PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 134, 8 June 1945, Page 6

PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS

ARAB COUNTER-MEASURES Rec. 10 a.m. JERUSALEM, June 7. The first plague of locusts for 15 years is spreading across Palestine. ' j The Arab Legion of Cavalry in the Transjordan has been called out to spread poison bait over the country, and similar campaigns are being conducted in Irak, Egypt, and Syria. j WOMAN ASSAULTED A young woman was the victim of a brutal assault in Ludlam Street, Seatoun, shortly after dark last evening. She was attacked from behind by a man and received fairly serious bruises and other injuries in the struggle that followed, and had to receive medical attention at the hospital before being allowed to return home. Investigations are being made by the Wellington police. ' FRENCH BANK-NOTES. An advertisement in this issue gives notice that Banque de France banknotes will shortly become worthless and cease to be legal tender, and states the procedure to be followed in exchanging them. on the West Coast, and has prevented colliers from sailing. The last available supply of gas-producing coal, amounting to 150 tons, has been sent to the Auckland Gas Company. The present indications are that there will be no gas after the evening meal next Monday. The general manager of the company (Mr. R. Worley) said that the prospect was so bleak that it had been necessary to reduce still further the hours during which gas would be available. A supply would be allowed from 6.30 to 8 a.m. and from 5 to 6.30 p.m. A consignment of 150 tons of coal is being railed from Wellington and is expected to arrive today. Mr. Worley was advised by the Mines Department that that was the last available gas coal in the North Island. One hundred tons of Waikato coal is also being sent to the company to mix with the gas coal. The prospects of industries getting a supply of gas next week appears hopeless. LABORATORY WORK RETARDED. Lack of gas to operate hundreds of laboratory burners which have been out of use since the beginning of the present term is greatly handicapping science studies of large numbers of university and secondary school students. Most affected is the chemistry department of the uniyersity, but also involved are the Technical College, the grammar schools, and the manual training schools. "Work in laboratories is being retarded," said Professor F. P. Worley, head of the university chemistry department, this morning. The prolonged failure of the gas supply is affecting a .large number-of students and causing exceptional difficulties for those in senior classes who have a great deal of practical work to do in the course of the year." As a temporary makeshift, added Professor Worley, numbers of glass bottles and pots have been fitted with wicks to rerve as methylated spirit burners and some work could be carried out, but the range of experiments is very limited. It was stated at the Technical College, where cookery instruction is also involved, that the practical side of the work is. at a standstill.