Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 24055, 29 November 1941, Page 8

The city organist, Dr V. E. Galway, will present an interesting programme of organ music for his after-church recital in the Town Hall to-morrow night. Special mention may be made of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G Major, and the Overture to ‘ The Barber of Seville’ (Rossini), a request item. Other interesting compositions are ‘ Sketch in C Minor ’ (Schumann).

‘ At Evening ’ (Buck). Larghetto from the Violin Concerto (Beethoven), Allegretto in B Minor (Guilmant), Allegro from the Sixth Symphony (Wri'or), and ‘ A Song of Sunshine’ (Hollins). Dr Galway will be assisted by Miss Irene Adamson, who will play ‘ Rhapsody in F Sharp Minor ’ (Dohnanyi) and ‘ Danse Ncgre ‘ (Scott). There will be no charge for admission.

The lion, treasurer, Mr J. H. Don Miller, acknowledges further donations in connection with the Churches' Air Raid Relief Fund: Sawyers Bay Presbyterian Church (balance), 8s 6d; Trinity Methodist Church, £l9 2s lOd ; a total of £1.214 12s 4d.

It is said that no British general is better loved among his men than General Bernard Frey berg, the Lon-don-born leader of the Now Zealanders. He is a great joker, and not so very long ago he had a great opportunity of showing his wit. He was inspecting a guard of “ Tommies ” who had not been in the Array many months.- Apparently, one of the soldiers did not know of Frcyberg’s reputation, and when the great soldier put a monocle in his eye. he imitated Freyborg. As he passed down the lino of men Froyberg noticed this wag, but said nothing. Then, when he had finished his inspection, ho walked up to the man, llicked the monocle from his own eye with a twitch of his face, and, with one movement caught it in his right hand and slipped it into his tunic pocket. Then ho grinned at the soldier and said; “ 1 bet you can’t do that!” Yes, the man who has won the V.C.. the D.S.O. on three occasions and gained the respect even of the Germans, believes in having a joke with his men.

A proposal from Taranaki for the raising of patriotic funds by taxation was received with no enthusiasm and rejected when it was submitted to the national conference of patriotic bodies in Wellington. The remit, which was moved pro forma, advocated that the Government be asked to increase the national security tax by such an amount as would produce annually a sum at least equal to that raised for patriotic purposes in 1940-41, the sum so collected to be paid over by the commissioner of taxes to the various patriotic councils for administration. The view was expressed that such a move would be disastrous to the patriotic effort. It would destroy the valuable personal touch and the voluntary sacrifice. which judging from letters that had been received was so much appreciated by the men overseas. The unravelling of the history of a family of seven sons, six of whom were eligible for overseas service, caused amusement to members of the No. 4A Armed Forces Hoard at Napier. Evidence given by the father confused the board members and the Crown counsel, Mr J. S. Wauehop. endeavoured to untangle the skein of evidence hv taking each son individually and asking the father the relevant questions. Witness caused l some amusement when ho found he was unable to remember the boys’ names and when asked by Mr Wanchon for the ages, he replied. Don’t ask me that. Six of them are over 21. Will that do?”

The Turkish Government has given London engineers a contract, worth some £200,000, to reconstruct harbour works at Alexandretta, consisting of a jetty with screwed-cylinder foundation, sheds, railway lines, and cranes. It is understood that a simitar contract is ponding for the port of Mersin across the gulf, the base of a Turkish army corps. Both Alexandretta and Mersin are connected by rail with Aleppo. The fact that they are so near this vital railway link between Turkey and Iraq, dominating North Persia and the Middle East, gives both ports considerable military importance, apart from their value at the moment for trade between Turkey and England. Alexandretta has 800 square metros of covered warehouses, hut there arc no quays or dry docks. Tho harbour is not protected by breakwaters, although it is sheltered and gives the safest anchorage all the year round in that part of the world. Ships anchored half a mile from the shore, discharge their cargoes into lighters and other small craft for which there is a basin SOft long. “ The ladies merit genuine sympathy,” remarked the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, when an incidental reference arose at a deputation to-day to the shortage of silk hose. “ You have given us a bit of help, Mr Parry, in a tough problem,” a speaker said. “ Can you now help our ladies to get some silk stockings?” he asked, amid laughter. Mr Parry said he was delighted to hear one of the sterner sex of a deputation make proudly an inquiry on behalf of the country’s women. They deserved every consideration for the great sacrifices made. “ 1 hear bobby-pins, too, are scarce, and tho ladies must look after their coiffures.” “ But, Mr Minister.” retorted tho member of the deputation. “ our ladies' log-dress is noticeably more important than hcad-drcssl”

A prisoner of war in a prison camp in Germany, Rnmbadier Al. J. C. Robinson, in a letter to his parents, Mr and Airs W. H. Robinson, of 111 Bishop street, Christchurch, says that he is working on a farm and is lit and very well. “ The people are most kind, and yon need have no fears for my welfare,” lie soys in this letter, which was written on September 14. Bombardier Robinson, who left New Zealand with the First Echelon, mentions that he has received two good parcels from the Red Cross.

