NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 84, 6 October 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

WEATHER FORECAST.

Situation: A weak depression remains stationary over Auckland, but is filling, and a series of shallow depressions is passing in the south. Forecast to 5 p.m. on Saturday:— Light, variable winds. Weather fair with cool night, but' milder day temperatures. Further outlotfk fair. , Temperature at 9 a.m., 50 degrees. . New moon, October 17. ' High Water.—Today, 8.40 pirn.; tomorrow, 9 a.m., 9.35 p.m. Sun sets today 6.31 p.m.; rises tomorrow 5.45 a.m.; sets 6.33 p.m. Eoad Fatalities. ' . Ten deaths were caused by nine road accidents involving motor vehicles during September, according to figures supplied by the Transport Department. Those killed were five occupants of motor vehicles, three pedestrians, and two cyclists. During the nine months ended September there were 100 road deaths, compared with 105 in 1943, 32 of them being in the four metropolitan areas. Twenty-four people were killed in Auckland, including 12 of the 26 pedestrians killed in the whole of the Dominion, thre"e each in Wellington and Christchurch, and two in Dunedin. Industrial Hygienist. Referring to the activities of the Department's industrial hygienist, Mr. G. H. Mackley (National, Masterton), ispeaking to the Health Department estimates in the House of Representatives last night, said that while the doctor took a great interest in matters he thought should be rectified by the employers, he had not taken counsel with the employees to advise th&m of their responsibilities towards industry in that respect. The Minister of Health (Mr. Nordmeyer) said that the British official had .not come to New Zealand to advise employers or employees, but to survey the whole position of industrial hygiene and report to the Government, in the light of his great experience, as to what could be done to improve conditions. Home Nursing- Service. Some of the hospital boards could use the Government's, home nursing service more than they were at present prepared to do, said the Minister of Health, (Mr. Nordmeyer) in the House of Representatives last night during discussion on the Health Department estimates. The Minister said thcit the scheme introduced by the Government some time ago was to enable hospital boards to provide nurses' services free of cost to themselves— the cost being borne by the Social Security Fund. It was felt that the scheme should be under the control of boards which, on the. direction of medical men, would employ nurses to attend cases in the homes. There seemed to be no excuse for some boards not making , that service more freely available than it was today. Full Employment. The objective of the Opposition was to. lay a strong foundation to social security, so that the many thousands of people whose needs were only partly met today would have adequate provision, said Mr. E. P. Aderman (National, New Plymouth) in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. The Opposition, lie said, was in no way attacking social security, but such peoplfe should have real security. He agreeof with Lord Woolton that full employment was the basis of social security, and contended that that was the objective that lay behind the agitation of the Opposition. The Minister in Charge of Social Security (Mr. Parry) said there was no place in the world that had a scheme of social security comparable with that in New Zealand. '* Mixed Hospitals. Provision of six medical and surgical and eight maternity beds at a new hospital to be built in Marton has been agreed upon by the Wanganui Hospital Board, states "The Post's" Wanganui correspondent, and the Minister of Health (Mr. Nordmeyer) is to be asked to sanction the plan. The medical and surgical block as planned will be sufficiently detached from the maternity block. The medical superintendent at Wanganui, Dr. H. L. Wid-. dowson, reporting in regard to mixed hospitals, said that in the past the Department of Health allowed only minor surgical cases to be treated, such as tonsils and teeth extractions. These, he said, were probably more dangerous to nursing mothers than other things, and in future the Department might abolish mixed hospitals altogether, unless the maternity section was kept well. detached from the surgical and medical. A Picturesque Comparison. "As I listen to your comment about America I am inclined to : think a parallel can be found in the instance of "the tailor to the Japanese Emperor," said Mr. S. Greenbie, head representative in New Zealand of the United States Office of War Information, addressing the English-speaking Union yesterday. "The Japanese Emperor is in the position of a god," he said. "Nobody is allowed to touch the person of the Emperor, and when it comes to his tailor he is in a still more difficult position. He has to measure the Emperor by perspective. I leave it to you to say whether he can fit him or not. I think that is what you think of us, and what we think of you is obtained much in this long-range measure fashion. We must adjust ourselves to one another. There are all sorts of things that seem misfits, but it is difficult to bring to you a picture of America that is adequate from our way of thinking." Christmas Greetings. A special airgraph message form was being provided again this year for Christmas and New Year greetings to members of the Forces and civilians in those countries with which the airgraph service was in operation, said the Postmaster-General (Mr, Webb) last night. The special form had a border of kowhai, pohutukawa, and' rata, and depicted, in addition, a kiwi and a fantail. Copies would be available to the public at all post offices within a few days. The charge for transmission was the same as that for ordinary airgraph messages, and there was no additional charge for the form. So that the Christmas greetings airgraphs would be delivered as near to Christmas as possible, it would be necessary for the special forms to be lodged by the senders to reach Wellington not later than the end of November. If it was possible for some countries to accept messages up to a later date, a further announcement would be made.

The Automobile Association (Manawatu) has been advised that it will be some time yet before the Wherokino bridge will be opened for traffic Motorists going to the Otaki races on Saturday will have to proceed vfa Shannon, states "The Post's" Manawatu correspondent.