NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 52, 30 August 1945, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

WEATHER FORECAST

Forecast to 5 p.m. Friday:— Southerly winds decreasing and turning northerly tomorrow. Weather becoming fair tonight. Temperatures moderating slightly. Further outlook fresh northerlies, cloudy. A deep depression is south-east of the Chatham Islands. A shallow depression is east of Auckland. A ridge of high pressure extends from the north-west Tasman to Southland. New moon, September 7. Temperature at 9.30 a.m., 47deg. Rainfall for 24 hours to 9.30 a.m., O.llin. Rainfall from July 30 tc date, 5.56 inches. High water: Today, 11.5 p.m.; tomorrow, 11.25 a.m., 11.55 p.m. Sun sets today 5.54 p.m.; rises tomorrow 6.49 a.m., sets 5.55 p.m. Clearance of Mails. Information on when the midnight clearance of suburban letter-boxes will be reverted to was sought in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon by Mr. C. M. Bowden (National, Wellington West). He said the wartime 10 a.m. clearance, as far as Wellington was concerned, involved a full day's delay to city and suburban deliveries, mails to Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, and the Main Trunk line, and the air mail to the South Island. Access To Tinakori Hill. In view of the fact that the Makara wireless station has taken over some of the duties of the Wellington radio station on Tinakori Hill, inquiries were made of the Director-General of the Post and Telegraph Department as to the likelihood of the public being once more allowed access to this city reserve. It was stated that this was a matter for Government decision, that a review of the restrictions was being made, and that an announcement would be made in due course. Canteen Supplies. "Are there over-supplies of tinnedpineapple and peaches in the various Air Force canteens, and is it permissible for present Air Force personnel to purchase these for distribution to their civilian friends?" asked Mr. S. W. Smith (National, Bay of Islands) in a notice of question to the Minister of Supply in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. Smith also asked whether those supplies would be available to the general public when the Air Force camps closed. Grey-blue River. So heavily charged by volcanic dust is the Wangaehu River that near its mouth or where it passes under the main road bridge it was recently a thick grey-blue colour, instead of the usual green or yellow tinge, states the "Wanganui Herald." It has been likened to a blue papa solution. About 50 years ago when the Ruapehu crater lake boiled over and the water poured down the Wangaehu, the mud deposited on the snow round the crater was bright blue. Servicemen's Houses. To date, under th? 50 per cent, allocation system, 3628 State rental houses and flats have been set aside for ex-servicemen, and of these 180 were allocated during July, says the monthly review covering the activities of the Rehabilitation Department. The following totals for the various centres and surrounding districts show the houses allocated to date and those allocated during July:—Auckland, 1091, 37; Hamilton, 280, 14; Napier, 191, 4; New Plymouth, 104, 1; Wellington, 1228, 98; Nelson, 71, 2; Christchurch, 358, 19; Dunedin, 226, 2; Invercargill, 79, 3; totals, 3628, 180. Pioneering* Link Destroyed. A link with the pioneering days of Masterton was severed recently when a large shed in Worksop Ro^d, formerly one of the outbuildings of Dixon's accommodation house, was destroyed by fire. The shed was part of Dixon's old stables, which caught fire in 1870, and, it is stated, was one of the first fires recorded in Masterton. The Masterton Fire Brigade received a call by telephone at 7.3 p.m., and on arrival found the shed and pine trees around it ablaze. The flames could be seen from a considerable distance. The fire had reached such an advanced stage when the brigade was notified that there was no hope of saving the building. A total of 110 feet of hose was used. There was nobody in the shed at the time-of the fire. Pheasant Changes Plumage. A hen pheasant in the Masterton Park Aviary in 1943 laid eggs and hatched young. Last year the usual brown plumage of the female showed signs of deepening colour on the head and of a white collar on the neck, while this year these characteristic j male plumage markings have become even more pronounced. No eggs were laid by the bird last year. Many cases of an apparent reversal of sex, it is stated, are associated with an arrest of the functional activities of the primary organs of sex, which brings about a cessation of the necessary stimulus to maintain the normal sexual activity of the bird. N.Z. Supply Effort, The Minister of Supply and Munitions (Mr. Sullivan) has received the following cable from Mr. Wilmot. British Minister of Supply:—"On the occasion of Victory over Japan I should like to express to you and all your colleagues in the Department of Munitions and Supply congratulations on the final and successful outcome to which their war efforts have greatly contributed. Throughout the war you , have responded promptly and enthusiastically to all requests we have made for help, and we shall never forget your willing co-operation. We send thanks and best wishes to all." Mr. Sullivan has sent a reply to Mr. Wilmot conveying admiration of the fine record of the British people and British industry during the war and expressing the hope of successful reconversion to peacetime requirements. A Slip Retrieved. One fine morning last week a passenger by an inward-bound Lyall Bay car, sitting on the back seat in the open part, had the misfortune to lose an almost new universal concession card through the failure of the conductor, a probationer under the eye of a senior, to make effective contact, after taking the clip, with the hand of the passenger. The card flew out of the opening on to the roadway. Though the passenger was prepared to regard it as a piece of bad luck for which he himself might be partly to blame, the conductor and his cicerone accepted the responsibility and announced that a search would be made —the day being calm—and if the card was found, it would be returned, if the passenger gave name and address. This was done, while the motorman of an outgoing car was notified of the loss. Days passed, and the passenger had forgotten all about it, when yesterday a letter arrived from the'traffic manager, enclosing the missing ticket and expressing regrets at any inconvenience suffered. So happy and what must be almost a unique outcome of a slip to which conductors on trams must always be liable is an example of public service that deserves acknowledgement. Day In Parliament. "We want to get to the big measures," said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Holland), announcing in the House of Representatives on the introducton of an Imprest Supply Bill yesterday afternoon that his side would not debate the measure at length apart from a few points which members wished to raise. However, the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser), who had described the Opposition announcement as almost a foretaste of Paradise, asked for urgency. One thing led to another, and it was not until 15 minutes to midnight that the House rose after some torrid moments. The Bill, which was put through, provided supply of £16,865,----500 for two months. After the formal business the first big discussion on the Imprest Supply Bill centred round the question of Maoris and the Social Security Fund. Later there was another concentration of words on whether or not there were political appointments to high positions in the Public Service. Little time was required during the afternoon to put through all stages the Judicature Amendment Bill, which extends the term of the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers) by twelve months from September 6. The House adjourned until this afternoon.