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Evening Star, Issue 23907, 10 June 1941, Page 4

Flags wore flown at half-mast over tho Dunedin Law Courts and the Police Station to-day in respect to the memory of tho late Mr Thomas Mark, Public Service Commissioner, whoso death occurred suddenly in AVellington yesterday.

In yesterday’s cold and blustery weather, household fires received the maximum of encouragement, with the result that the Eire Brigade was kept busy. At 3.40 p.m. there was a chimney on fire at Caversham, and at 5.1, 6.45, and 7.20 p.m. three more in Burke street, New street, and Driver’s road respectively. At 9.30 a.m. to-day tho Roslyn Brigade turned out to a chimney fire in Crosby street. Just to vary the monotony, a rubbish fire in Riselaw road engaged the attention of the brigade at 5.25 p.fii. yesterday. Au appeal for books and magazines for the military camps is to be sent out by the City Librarian, stated Cr E. J. Smith, chairman of the Library Committee, when presenting his report to the City Council last night. A clause in the report stated that the library recently collected 3,000 books for this purpose, and these were forwarded to Wellington. Further books were required, and an appeal will be made to various organisations and societies. At last night’s meeting of the City Council the tender of Messrs Richardson, M'Cabe, and Co. Ltd. for a supply of hardwood poles for the electricity department at a figure of £1.276 17s 2d was accepted. Volcanic activity on Mount Ruapehu was plainly visible from Stratford last week. Great clouds of steam and smoko issued from tho crater during the early morning, but toward midday activity decreased. A white cloud of vapour was easily seen from Stratford during tho rest of the day. Representations have been, made to the Government by the Associated Chambers of Commerce that Anniversary Day, King’s Birthday, and Labour Day be not observed as public holidays. It is desired that non-observ-ance .should extend over the war period only. Tho staff of Messrs Brown, Ewing, and Co. Ltd. will stock the dugout in tho Octagon to-morrow. Proceeds will be devoted to the “ Comforts for Fighters ” fund. Tho work of the merchant navy in war time is not always fully appreciated by the general public, and in this regard au address to be given in the Concert Chamber to-morrow night should be of particular interest, and it is hoped there will be a good response on the part of citizens. The address, which is being arranged by the Otago branch of the Navy League, will be given by Captaiti F. E. Tether, marine superintendent for New Zealand of the New Zealand Shipping Company, and is entitled ‘ The Merchant Navy in War Time.’

Winston Churchill is getting some financial aid from Italy—the one in Texas. Mailing a cheque for five dollars to the Prime Minister, Ferrell Windham, a farmer, wrote in a letter, beginning “ Dear Winston,’- that he had no scrap iron at this time “ and darned little money; but of the latter I will give you the biggest part, as it seems you have hit it hard in the Balkans. In sending you this cheque I hope the Bank of England won’t charge you anything to making the collection.” Mr Windham added; “Should you run short, just let me know by radio and I will see what I can do.” In the heart of the industrial district of a Canadian city stands a small, separate metropolis, whore the wheels of war hum a tune of feverish activity and tho working days are 24 hours long. It has its own police force, hospitals, restaurants, and even a newsx>aper. But, unlike the city that surrounds it, it invites no tourists and hangs no welcome signs over its thresholds. Standing aloof from tho outside world, it greets all visitors with suspicion and marks its borders with floodlit barricades of barbed wire. Within the walls of this throbbing community, 5,000 men and women produce Bren guns for the British and Canadian Governments. Swathed in heavy grease and packed in stout boxes, the Brens are moving out of the factory in a steady stream for shipment overseas. - Fifteen-minute “ smoking periods ” are allowed each morning and afternoon. During these intervals a confectionery and cigarette wagon moves through the long avenues of machinery. Promptly at the end of the smoking period, a female voice booms from a public address system the announcement that it is time to go to work again and once more the machines strike up their music.

A Canadian newspaper reporter who attended a presentation parade at the Fiugal Bombing and Gunnery School when a large class of New Zealand airmen received their wings as sergeant observers, took with him a letter he had received that morning from a friend in Wanganui asking for news of a young man named Michael Cooke, whose father, a doctor, lived almost opposite his home. He had heard only recently that lie was in Canada, and was not sure in which part he was receiving his training. After the ceremony the rexiortcr approached one of tho New Zealanders and asked if by any chance the Wamranni boy named was in the class. “ He’s right behind you,” he was informed. Emergency Precautions Scheme organisation and work are being seriously handicapped by extraordinary delays on the part of tho Government or Government officials, the mayor (Mr T. C. A. Hislop) stated at the meeting of tho Wellington City Council. He contended also that as E.P.S. work is in the national interest and safety, municipalities are entitled to ask for a substantial subsidy upon heavy expenditure as is done in A.11.P. expenditure in Britain. Mr Hislop said that he was sick ahd tired of delays mer matters that could be cleared no in a few days, were they gone about in a wholehearted way.

