 1 think most people want to see caught are those long 'tin' fish which do so much damage to shipping."