NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 83, 4 October 1941, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Large Bullock Sold. The largest bullock offered at the Westfield saleyards, Otahuhu, for some time, a rising four-year-old Hereford estimated to weigh more than 12001b, was sold by Dalgety and Company on Wednesday on account of Mr. W. J. Higham, of Karaka, Papakura. The animal, which Mr. Higham had been keeping for show purposes, realised the top price for bullocks of £18. The Free Hospital System. The recent large increase in the number of patients in the public hospital was commented on by Dr. T. W. J. Johnson when addressing a meeting at Epsom last night. It was no longer an active centre for the healing of the active sick, he said. It was now very largely an old people's home. "That is really," said Dr. Johnson, "the net result so far of the free hospital system." Price of Fruit Too High. Auckland women have risen in protest against the high price of fruit. "The Star" reports that at a meeting of 300 women a resolution was passed "emphatically supporting local protests of mismanagement directed against the Internal Marketing Division in the handling of fruit, resulting in unnecessary shorta"* and high prices to the public." Fruit was described as an absolute necessity in daily diet, not a luxury. It was resolved strongly to recommend to the Government that the Internal Marketing Division's methods be thoroughly investigated and overhauled by competent representatives from all • sides with a view to affording mutual satisfaction in the near future to growers, traders and consumers. Gift of Dried Milk. A consignment of dried milk from New Zealand was sold at a War Comforts Gathering at Aberdeen. It was a feature of the Iron Rations stall, of which the Lady Provost was convener, states "The Post's" London correspondent. The gathering gave Scottish housewives their first opportunity to test one alternative which will be open to them when the rationing of liquid milk comes into force. The dried milk was sent to Lord Provost Mitchell by Scottish people in New Zealand who have been sending comforts and other gifts for North-East Servicemen since the war began. It was left to the Lord Provost to dispose of it and he < considered it most appropriate to hand it over for the benefit of the Comforts Gathering. Stocking Crisis. Mr. L. R. McFarlane, chairman of a large Australian stocking company, has warned the women of the Commonwealth that they will have to pay more for their leg-wear. "Now that trade relations have been broken off with Japan, advice has been received by the Government that certain quantities will be required from all-silk stock for the manufacture of parachutes and other war essentials," Mr. McFarlane said. -The price of hosiery generally would be increased considerably in the near future, because of reduced output, higher wages, and dearer raw materials and chemicals. Business coming in was far beyond the manufacturing programme to cope with. Civilian War Workers. The opinion that men exempted from military duty owing to their essential civilian war work should be given a uniform or badge was expressed by members of the No. 1 Armed Forces Appeal Board, Auckland, at a sitting on Wednesday. A uniform or badge, it was suggested, would be a recognition of service being performed, while the wearer would also be protected from the comments and criticism of those who wondered why he was not in the forces. "Whether he should be paid as a soldier is another matter," said the chairman, Mr.. C. R. Orr Walker. S.M. Big Volume of Comforts. ■ A considerable volume of comforts is now necessary to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Forces in the Middle East. This is shown from the figures relating to one consignment sent this year by the National Patriotic Fund Board. It comprised 5743 cases of comforts of a total cubic measurement of 326 tons and was valued at j £33,856. By far the greater part of) the goods was gift parcels which had j been provided through the eleven pro- j vincial patriotic councils. There were 4352 cases of these parcels. Other comforts included 256 cases, or nearly j £5000 worth, of tobacco and cigarettes for free distribution, 385 cases of woollen goods, and £625 worth of cigarettes, tobacco, and confectionery for the stocking of mobile canteens. A request for more radio sets was met by the provision of 50 sets, together with 50 crates of batteries. Also in the consignment were 37 cases of band instruments, to replace instruments lost by the 4th and sth Brigade Bands in Crete. In addition to the comforts sent for the forces overseas, stocks of comforts ranging from writing materials to talking picture films for use on the voyage are always put on the transports, and at intervals special comforts are sent for the Maori Battalion. In one shipment, for instance, there were 70 cases containing approximately 2000 tinned mutton birds, three cases of pork, and 72 cases of other assorted Maori delicacies. New Dam at Taupo. The lake level will not be raised by - the installation of the new dam on the Waikatd River at Taupo. Engineers from Arapuni were quite emphatic on this point when interviewed at Taupo on Wednesday, gtates a Taupo correspondent. They explained that, although three of the six gates had been kept closed for three weeks, the rise in the whole lake was only 2in, which was 3ft below normal height for this time of the year. It was definitely stated by Mr. Gilcristin. engineer, that at no time would the lake level be raised higher than it has been in the past The whole object of the Taupo dam was to control the flow of water from Lake Taupo. At the present time no more than three gates could be closed without cutting off all the power for the Wairakei plant, which was put out of action when four gates were closed. Care should be exercised by persons using the new channel, as the j current is very fast and strong, as shown by the fact that a Maori youth on Wednesday was carried towards the new dam when endeavouring to cross the river in a boat. Fortunately he was a good swimmer, and, diving from his boat, swam to the bank. T*ie boatj was carried to the entrance of the dam j gates and smashed to matchwood.