,A reply to its complaint concerning damage to goal posts, etc., at the Oval was received last night by the Management Committee of the Otago Rugby Football Union from the town clerk (Mr 11. A. Johnston), who stated that this damage was typical of what was occurring on many of the council’s reserves. 11 Such vandalism usually occurs after dark, and is extremely difficult to prevent.” the town clerk proceeded. The police were communicated witli almost daily in connection with acts of vandalism on the reserves.

The largest tunnel on the Waiko-kopu-Gisbome section of the East Coast line was pierced in the early hours of Wednesday morning last week. The Kikiwhata-Waiau tunnel was the largest job pn this section, and was commenced in earnest early in 1938, when the most modern plant was installed. There is still _ a good deal of excavation to- be*, carried out, and this will be followed’ by concrete lining, so that several weeks’ work still remains to bo done before plate-lay-ing can be undertaken. The completion of the tunnel will bo about eight months behind the schedule laid down late in 1938 by the then Minister of Public Works (the Hon. E. Semple), who estimated that it would be opened bv October or November, 1940, Just how dependent some men arc on their wives was illustrated in Timaru on Saturday night. A, citizen recently shifted into a new house, and Ids wife had taken a holiday to recuperate after the hard work of the shift. The husband was sitting in front of the fire enjoying a read when the gas commenced to fail. Hurriedly ho rang for an expert to locate the trouble, which took about a minute to find. “Puf a shilling in the meter,” he remarked, doing his best to control his feelings. The joke was on the householder, who will probably investigate a few more domestic procedures before being thrown pn his own resources again.

Uses of fibre-glass, described as the'' fabulous infant of the glass industry, are increasing very rapidly, said Mr C. J. Phillips, a research expert on. industrial applications of glass, in a recent address before the Royal Canadian Institute of Toronto. He explained that some of the smaller fibres have shown what might compare roughly to a tensile strength of 2,000,0001 b a square inch. Fibre-glass is made by allowing minute droplets of molten glass to drop through a 100-foot chamber, ho went on, in which steam jets pull the droplets out to 18m fibres to one-tenth as thick as an ordinary hair. A iin glass marble would make 10-1 of these fibres, each 100 miles long. By regulation of tensions within it glass stronger than steel can now be produced, he said. Six ingots of tin weighing about ] J-civfc have been found in the hulk of the old French frigate Eure, which has been broken up at Sulphur Day bv Mr F.. Appleton, an Aiickland machinery merchant. In addition to the tin, large quantities of. copper, tak, and other useful material have been salvaged from the old ship, which was ringed in 1841. Little more than the keel now remains. The Eure, which was last in commission as a man-of-war at Noumea, was sent to Sydney in 1912 by the French Government to he disposed of. It was bought as a hulk at Sydney after being dismantled for the Northern Steamship Company bv R. S. Lamb and Company, and towed across the Tasman by the Lamb steamer Omana, which now belongs to the Union Steam Ship Company. The frigate was licensed as a coal hulk in the Auckland Harbour in 1913 and remained in Shoal Bay until . 1939, when it was discovered that it was leakin-- badly, and it was beached at Sulphur Bay. The bulk was bought for breaking-up purposes in June, 1939, by Mr Appleton.

The rather remarkable fact was disclosed by Mr O. J. (Begg. reporting on behalf of the Junior Advisory Committee to last night's meeting of the Management Committee of the Otago Rugby Footbll Union, that one fifth grade player weighed 41b less after playing in a match than he did before the game. Mr Begg, who was reporting on the weighing of players as arranged by the union, said several others varied from 21b to 41b less in weight after the match. “This is a serious matter.” remarked Mr Begg, adding that the validity of a man’s status might be affected as to whether he was weighed before or after a game. The player who lost 4lb had had a good meal before the game, which was played at 1.30, this leading Mr V. G. Cavanagh. sen., to state that it was dangerous for a boy to play so soon after a meal..