NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 55, 2 September 1944, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

WEATHER FORECAST

Light to moderate southerly winds predominating. Weather mainly fair to cloudy, but some brief drizzle early in the morning. Temperatures moderate. Further outlook fair. Temperature at 9 a.m., 50 degrees. Fall moon, tomorrow. High Water.—Today, 3.53 p.m.; tomorrow, 4.20 a.m., 4.54 p.m. Sun sets today 5.57 p.m.; rises tomorrow 6.43 a.m., sets 5.58 p.m. Women's Best Room. So far the bathing, shower,' and laundry facilities in the new women's rest room in the King's Chambers, Willeston Street, just off the junction of Lambton Quay and Willis -Street, have not been we'll patronised, said Mrs. .Knox Gilmer to a "Post" reporter. "The City Council," she said, "has had representations^ from various women's organisations and others for a long tjme* past that baths and showers were urgently needed by women who live in rooms and in unsatisfactory apartments, and the council has met these requests at quite a considerable cost. The facilities are very good and very complete, but Wellington and visiting women don't know about them." There is a neon sign above the entrance to the rest room, but because of the restrictions on the use of electric power it cannot be lit up. Award to Boy Scout. The Governor-General, acting in his capacity of Dominion Chief Scout, has awarded' the Certificate of Merit to Scout Neil Dobbie in recognition of his promptness in reporting a fire at Eastbourne on April 27. While lying ill in bed, the Scout heard the crackling of a fire near at hand, and, on looking out of the window, saw smoke coming from a neighbour's -house. Hurriedly donning his dressing-gown, .he ran across to the house in an attempt to enter and use the telephone, but he was prevented from doing so by the smoke and heat. However, he shut a door to keep out a draught, and then rushed to another neighbour's house, where -he reported the fire to the fire brigade. He then went back to bed, having done all that he could in the circumstances. As the owner was away at the time, it is almost certain that the dwelling would have been completely destroyed.instead of being only partly damaged, as was the case, had it not been for the prompt action of this yojung Scout, who is 13 years of age. Farmers' Federation; Good progress is being made ia the negotiations for the establishment of the new farmers' organisation, the United Farmers' Federation, according to a joint-statement made yesterday by Messrs. B. V. Cooksley, chairman of the present Farmers' Federation, G. H. Grigg, president of the New Zealand Sheepowners' Federation, and W. W. Mulholland, Dominion president of the New Zealand Farmers' Union. A considerable amount of spade work had been done since the decision to proceed with the formation of the new body was made six weeks ago. Another meeting •of ' representatives of the Sheepowners' Federation and the Farmers' Union was to be held shortly. This would be followed by a meeting of the present Farmers' Federation at which representatives of all branches .of primary industry would be present. After this the plan of organisation for the United Farmers' Federation would be announced. Increased Farm Costs. "It has been freely stated in Parliament and in other quarters that the farming industry is fully protected against price and cost fluctuations by stabilisation," said the president of the Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the Farmers' Union (Mr. P. J. Mowat) at Ashburton, reports the "Press." "Practically the only item which has been stabilised at 1938 prices is manure, even railage charges having increased by 10 per cent.," he added. A few items taken from actual sales of a leading mercantile firm which had a bearing on the matter showed that there was a total average increase in cost of about 60 per cent, between 1938-39 prices and 1944 prices for the same articles. The percentage increases in cost between 1938 and 1944 on the following items were:—Fuel oil a ton, 106.38 per cent.; kerosene a gallon. 50; cornsacks, 63.6; woolpacks (42in), 95.35; plain wire (No. 8), 72.4; barbed wire, 78.79; sheep netting, 76.72; horse covers. 58.1; cow covers, 17.1; ploughshares (52's), 25. Farm implement increases from 1939 to 1944, said Mr. Mowat, were:—Tractor (39- horse-power on rubber), 50.19 per cent.; tractor-binder (Bft), 48.82; tractor-plough (three furrow), 53,87; grubber "(11 tynes). 31.41; with grass and turnip boxes (15 coulters), 52.93; hay rake, 95.94. Irrigating- Canterbury. - The first comprehensive test of the Rangitata diversion race has been made in the last few. days, to the complete satisfaction of the Works Department's engineers, states the Christchurch ''Press." Since Friday of last week about a third of the water of the Rangitata River has been flowing across country in the huge man-made channel which traverses the head of the Mid-Canterbury plains for a distance of 42 miles. The race has carried water to within two. miles of its terminal, and the massive concrete in- ; takes, control structures, and siphons which carry the water underneath rivers and across hillsides- have passed their first tests under actual working conditions. A temporary dam at present excludes the water from the last two miles of the race, at the terminal of which is the intake for the Highbank electric power station, and the diverted Rangitata waters, backing up against the obstruction, are being discharged into the North Ashburton river some miles further back. In these trials the race has carried out two-thirds of its full capacity of 1000 cusecs, but this has been ample to enable the. engineers to test the working of the control machinery and structures. The diversion race is designed ultimately to provide water for the irrigation in summer of 320,000 acres of land and for the' generation in winter of 28,000 kilowatts of electric power in a single generator at the Highbank power station. The first of the irrigation schemes which will draw water from the race, the Ashburton-Lynd-hurst scheme, is almost completed and will be in operation this summer. Two other big irrigation schemes which" will obtain their" water from the race, those of the Valetta-Tinwald and the Barrhill --areas, have not yet been started. * •