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Evening Star, Issue 23950, 30 July 1941, Page 6

The Compensation Court, presided over by Mr Justice O’Regan, will commeuce'a sitting in Dunedin on Monday, August 18. at 10 o’clock. “ There is one thing we can all do towards winning this war, mid that is to sustain the morale of the home front. That is where Germany is going to crack,” said Mr Peter S. Anderson, speaking at the annual meeting of the Otago Importers’ and Shippers’ Association last night. “ One way in which we can all serve humbly and effectively is by combating rumours spread by people who do not think anything of it. It is essential that the morale of the home front be not weakened by any thoughtless action.”

The substantial sum of £251 10s was raised last Saturday for the Air Raid Distress Fund by the members of the staff of the Dominion Manufacturing Company Ltd., when they were in charge of the dugout at the Octagon. There were no large donations, most of the money being in shillings and sixpences, and, when it is considered that the effort was carried out for only four hours, from. 8.30 a.m. to 12.30, the effort of the girls was a very worthy one.

The scarcity of .22 rifle ammunition in Balclutha was exemplified the other day when a man offered £1 for a box of 50, usually sold at 3s 9d. Eyen at the ridiculous price offered he did not succeed in getting jmy cartridges'. Advice was received at the meeting of the Farmers’ Union on Saturday night that branches could get supplies by placing an order for a quantity. The Clutha branch accordingly decided to order 10,000. It was also stated at the meeting that Christchurch retailers were able to supply large quantities of these cartridges, although Dunedin retailers apparently could not. If the shortage continues in Otago, Brer Bunny will be given a holiday in some sections of the country.

Advice has been received that a rebroadcast will be made at 7 p.m. on Friday next by 2YA of an address given through the 8.8. C. Empire service by Captain W. G. Higgs, a master of the" Port Line Limited, who has frequently visited New Zealand in command of . overseas steamers, and who has many friends here.

Two young lads from Nauru Island, Masters White, aged 10 and 11 years, passed through Rotorua last week, en route to Gisborne. They had been evacuated from Nauru, where enemy attempts had been made to destroy the phosphate works, and were eagerly looking forward to joining their mother, who had previously been evacuated. The father, Mr White, is, remaining on the island. “It is all nonsense to tell me you cannot get fencing wire. I know there is a great quantity of wire, and also piping, in the country. I see it lying at stations and stores all over the place. But you cannot buy it at prewar prices, of course,” These observations were made by Mr W. H. Freeman, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, Hamilton, last week during a claim for damages caused, in psrt, by the need of an adequate boundary ionce. Extreme pressure is being put on Portugal by Germany, in an effort to persuade her to join the “ European new order ” and repudiate her alliance with Great Britain, states 1 Zealandia,’ the Roman Catholic newspaper. With the flood of refugees from Nazi-occu-pied Europe, Gestapo agents have arrived -in Portugal, and the German colony there now equals the British colony in size. To foster cultural relations with Portugal, Germany has established Portuguese cultural centres in German cities, and offers Portuguese as an optional foreign language in schools. The Portuguese Government remains pro-British, but the Germans are hinting that the President of tlie country should “ visit ” Germany, as so many rulers of countries now overrun have done'in the past. In the last four years, however. British influence lias been steadily growing, ami a British Council has been set up and has done a great deal of work in the chief Portuguese cities..

Increasing numbers of people now pay week-end and even week-day visits to the site of tho Centennial Memorial on Signal Hill. Although most of these people go up by car to inspect tho very fine view, large numbers walk. Work on the memorial itself is proceeding very slowly, owing to the difficulties of obtaining supplies of marble, and it is hard to say when the undertaking will be completed. As soon as settled weather comes round again a start will bo made in laying out the grounds immediately surrounding the memorial. The currency in Greece apparently gave New Zealand troops a false sense of wealth In the course of a very interesting letter to his people in Timaru, Driver .J. Girvan says The currency in Greece is in drachmas, and of these thcro are 540 to the £, and practically all in notes. The lowest is for 10 drachmas, approximately sd. You should see the roll of notes yon got when you change a pound. You think you are a millionaire. A pound in Greece is equal to about £lO in New Zealand. Tho local drink is wine, and the averace price is about one penny a glass. We were drinking it like beer for a start, but soon found that it had a kick in it.”

