NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 117, 20 May 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Light Fall of Snow. Last night's cold southerly change resulted in a light fall of snow on the high country around Wellington. Patches of white on the Orongorongos glistened in this morning's bright sunshine, and the Tararuas, hitherto singularly free from snow, were wearing a quite perceptible mantle. Motor Vehicles' Toll. The war is having its effect on the number of motor vehicles licensed in the Dominion. At the end of March, 1940, the number was 317,526, but at the end of March this year the total had fallen, by over 4000 to 313,087. During the twelve months ending March 31, 1941, these motor vehicles were involved in 5588 accidents, 2605 of which were collisions. These accidents resulted in fatal injuries in 172 cases, serious injuries in 1674 cases, and minor injuries in 2150 cases. Somersetshire's Visit. The officer commanding H.M. Hospital Ship Somersetshire, Lieu-tenant-Colonel Hirst, has written to the Hon. Vincent Ward, M.L.C., honorary secretary of the Wellington Provincial Patriotic Council, thanking him personally, the Wellington Patriotic Council, and all associated with them for kindness extended to the crew and hospital staff of all ranks on board during the ship's visit to Wellington. "Our welcome to Wellington", states the letter, "has been overwhelming in its kindness and we all want to come back to New Zealand." A letter of thanks on behalf of the crew has also been read. Johnston's Hill. Further progress towards the completion of the scheme for making Johnston's Hill, Karori, a scenic reserve was reported at last night's meeting of the Wellington Beautifying Society. Mi. H. Fletcher said that the legal procedure was practically through and it was also stated that the surveyors had nearly finished their work. Mr. R. L. Macalister said that the City Council had agreed to contribute towards the purchase of the land after its estimates last year had been fixed, so that the money would have to come out of this year's estimates. He thought that something definite would happen m the matter in the next twelve months. A Ground for Exemption. Before the empanelling of a jury to hear an action between two insurance companies in the Supreme Court yesterday, Mr. Justice Ostler instructed the body of jurors in the Court to declare themselves when their names were called if they were shareholders or policy-holders in either company. A number of the jurors, when their names were drawn, announced themselves as holding policies in one or other of the companies, and there was general amusement when his Honour inquired with a smile as one man was going to his seat, "Are you. free from the taint?" Counsel for both sides freely exercised their right of challenge of jurors. "The Saint Has Been!" An 18-year-old admirer of the suave methods of "The Saint"—Leslie Charteris's fictitious adventurer whose exploits baffle the fictional police—has been caught in Melbourne. For three months detectives have been baffled but ruefully amused, by a number of factory robberies and the discovery each time of a note saying, "Thanks. The Saint has been," and bearing a drawing of a haloed head. A boy, aged 15, told the police that, about eight months ago, he saw a film about the exploits of "The Saint," and he had called the older boy by that name ever since. Several charges of factory breaking, were laid to the charge of "The Saint." Long Weekend Wanted. Butchers' shopmen in Sydney feel convinced that the public would suffer no inconvenience if they could not buy the Sunday joint on Saturday. In any case, the shopmen are in the mind for no work on Saturday. Mr._ J. Tierney, acting secretary of the union, has pointed out in the Press that "most people have ice chests, and could easily keep their meat fresh on Saturday and Sunday. In cold seasons, there would be no difficulties, and in hot weather we know that 75 per cent, of the people eat cold meat on Sundays. Old customs die hard, but our men are determined to have the long weekend." There are 6000 men employed in retail shops in New South Wales, and about 2000 are engaged in the metropolitan area. Food for the Wax-eyes. The sight of a flock of wax-eyes fighting over a meat bone tied to a tree provided much amusement for some Christchurch residents who had put it there, states the "Star-Sun." These little wax-eyes, sometimes called blight birds, live almost entirely on insects, and now the leaves have fallen from the trees, there is very little food for them. Last winter hundreds of these birds were found dying and exhausted for the want of food. The wax-eyes are Australian native birds, many of whom were possibly blown across the sea to New Zealand by a strong gale in 1856. Their Maori name is tauhou—visitor. Vermin Destruction. The success of game licence holders in 1940 indicates that money spent on the destruction of vermin is a good investment, says the annual report of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, because game preserved in the wild, through the destruction of its enemies, is a saving of money spent on rearing game birds for liberation. Two well-known sportsmen finished the 1940 season with a score of 26 pheasants, all of which were shot within 20 miles of Wellington. Waterfowl also had benefited from the destruction of vermin. The society spent £377 18s on vermin destruction, plus £61 4s lid drawn from the accumulated fund of the board, making a total payment of £439 2s lid for the year. The amount expended represents bounty paid on 4792 pairs of hawks' feet, 1925 tails of ferrets, stoats, and weasels. 4301 hedgehogs' snouts, and 78 complete skins of ferrets, stoats, and weasels. No Distinction. "His attitude appears to be that because he is in business in a big way he is entitled to exemption. That is by no means the case. This board makes no distinction between a man in a big way of business and a man in a small way." These comments were made by Mr. F. F. Reid, S.M., chairman of the Armed Forces Appeal Board, Christchurch, in announcing the board's decision on an appeal by John Leonard Wilkins, a building contractor, on the grounds of public interest and undue hardship. Wilkins, whose age is 29, gave evidence that he had contracts on hand totalling approximately £200,000, most of tiiem for the Government. The appeal is to be reviewed in three months. "The cvi-" dence discloses that the appellant is a contractor in a large way on his own account," Mr. Reid said. "On the other hand, he is a young man, fit, and of military age. He is engaged at present on large Government contracts, and he entered these with his eyes open to his military obligations. We view with considerable displeasure that Wilkins, in the last few weeks, has entered into other contracts, not large ones, certainly, but still contracts. His contracts must be completed in the public interest, but whether he can get someone to do it, we dp not know," J