Leave for the week-end, extending till 7 o’clock on Alonday night, was granted to a large proportion of the members of the Scottish Regiment in camp at Korbnry Park because of the fact that a trotting meeting was to be hold there to-day and on Alonday. The trotting having been postponed till Alonday and Tuesday, the leave to these men has been extended till 7 o'clock on Tuesday. The training periods lost by the men through this leave will he made up before the end of the camp.

Possibly fanned into being by the high wind, three chimneys demanded the attention of the City Brigade in 12 hours At 10.8 last night a call was received from Nairn street, and at 10.22 and 11.12 this morning calls from Bridger street and George street respectively were answered. “ Conjurers can produce rabbits out of hats. It is more difficult to produce a hat out of a rabbit; yet this is done every day by hat manufacturers.” So London’s Imperial Institute announces a display -showing how Now Zealand turns its rabbit pest into a national asset—-one of many vivid exhibits by which the institute each day pictures the Empire's vast resources to parties including many Poles, Czechs, Belgians, Free French, Dutch and Norwegians now fighting alongside Britain. In the galleries, where dioramas and story exhibits bring together under a single roof the remotest corners of the Empire, the director (Sir Harry Lindsay) and his staff have evolved a technique - of their own for displaying the Empire’s resources. In normal times their visitors are mainly schoolchildren, parties of whom come to the institute oven in war time, to wander among the goldfields of the Rand, the frozen uplands of the Falkland Islands and the sugar plantations of Jamaica. In the cinema they may see films of salmon catching and canning in British Columbia or the life and scenery of India. Now that thousands of them are evacuated to the country, institute lecturers, each with a district of his own, are taking the tale of Empire to the schools. Since the war. 4.500 films have been lent out to the countryside free of charge. The institute’s latest venture is to show by poster the processing of such Empire products as Ceylon coconuts. Uganda cotton seed, Trinidad Lake asphalt. West Indian cane sugar, and Sea Island cotton.

The difficulties experienced by importers of builders’ requisites are exemplified in the Government's action in notifying the Customs Department to issue licenses for any amount to holders of previous licenses. The licenses to he issued will cover a wide ra.'.go pt requirements, including glass. Additional licenses are to be issued also for various medical requirements, and the increase for the sixth licensing period will range from 50 to 100 per cent, over 1940-41. Previously these licenses were applicable only to the United Kingdom, but they are now to be issued for goods from the United States. A violent collision occurred between two motor trucks at the intersection of Main South road and Glen road', Caversham, about 4.30 yesterday afternoon, as a result of which Mr A. J. Jteid. residing at 41 Richardson street. St. Kilda, the driver of the lighter of the two vehicles, suffered cuts to tho face and required medical attention. Mr Reid l was proceeding towards Caversham on the Main South road, when a collision took place between his motor truck and a heavy lorry, the property of the Post and Telegraph Department, which was turning into Wilkie road from the Main South road. After the impact, both vehicles came to rest on the footpath alongside the railway embankment, where they remained for over an hour. Mr Reid’s truck suffered extensive damage. Concentration camps have been prepared by the Japanese over the river from tho International Settlement of Shanghai for the internment of nonJapanese “ foreigners ” in the settlement, should war break out, according to strong rumours current in the settlement about a month ago. News of this has been given to Mr F. P. Bartley, of Auckland, by a former resident of the settlement who has arrived in New Zealand. Mr Bartley’s informant says that every day there are fights and outrages in tho settlement, and rents and costs of living have gone up enormously. Wang Ching-wei, head of the Japanese puppet Government of Nanking. was living in Shanghai and was in danger of his life. The Japanese were going so far as to search European women for arms in the settlement and were exercising an increasing control over motor traffic as an antiChinese measure.

The attention of Manchester Unity members is drawn to the advertisement in this issue relative to lodge activities for the coming week. The enjoyable monthly old-time dance, the last for this season, will be held in the Early Settlers’ Hall on Wednesday evening, Uecamh-v 3, at 8 o'clock. A big crowd is expected.