Somewhere between 350,000 and 500,000 years ago, a family, or a succession of families, lived in tho caves of Chou Kou Tien, near Peking. They were extremely primitive, and the only way in which they differed from animals was the fact that they were capable of lighting fires, and cooking their meat. Charred bones remain as proof, and the first skeleton uncovered has become famous as the Peking Man. Excavation goes on, and an important phase of history has, been uncovered there. Dunedin has recently received for its Otago Museum a cast of one of tho skulls, and this is to be used for one of the most interesting exhibits planned—a pictorial representation of the emergence and development of man. This is to be placed on the ground floor of the main hall of tho Museum. Decrees absolute wore granted by Mr Justice Kennedy in the Supreme Court this morning in the divorce proceedings between Milton Liuwood Muir, petitioner (Mr I. B. Stevenson) and Hannah Heikura Muir and Herbert Leah Paterson (co-respondent), and Hessic May Patterson, petitioner fMr C. J. L. White) and Erland James Patterson.

Stray dogs from time to time make a playground of the Octagon garden reserves, and this morning three frisky young canines ripped across the flower beds, heedless of the damage they caused in their joyous game _of “ tag.” Two men engaged in tidying up some of the beds then took a haftcT in proceedings and made attempts to round up the dogs, who looked upon this new development as part of their game. However, they were duly caught and roped together and led, rather sheepishly, towards an express van. They were placed on hoard and given a free ride—to the gasworks. An American dairy factory has discovered a process to prevent cream from forming on the top of milk that is left standing in a container for any length of time, according to Mr W. Fairbrother, who has just returned to Christchurch from an extensive tour of the United States. Milk processed in that way, he said, was very popular with Americans.

By the courtesy of the management of the Empire Theatre, the Australianproduced film, ‘ How To Deal With An Incendiary Bomb.’ was shown at noon and at 1 p.m. to-day. The film illustrates the damage which can be done by a bomb because of the intense heat generated and demonstrates how to deal with it. It is emphasised that these bombs do not explode, but that water makes th'e fire more dangerous. The spreading of sand around and on the flames is the most efficacious method of fighting them. The film will be shown at the same times on Thursday and Friday, and the public is invited to attend.

The high total of 109 members on active service is reported by the Auckland Aero Club in its annual report. Of these, 38 are pilot members, 48 pupil membersj and 23 associate members. Eight members have 'been killed on active service during the past year, three are reported missing, and four are prisoners of war. The D.F.C. has been awarded to five members —SquadronIfifader A. A. N. Breckon, Flight-lieuten-ant W. S. Rea. Pilot-officers A.Bridson (now missing), P. Duggan-Smitb, and I. S. Smith. “This cross-examination has gone on for a long time, and it seems a bit like cruelty,” said Mr Justice Ostler in the .Supreme Court, Hamilton, during tlie cross-examination of a female witness. The woman entered the witness box in the morning, and after giving her evidonce-in-chief was crossexamined until the court adjourned for lunch at 1 p.m. The cross-examination continued when the court resumed at 2.15 p.m., and she answered counsel’s questions until almost 4.30 p.m. One result of the war (says the ‘ Methodist Times ’) will be that after it is over hundreds of thousands of people in Britain will retain a knowledge of first aid which will always stand them in good stead in any emergency. Many who did not know a lumbar from a femur have, since the war, studied first aid as part of their air raid precautions training; while in recent weeks when the conflict has become more intense, members of the public have been able to take a “ crammer ” course of four lectures giving the essential principles of first aid. A little widespread knowledge of this nature would be of incalculable help in an emergency when medical aid was not available. The same remarks apply to New Zealand, where St. John and like organisations have had largely increased membership. With the aid of a battery, some lengths of wire, and a few other gadgets, an Invercargill resident found an effective method of dealing with a sneak thief who was removing the morning paper from the metal container at his gate. On several mornings when he went to collect the paper he found it was not there. At first he thought that the runner was forgetting to leave it, but inquiries convinced him that a thief •was at work, so he decided to set the stage for a little surprise. Ho procured a battery of sufficient voltage to give a considerable “ kick,” and with the aid of the necessary wires connected it with the metal container at the gate. Then next morning he sat propped up in bed waiting and watching. It was a bright moonlight morning, and through the bedroom window he could clearly see the gate. About 6 o’clock the runner came along on his round, and pushed the paper into the container. Half an hour passed, and nothing happened. Then a man came along on a bicycle. He jumped off the machine and came towards the gate. The man stooped down as if to tie his slice lace, but one hand was reaching towards the container. He touched the container, the watcher in bed made contact, and the man jumped, throw both hands in the air. and fell flat on his back on the footpath. But ho , did not remain there long, and, scrambling to his feet, he jumped on his bicycle and pedalled off as if for dear life. The paper has been in its container every morning since*