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Evening Star, Issue 23723, 2 November 1940, Page 10

The Minister of Defence (Hon. F. Jones) has 'been advised of plans by the National Council of the Canadian Y.W.C.A. to provide suitable hospitality and entertainment for students at the Empire training schools during periods of leave from camp, including the opportunity of meeting Canadian people in their own homes.

Interest-free loans total to date £2,618,464. To-day’s aeknowledgments include the following:—Tauranga Borough Council, £2,000 for the duration and 12 months after; “ Anonymous,” Canada, £2,566 16s Bd, for the duration.

A notification issued hy the Government yesterday invites the co-operation of citizens and traffic controlling authorities in the observance of two minutes’ silence from 11 a.m. on Monday, November 11, in commemoration of Armistice Day. It is suggested that where a service is desired it should take place at the local cenotaph or war memorial. For the three months ended September 27 100 per cent, regularity was maintained on the "Wellington-Auckland and Cook Strait air services, and only one run between Wellington and Dunedin was not completed within the timetable. A total of 906,645 _ passenger' miles were flown in 857 flights, and 7,814 passengers, 19,5491 bof mail, and 38,3701 b of freight, of which 33,2811 b was across Cook Strait, were carried. “ I must compliment this doctor on his writing. It is usually very difficult to decipher doctors’ writing,” said Mr J ustice O’Regan of a report handed to him in the Compensation Court at Christchurch, reports the ‘ Press.’ “ I am afraid your remarks apply not only to the medical profession, your Honour,” said Mr C. S. Thomas. “ I had a letter from an M.P. once, and it took me three months to discover who wrote it.” In order to avoid any possibility of correspondence for members of B Force being diverted with that for members of 2nd N.Z.E.F. Overseas, correspondents with members of B Force should address letters as follows:—" 26012, with name of member, 18th Army Troops, B Force.”

The proposed bottle drive by the Boy Scouts will not take place on Saturday, November 9. The house-to-house collection of waste metals—aluminium, brass, copper, etc., by the Waste Material Board, will, however, take place on that date as previously announced. This collection will represent a big effort, and it will not be possible to take bottles in addition. The election for the United States Presidency will be held on Tuesday next, November 5. The date is fixed as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of the year preceding that in which the Presidential term expires. The contest is between Mr Roosevelt, who is standing for a third term, and his Republican rival, Mr Wendell Willkie, although there are several other minor candidates. The election will attract even greater interest than usual throughout the world, and particularly in Britain and the Empire, at the present juncture of the war.

“ To-morrow, glory be, I’m going into ‘ Alex.’ on leave,” writes a member of the First Echelon, “and to-morrow being Sunday one of the boys and I shall probably trot off to St. Andrew's Church of Scotland. Fancy my going voluntarily to church, but it is a pleasure, for there one can almost imagine oneself at home. Egypt is too highly scented. Native streets smell to high heaven. Every different shop has its own odour, anil the well-dressed Egyptian uses enough scent for ten. But at church the atmosphere is of ‘ home,’ and everybody is clean, friendly, and Scotch. What more can I say

The Postmaster-General (the Hon. P. C. Webb) announces that as from yesterday, November 1, new rates of commission are being adopted for Post Office money-orders issued and paid in New Zealand and the Cook islands. The present rate of commission is Id for each £1 or part of £l, with a minimum of 6d. The new rate will be 7d for the first £lO, and 3d for each additional £5 or part of £5. In comparison with the present charges the new rates reduce the commission on orders for large amounts, and slightly increase it on those for small amounts. The change is intended to make the rates of commission more equitable throughout the whole range of orders from £1 to £4O. Example of commission at the old and new rates on selected orders are; £5, old rate 6d (new rate 7d) ; £lO, old rate lOd (7d) ; £2O, old rate Is 8d (Is Id) ; £3O, old rate 2s 6d (Is 7d); £4O, old rate 3s 4cl (2s Id). The question of whether motor vehicles equipped with producer gas plants should be allowed to use the vehicular ferries has been discussed tween the superintendent of the Auckland Harbour Board (Mr 1). Hoiderness) and the Marine Department. This information was given at a meeting of the board, when Mr J. H. Kinnear asked whether the board’s by-laws dealt with the subject. He said the question was prompted by the report of an explosion of a gas producer unit in Hamilton, and he' feared that there might be danger on a ferry when a number of cars were closely packed for the crossing. Mr Holderuess said the department was taking appropriate action, and the problem would be discussed with the ferry company when a representative of the department came to Auckland.

