NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 57, 5 September 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

WEATHER FORECAST An anti-cyclone over the Tasman Sea extends on to New Zealand. Light north-westerlies prevailing and gradually freshening tomorrow. Weather fair to fine. Cool night and moderate day temperatures. Further outlook fair and milder. Temperature at 9 a.m., 53 degrees. New Moon, September 18. High Water.—Today, 7.2 p.m.; tomorrow, 7.28 a.m., 8.2 p.m. Sun sets today 6 p.m.; rises tomorrow 6.38 a.m., sets 6.1 p.m. Field-Marshal Montgomery. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) has sent the following message to FieldMarshal Sir Bernard Montgomery:— "In sending on behalf of the Government and people •of New Zealand a message of sincere congratulation on your well-earned promotion, which all New Zealanders will welcome, I wish to express my personal satisfaction that this great honour should coincide with the climax of the brilliantly-executed and highly-successful operation which has decidect the issue in northern France. Warmest personal regards." Request Declined. A request for the use of the Wellington Techincal College assembly hall for the accommodation of examination candidates in November had to be declined by the Board of Managers of the college last night as the hall has been let for some time to the Repertory Theatre for dates, within the period of the examinations. The request from the Education Department stated that there were 835 candidates for the examinations and 600 would be accommodated at the Victoria College gymnasium. Inquiries for New Elephant. "We should very much like to have the elephant replaced at Newtown Zoo as soon as possible,, and inquiries are already being made," said:' Councillor R. L. Macalister, chairman of the reserves committee of the City Council, today. The elephant which had died recently had been presented to the city by the Government of Madras, and it might be that some similar authority would assist tlie City Council -ii_iiii._ii.._..iim_i_.iii.iiii.iii.ii,iiviii[,i,i„ mi.fiiiiini.ii

in its efforts to obtaia. another elephant When the animal presented by the Madras Government was brought to New Zealand it was under the care of an Indian keeper for some months, said Councillor Macalister, and probably that would be the best way of arranging transport and care. The advice given the committee was that the elephant' should not be more than about seven years of age. Transportation Feat. One of the largest jobs of transportation, probably equal to anything done during the military occupation of Northland, was completed last week, when the Forestry Department 20-ton tractor was taken from Omahuta State forest to Kaikohe, states a Whangarei correspondent. For the last four years the giant had been used for the heaviest type of bush haulage work, and now, caked with mud a foot thick and with damaged bearings, it is being sent to the Department's depot near Rotorua. The traptor was driven under its own power over the steep Whangaroa county roads to Mangamuka, where it was hoisted by timber jacks to an eight-tyred transporter, which was then towed by two Works Department heavy graders to Kaikohe. Only one bridge was noticed to have sagged after the monster had passed. At Kaikohe, drivers and timber men soon took the tractor off the transporter and drove it on a 25-ton metalfloored fiat-top car, on which it will be railed to Rotorua. The same flattop had brought a replacement vehicle only slightly smaller from Rotorua earlier. The big tractor's four-ton bulldozer blade was consigned south. Dangerous Explosive. The great danger of using sodium chlorate and sulphur as an explosive was stressed at the adjourned inquest mto the death of Victor Herbert Hawthorne, who was killed in a blasting accident at Paki Paki on July 20, states a Hastings correspondent. Henry L F. Peryman, inspector of explosives, Wellington, expressed, the view that death was due to two factors, the use of a steel tampering rod and the use of an extremely sensitive blasting explosive. He said that the regulations stipulated the use of only wooden rods, but even with wood there was great danger in the use of sodium chlorate and sulphur such as was used. The manufacture of this explosive was prohibited. Although neither of the components was an explosive in itf£& thl ml x, in § of them was illegal, the chlorate explosive might be a little stronger than some, it was not as powerful as 50 per cent, gelignite, which was a standard general purpose explosive. No advantage would be gained by using chlorate. The Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to injuries received in a mature explosion. Might of"England.* "The might of England is the most modesty thing in the world because there is no nation in the world prepared to stand up to so much ridicule, so long as she knows that she is doing her duty," said Squadron Leader C. W. D. Bell addressmembers of the New ZealandfSSßSS Society last night.- "The more EnS land appears a fool, the more she fools Germany," he said, "and in the dead of night sends skilled .men to the peninsula to test the ground and make S anS wl a ? uccessful landing on D 2? y< When the time comes, England shows herself invincible. Is theri another nation in the world that could have stood the disaster of Dunkirk and come through and gone on to victory' England always starts a war 50 yards behind. All we had was the Royal Navy- *l^ kernel on which we could build, and the finest aircraft designers in the world. What sav^ us was the Navy and our experts who S rS a I?ii iC\ keep the Spikes l Wt£ • i Vm f I, onger ' and then with the aid of radio-location to find and shoot down the German bombers WeS the men, we found a great general Hke Montgomery, and wi found a great statesman in our Prime Minister That is England We had our Navy Army and Air Force. They savprt,,* the world and civilSon^ US aad