Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 23908, 11 June 1941, Page 6

The ..Forth street bridge repairs, which have been proceeding for some months, arc now nearing completion. The tram rails have been laid over the bridge, and it should not be many weeks before the Forbury Parle tram will bo running right through to Logan Park again, replacing the bus service which the repairs to the bridge necessitated.

Owners of unregistered vehicles that are parked on the roads within the city area arc strongly advised to have them removed, as the chief traffic inspector (Mr it. J. Avery) is about to inaugu- , rate a thorough inspection of these roads, and all vehicles not bearing the current year’s registration numbers will be reported. Legal proceedings may then be taken under the regulations and by-laws. The Dannevirke County Council decided to write to the Minister of Manpower entering an emphatic protest against the vast numbers of single men being exempted from service with the forces, reports an Association message. A Napier boy admonished by a constable for careless walking on the street was given the task of writing out 100 times: “I must walk between the white lines.” When the written work had been left at the police station it was observed by a detective engaged on inquiry about a series of burglaries in the town, in one of which a note had been left behind. Struck by the resemblance in the hoy’s writing to that of tho note, the detective followed up the clue, which led to a connection being found between the boy and the burglaries. The lad was convicted in the Children’s Court of three burglaries and a theft, and w-as put under the welfare officer’s care for three years. Now Zealand characteristics of which a writer complains in ‘ Cauta.’ the Canterbury University. students’ newspaper, are bad speech and fat women. He exempts the universities from these charges, but attacks women generally. His complaint is against “ those middle-aged matrons wo see every day, weighing between 1C and 20 stone, and with absolutely no shape at all. Why can’t onr women take enough exercise (inversely proportionate with their age) to keep their weight down, and not waddle around looking like pocket battleships?” ho asks. “Of course, men offend in this way, too, but not nearly so badly.” “ Our worst exhibit is the Polar bear, which was purchased from Tasmania some four years ago,” says the curator of the Wellington Zoo, in his annual report. “ During the whole period he has been hero he. has been under treatment for eczema, which is being held in check, but it must be admitted that no real improvement has taken place.” An echo of the drive to collect money for tho Spitfire Fund when assistance was given by V.A.’s ivas board in the Returned Soldiers’ Associat on social hall last night during the course of an address by Dr J. Leslie Will at the annual meeting of the Dunedin Subcentre of the Now Zealand Bed Cross Society. He stated that Red Cross and V.A. workers could belong to as many societies and organisations as they wished, and they could give whatever assistance they desired to any other cause. “But,” he said, and made direct reference to the Spitfire Fund by name, “ you don’t want to forget that the Red Cross activities aro° for the sick and suffering. You do not want to give your ass stance to other purposes which are for destruction.” Confirmation of the news that the Germans appeared to have been sent into battle drugged is contained in a letter which has been received at Invercargill from a Southland soldier. “It seemed to us that they w r ero doped,” he writes, while describing his experiences in the Greece campaign, “ as they used to como at us as though in a trance. It was just like a mower in a crop the w'ay tho boys mowed them down.”

Describing Nassella tussock as New Zealand’s noxious weed number one, Mr J. W. Earle (Hawarden), at the annual conference of the North Canterbury District of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, said that farmers in all parts of tho country should become “ Nasscla conscious.” He said that an inspection was to be held shortly of infested land at Waipara, and he hoped that farmers from all districts would attend, so that they would know the tussock should it appear in their districts. There was a proposal to form a board for the control of it. The conference adopted resolutions , requesting the Dominion president and vice-presi-dent of the union to inspect the infested area, and thanking the Minister for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Minister for Agriculture for the investigation and survey work done by their departments. ' Many thousands of New Zealand’s women folk spend their leisure hours knitting socks and warm clothing for the boys overseas, and, though it is often the practice to include iu these articles the name of the sender, little further is generally heard once tho garments arc despatched. From time to time, however, after the lapse of mouths, a letter of appreciation arrives back in New Zealand from a soldier, sailor, or airman, .expressing thanks. One such was received yesterday by a Dunedin woman from an airman stationed in England. The recipient stated that he is keeping the pair of gloves, not only because they afford warmth, but also because they serve as a reminder of the . thoughtfulness of the women folk at home in New Zealand. Permission has been given by the City Council to the traffic department to create points in the city area for tho purpose of training the traffic control unit which has been formed under the law and order section of the Emergency Precautions Scheme in point duty work. The chief traffic inspector (Mr R. J. Avery) stated this morning that it would be greatly appreciated if the motoring andI'’pedestrian 1 '’pedestrian public would assist in every possible way to expedite this training, particularly.- in the ease of the motor driver, in the matter of giving direction signals. It is intended to begin operations next week.

Tn tho Police Court this morning, before Mr H. J. Dixon, S.M., two Norwegian seamen— A ago Arnesen and Torlcif Aslaksen, who had loft their ship at Lyttelton, were sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment on a charge of desertion, and ordered to he placed aboard their ship, now in Otago, Harbour, before it sailed. A statutory first offender for drunkenness, William Alfred Cyril Pose, aged 41, was fined 20s, in default 21 hours’ imprisonment. On Saturday of tbs week the dugout at the Octagon wll be staffed by members of tho Otago branch of tho Teachers’ Institute, and a substantial addition to the “ comforts for fighters ” fund is anticipated, the teachers having organised energetically for some time past to make their effort a success. An error in the list published last night made it appear that the staff of Messrs Chas. Begg and Co. would be in charge of the dugout on Saturday. That day. however, has been definitely allocated to the teachers. The drawing of “ That Lucky Feeling ” art union is to take place at the Masonic Hall, The Terrace, Wellington, to-morrow morning, commencing at 9.30. The Hallway Department advertises in this issue that another special tram at cheap excursion fares will bo run from Invorc-argilt, stopping at Tlalcjiilba, ;b'i*;ng, red Milton on Sunday, Juno lb, returning same day.