Because of an acute shortage of halfpennies, one of the big department stores in Christchurch has been forced to give customers change in halfpenny stamps. The manager said that so far as his firm was concerned the shortage was Dominion-wide. No explanation of the shortage was forthcoming from the authorities, but it was possible that the scarcity of halfpennies was due to the number of fractional price increases that had come into operation recently. Pennies were also in short supply. “ If anybody has a ‘plant’ of halfpennies in the kiddies’ money box it would be a good idea to unearth them,” added the manager.

There is likely to be a revolutionary change in competitive swimming this season—steps have been taken to permit men swimmers to appear in shorts, a practice that under the Dominion rules has been frowned upon in the past. The recent conference of swimming centres, held in Wellington, carried a motion that New Zealand fall into line with the Amateur Swimming Association (England) in permitting the use of shorts under N.Z.A.S.A. rules. The motion will come before the annual meeting of the New Zealand Council of the N.Z.A.S.A. next month, when it will almost certainly he ratified, and the wearing of shorts this season will then be permissible. Mr P. J. Nash, who has been appointed organiser of the national savings movement in_ the Dunedin postal district, will organise the district as distinct from the city proper, which will ho controlled by the Dunedin Savings Bank.

Army headquarters, Kensington, advises that there are a number of vacancies in the New Zealand Medical Corps as hospital and ambulance workers. Usually there are plenty of applicants for the corps. Men desiring to. make application should do so to the registration officer, Kensington Drill Hall, provided they have been passed fit for service overseas. Applications should be made before noon on Monday, as the men will leave for camp on November 11. The City Fire Brigade answered calls to chimney fires in Filleul and Hunt streets early yesterday evening, and an automatic false alarm at Coulls, Somerville, 'Wilkie Ltd., in Crawford street, at 9.14. At 7.24 this morning the brigade also.attended to an outbreak of fire in a heap of rubbish in the old Post Office Building (Garrison Hall) in Dowling street.

Many and various are the grounds stated in applications to the Manpower Committee for exemption from military service in Territorial camps, but the best yet put forward in Dunedin was. according to the chairman of the local board (Mr D. C. Cameron), that of one of yesterday’s applicants, who stated that he was at present unemployed, but was in need of a quiet rest. The Hoard came to the conclusion that the applicant should try 'a threemonths’ course of training at Burnham as a possible rest cure and dismissed the appeal.

Declaring that he did not care whether he was granted exemption for his employee for whom he sought an extension of time, or whether lie went on producing or not, he was " so sick of the whole thing,” an appellant, a sheepfarmer, told his troubles to the Dunedin Manpower Committee yesterday. Ho had been trying, he said, for 10 or 12 weeks to get assistance on his run. One couple came along, but when snow began to fall they stayed in bed smoking until the weather improved. Another prospect, described as an excellent man for the job, was located at a Public Works camp, but he refused to leave, and the P.W.D., said the appellant, supported him in his attitude. Still another man, also on public works, whom the appellant tracked down after a 30-mile motor journey, managed to obtain a medical certificate to the effect that he was fit only for light work,; yet he was drawing full pay from the department. The appellant said that the young fellow for whom he sought exemption was doing general work on the run, but he was not fully competent to muster and do other necessary work. “ However,” he added, “ the case is so hopeless that I don’t care what yon do. Wages are no object and the accommodation is good, and still they won’t come.” The board dismissed the appeal, subject to the man going into camp on January 15. The first prosecution since Jehovah’s Witnesses were declared a subversive organisation was brought in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, to-day, against John Joseph Murray (78), a retired man. He was charged with participating in the activities of a subversive organisation. The police were granted a remand to Monday. Bail was allowed.—Press Association.

During the past five or six months, the railway employees, members of the P. and T. Officers’ Association, and members of the Public Service Association have been contributing regularly to patriotic funds by small deductions from their pay. £2,753 odd has come from the Public Service Association, £3,150 from the railway employees, and £2,100 from the P. and T. officers.— Press Association.

Manchester Unity members are asked to peruse the advertisement in this issno with reference to lodge activities for the coming wee.k, with particular atte.ntiou to the meeting of Princess Mary Lodge.

The monthly old-time dance, of the Otago Earlv Settlers’ Association will be held in the Early Settlers’ Hall on Wednesday next.