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Evening Star, Issue 25171, 10 May 1944, Page 2

Confirmation of his winning of thn first prize of £IO,OOO in an overseas lottery has now been received by Mr Jack Gaffa, of 14 Dudley street'. Ric carton. He has received his ticket bearing the winning number 50153. and arrangements have been made for collecting the money. Mr Gafl'a, who is a motor Body builder, is a married man with three children.

• Thirty officers and 180 non-commis-sioned officers from all the secondary school cadet battalions in the South Island will attend a general and specialist weapon training course to elementary standards at Burnham from today to May 20. Instructors from the Southern District School of Instruction will give the officers and n.c.o.s training in the use of modern signals equipment, 2in and 3in mortars, two-pounder anti-tank guns, and Vickers and Bren machine guns. A supplement to the New Zealand Gazette issued last night contains a very long list of persons, firms, and companies declared to be enemy trader* under the Enemy Trading Emergency. Regulations. In addition to concerns in South and Central America, Spain. Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, and l a number of other countries, Eire appear* in the schedule with 36 listings. The following statement, in answer to the Mayor's remarks concerning the Castle street tram line, has been made by the Otago Labour Representation Committee:—"The remarks of the Mayor (Mr A. H. Allen)- regarding the Government ignoring and acting discourteously towards the City Council are somewhat inconsistent, in view of the recent actions of this council ot which he is the head. This body completely ignored the wishes of thousands of north-end residents when it decided to lift the tram rails and substitute buses. This act was discourteous and unfair to a large number of honest working citizens living in this area. Citizens may well ask, in the absence of Sir William Goodman's report and the impending election: Why this unseemly haste on the part of the council? The citizens of Dunedin surely have the right to ask Mr Alloa and his colleagues to refrain from taking any action in connection with the Castle street trams until the electors have the opportunity of expressing their views' at the forthcoming election."

Emphasising the serious shortage of raihvav rolling stock, particularly since 'the war, Mr G. S. Read, assistant locomotive engineer at Dunedin for the Railway Department, told the Industrial Man-Power Committee during the hearing of an appeal yesterday afternoon that only 10 new locomotives had been placed on service in the South Island since the war. The department had ordered '3B new engines in 1938, but so far none had been built. A white heron has been reported to the Otago Acclimatisation Society as having been seen near the bridge on the Brighton road. Last year one was seen at Waikouaiti. This beautiful but rare bird, the Maori name for which is kotuku is seldom seen in Otago, and even in pre-European days its appearance was so infrequent that it was referred, to as " the bird of a srtigle flight." The motor car art union conducted recently by the Canterbury Provincial Patriotic Council will result in a net benefit to the provincial funds of sligbtlv more than £7.000. More than '237000' tickets were sold.

Supplies o| milk to Christchurch during the winter are now expected to be sufficient to avoid rationing. Thi* information was • given by the stock superintendent of the Department of Agriculture (Mr E. Elphick), who said that no need had arisen yet for stock to be fed on hay and other stored winter feed, as the autumn weather had been highly favourable for strong pasture growth.

At the monthly meeting of the Waipiata Sanatorium Committee Dr A. Kidd (medical superintendent) submitted his report for the year end«d March 31, which showed that, excluding leave granted to patients, 98 had been admitted, three died, and 91 were discharged, 84J per cent, of those discharged having the disease arrested or quiescent. Since the opening of the sanatorium in 1923, 1,891 patients had been finally discharged, 79 per cent, with arrested or quiescent disease During the past year 562 patients had been examined in the various centres of the Associated Hospital Boards' districts, 86 being recommended as suitable for admission, 31 unsuitable. 193 nothing definite, and 252 no recommendation. At a meeting of the committee ot the Dunedin Amenities Society Mr A. C. Cameron drew attention to a scheme submitted by Mr D. C. Cameron at a recent meeting of the Otago Education Board, asking the board to consider the appointment of an educational officer to give general information to school pupils concerning the Botanic Gardens, reserves, amative 'bush, and kindred subjects. According to the Press report! the proposal was favourably received, and further consideration was held over for a discussion between the senior inspector of schools, the Training College authorities, and Mr S. E. Green, chief agricultural instructor to the Education Board. Mr Cameron added that the society should warmly welcome such a constructive suggestion and do all it could to further it. It was decided to advise the Education Board of the society's approval of the proposal.

The conclusions he had drawn after what he described as a recent surprise visit to the Seacliff Mental Hospital were given by Dr A. S. Moody during the course of medical evidence at a sitting to-day of the Industrial ManPower Appeal Committee. " I was astonished at the way . the patients were looked after," he said, " and I was impressed with the type of nurses employed at the institution."

The scars of the air-raid shelter trenches have been removed from the city reserves, most of which are again neat and tidy in appearance. The new sowings of grass on the Octagon reserve have grown well, and there is little sign of the disfigurement caused by wartime precautions. The Market Reserve, which probably suffered the most of all, is looking clean and fresh as the new grass comes through.

The badge of the recently-formed New Zealand Homeservieemen's Association was issued to members at a meeting held last night. It is of very neat appearance, the main portion, which is oval in shape, showing a kiwi design, and being surmounted by a crown and the letters N.Z. The badge is issued to members with the necessary qualifications who have served in home defence units in either this or the last war. Members of the W.A.A.F. and W.A.A.C. are also eligible for membership of the association. The need for proper loading facilities at the Westport railway yards for Charleston coal was demonstrated during last week, when lorries had to be unloaded bv hand into coal hoppers (says the ' Press '). The demand for coal 111 the North Island, since the coalfiplds at Charleston were opened up to any extent, has exceeded all expectations. To assist in a'.leviating the shortage, transport lorries and drivers have been working long hours to supply the demand. Because there is only one loading ramp 011 the section, the coal has to bo shovelled from the lorries into wagons at the siding, only 15 tons of coal being handled dai:.y. If a suitable ramp we're erected, it is estimated that it would be possible to load 70 to 100 tons daiiy. The shortage of suitable wagons is also proving a hindrance, and obsolete and damaged wagons have had to I he brought into use to facilitate the ! handling of the coal.