NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 151, 28 June 1943, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

WEATHER FORECAST Fresh southerly winds, decreasing and turning to the north-west again tomorrow. Weather mainly fair, although cold. The further outlook is for northwesterly winds, strong at times, with changeable weather and occasional showery periods. The Moon.—New moon, July 3. High Water.—Today, 1.32 p.m.; tomorrow, 1.57 a.m., 2.20 p.m. j More Eggs. For some weeks past releases of eggs for civilian consumption in the Wellington district have been on the i basis of 12J per cent, of normal coni sumption. Today Combined Distribui tors, Ltd., the authority handling this business, advised that the supply has f been increased to 20 per cent, in addition (as before) to requirements for medical and Plunket purposes. The wholesale prices of eggs remain as before, namely:—Heavy grade, 3s 3d a dozen; standard 3s Id, medium 2s lid, and pullets 2s 6d. Tribute to New Zealanders. "Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the year under review has been "the spread of the war in the Pacific," said ' Viscount Hampden, speaking at the National Mortgage Company's meeting in London. "Happily, however, the situation has now improved, and it is hoped will continue to do so. I cannot conclude my remarks," he said, -'without paying the highest possible tribute to the men of the New Zea-1 land Forces, on land, on sea, and in the air. for their gallant and effective services to the Empire, They well deserve the outstanding reputation they have gained." tfintry in Otago. Following a mild winter in Dunediii there was a sudden change over the weekend to conditions of unusual severity and on Sunday the hills surrounding the city carried a mantle of snow, states a Press Association message. Rain and sleet showers fell during the day and a strong south-west wind prevailed. Heavy falls of snow ranging up to as much as eighteen inches were reported from Central Otago, where telegraphic communications and the power supply were interrupted in several places. Gift to Red Cross Society. | ■ A gift of 2000 dollars (£613 9s lid; New Zealand currency) has been made to the New Zealand Red Cross Society & the Cuban-American Allied Reliei Fund. Warm appreciation of this generous gift was expressed when the advice was Wmunicated to the Dominion executive of the New Zealand Red Cross Society. It was decided to pay the money into the National Patriotic Fund Board's special fund for side, wounded, and prisoners of war, on whose behalf the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the Red Cross Society are the expending agents. A letter of thanks has been sent from the Red Cross Society to M. Cosme de U Torriente, president of the CubanAmerican Allied Relief Fund. Editor and Staff Resign. After having been in the hands of various editorial staffs during the past two years, "Critic," the official organ cYstudent opinion at the University of Otago, is again without an editoi, associate editor, or sub-editors, states the "Otago Daily Times.". A meeting of the publications committee of the Students' Association will be held shortly, when consideration, will . be given to applicants for the principal vacant position. Since the beginning of the 1943 session of the University the organisation of "Critic" has been the chief topic of controversy. among students. A crisis developed in the middle of last term, when the editorial staff was dismissed by the executive of the Students' Association, apparently without being given a reason, and was reinstated a few days later. This staff has now resigned, and applications have been called for a new editor. E.P.S. Costs. General agreement that there was no longer need for such an extensive Emergency Precautions Scheme organisation as previously was expressed at a meeting of the Mount Eden Borough Council, when the council received the E.P.S. estimates for the current financial year for Auckland city and suburbs, in which Mount Eden's allocation was £2001. The Mayor (Mr. R. J. Mills) said that, in his opinion, it should now be possible to curtail expenses. He agreed with a statement that the first-aid section should be kept going in case an epidemic similar to the influenza epidemic 'following the last war developed. The council decided to press for a reduction in the levy. Boys With Airguns. | The fact that it is unlawful for any person under the age of 16 years to have or to use an airgun, which is re- i garded as a firearm under the Firearms Act, was again emphasised in the" Children's Court at New Plymouth: when four boys appeared before Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., charged with this offence, states a correspondent.! In two of the cases airguns had been given to the boys as presents, and the parent of one boy stated that she thought it was only unlawful to buy a gun. It was stated that it is unlawful for a person under 16 either to buy a gun or to have one given or lent to him or to fire one. Senior-Sergeant Anniss said complaints had been made to the police of a cow shot in the udder and of a broken window, but the boys, who admitted shooting in the vicinity from ' which the complaints came, denied ever shooting at cows or breaking windows either on purpose or by accident. The Magistrate ordered thati the guns be confiscated by the police until the boys reached the age of 16 and the four offenders were admonished and discharged. Earthquakes in 1942. The total number of earthquakes reported as actually felt in New Zealand during 1942 was 196. The North Island claimed 162 of this total, and 14 were felt in both islands. The outstanding seismic event of this year, remarks the annual report of the Dominion Observatory, was the outbreak of seismic activity in the Wail^arapa district on June 24. The main shock reached an intensity of 9 plus on the Rossi-Forel scale. There was a severe after-shock on August 2, and a third on December 2. Over 600 sub- i sidiary shocks were recorded at Weljlington up to the end of the year, but only about 7 per cent, were perceptible. Two other notable shocks during the year were that on June 27, with an epicentre near White Island and a focal ,epth of 230 miles, the deepest origin so far recorded in New Zealand, and a shock on November 1 centred in the south-east Tasman Sea, some 150 miles off the Milford Sound Coast. "I Prefer To Be Here." . A contribution to the discussion about the future of the 2nd New Zealand Division is contained in a recent letter from a Dunedin soldier now serving in the Middle East, states the "Otago Daily Times." "You still worry about some funny things at home," he writes, "and I can't help feeling that one of the funniest—if you like tragi-comedy—is the flow of crocodile tears from the eyes of the politicians about the tired soldiers in Egypt. I doubt whether there's a man over here who isn't tired of the whole country and the whole war, but at the same time not more than a handful of them have even the faintest desire to go back to some killing garrison job in New Zealand or the Islands, even if the bait is a few weeks' leave at home. Consider the position of men in our own brigade who have spent practically nine months changing over from ; ifantry—a wearing nine months at that, in spite of plenty of leave and reasonable amenities. They would in finitely prefer to try themselves out in thpir new medium rather than limp home in the category of worn-out veterans. And there's no heroics about that .ither. Mind you, I have my doubts in my own case, but I do know that as long as I am in the Army I prefer to be here, or wherever the next stop is, to carrying on among the khaki-clad hordes at home. And the reason is the Army itself. One thing it possesses above all others—consistency, a hoggish, purblind consistency, which I feel I can cope with better here than ever I could at home."