NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 147, 18 December 1943, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

WEATHER FORECAST

Moderate io fresh north-westerly winds, changing to light southerlies tomorrow. I Weather fair to fine and mild. A further outlook is for some rain likely an Monday. The Moon.—New moon, December 27. High Water.—Tdday, 10.15 p.m. tomorrow, 10.25 a.m., 10.54 p.m. "Evening- Post" & "Sports Post." The "Evening Post" will not be published next Saturday (Christmas Day) or the following Saturday (New Year s Day). Advertisers are requested to forward copy for the Friday issues in each week as early as possible. The "Sports Post" will be published in each week on Thursday, and distributed on Friday. Services' Daily Paper. One of the first acts by the British forces after their landing on Madagascar last year was to establish a daily newspaper, of one page, and containing items of interest from all round the world. Called the "Evening Pioneer," the paper is still being produced, and at the time it started was the only daily services' newspaper in the world. It was established and the first issue printed while fighting was still going on and before the capital, Antananarive, was captured. Indian Girl's ProgTess. A young Indian girl, Bhikhe Magan, arrived in Auckland from India five years ago not knowing a word of English. She has just been awarded the Buchanan Prize for the pupil of the Onehunga primary school displaying the most progress and general, ability during the year. She is a pupil of Standard IV, and her achievement was referred to as unique by speakers at the annual prize-giving. Lucky Number Thirteen. Thirteen appellants who appeared before the Auckland Man-power (Industrial) Committee were all members of No. 13 gang of the railway service. They appealed against permission having been given the Department to transfer them from work as platelayers to casual labourers, a step which meant a reduction of about Id an hour in their wages. The traditional suspicion of the number 13 was ill-founded on this occasion, however, as all the appeals were allowed. Aids tq Rehabilitation. Three men being trained in the head office of the Rehabilitation Department will'shortly go overseas for the purpose of meeting soldiers about to return to New Zealand. This scheme at present applies to the Middle East only, but the Director of Rehabilitation, Lieutenant- Colonel F. Baker, considers there is no reason why it cacinot be extended "These men will be stationed at general hospitals, the convalescent depot, and the reception depot," he said when in New Plymouth this week. "One will travel back to New Zealand with each returning draft. He will also watch over the initial stages of the men in the draft he accompanies and will then return to the Middle East. This will give him an opportunity of passing on to his fellow-officials all the latest information from New Zealand."

Flats for Auckland^ The statement that work on the group of large blocks of flats to be erected by the State Housing Department in Grey's Avenue will be started within four or five months was made in a letter from the Director of Housing Construction which was before the i Auckland City Council on Thursday : night. The Town Clerk, Mr. J. Melling, had written to the Department pointing out that the council had paid ;to the Department in May, 1942, ! £25,000 to be expended on this pro- | ject, and asking for advice on the progress of the scheme, so necessary to relieve the housing shortage in the | city. The director stated that the plans ! for the work were in an advanced stage. The total development of the scheme was a major building project which, when completed, would make Grey's Avenue one of the outstanding points of interest in Auckland. The total number of persons to be housed on the property would be approximately 650 in two-, three-, and four-bedroom flats. Use of Flour. "I am concerned with what this means to the health of the country," said Sir Theodore Rigg at a meeting of the Wheat Research Committee in Christchurch when he advocated an investigation of the production of high extraction flour that has a higher vitamin Bl content than ordinary flour, states the "Star-Sun." Sir Theodore Rigg was speaking to a report by the chief chemist of the Research Institute (Mr. E. W. Hullett). He said they should know what difficulties were likely to be encountered in its use. "The origin of this thing is largely political," said Mr. W. W. Mulholland. "It is some of these food cranks who have brought pressure to bear on the Government. They are of the opinion that we should all eat wholemeal bread." Mr. Mulholland added that an organisation was engaged in nutrition work. There was a whole conglomeration of interests concerned, and the Government had really been using the Wheat Research Committee and the Wheat Committee as a buffer against these people. The Government was anxious not to do anything in wartime unless it was necessary in order to have enough flour for civilian' consumption. In Iks' opinion the Government did not want to be forced into taking steps purely for nutritional reasons about something with which it was unfamiliar.