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Evening Star, Issue 25523, 29 June 1945, Page 4

A continuous whistling, as of a siren or sirens, which occurred for an appreciable period this morning, caused a number of inquiries to be made over the ' Star ' telephone, the inquirers evidently having conjured up visions of the receipt of some favourable war news. However, reference to the Railway Department revealed that tho noise emanated from n locomotive whistle, the mechanism of which had become jammed. To-morrow, at 2.30 p.m., the first demonstration of the season on. fruit, pruning will bo given by the garden contributor of the ' Evening Star ' in the garden of Mr C. C. Cook, 29 Crosby street, Mornington. The subject is the training of apples, pears, plums, and small bush fruit; also a short talk on the cultivation of grape vines. This garden contains splendid young trees, and an invitation is given to all who are interested to attend. Visitors should take tho cable car to Crosby street. The garden is only three minutes from the car stop. i

The business man of Cairo; in addition to his other qualifications, needs to be an accomplished linguist, according to an incident which Major M. D. Harvev related as a preface to an illustrated talk on the Holy Land to the Palmerston North Citizens' Lunch Club recently. On entering one day the office of a business friend, he found him holding a telephone conversation in French. His friend paused to greet him in English, said Major Honey, and in the next few minutes twire broke off his telephone talk to speak to a Greek employee in Greek iind to an Arabian servant in Arabic. The sentence in the case in which Private Colin Lyall Mervyn Croskery pleaded guilty at a military district court martial to two charges of desertion has been promulgated. The court's decision was that the soldier be imprisoned with hard labour for two years, and the confirming officer mitigated the punishment to imprisonment with hard! labour for 22 months and 18 days. Private Croskery was charged that, with intent to avoid embarkation, he absented himself without leave from the 37th Battalion o"f the Third New Zealand Division, and that, he absented himself without leave from the Third New Zealand Division's rear base depot. " In view of the availability for repayment during the period June 30 to September 30 of this year of moneys invested in national savings accounts up to June 30, 19-13, it has been decided." said the of Finance, Mr Nash, " to increase the limit upon which interest may bo paid on ordinary deposits with the trustee savings banks. The purpose is to assist those persons whose national savings accounts aro held by _ trustee- savings banks, and whose circumstances prevent them from taking advantage of the opportunity offered to reinvest in national savings at 3 per cent, for a further period. In the past the maximum deposit upon which interest could be paid was £2OO. but the trustees of savings banks have now been given power to fix a limit not exceeding £SOO on which they may pay interest at the. present rate of 2\ per cent." Experiences with the New Zealand Division in the Middle East and in Italy were related to members of the Otago Officers' Club on Wednesday night by Brigadier J. T. Burrows. The speaker selected episodes of interest and wove them into a most interesting story of the various campaigns in which the division took part. At the conclusion of the address a vote of thanks to the speaker was carried on the motion of Lieutenant-colonel E. ,1. Anderson.

The following telegram relating to the delay of the Price Tribunal in announcing a modification of the price order for fish has been seut on behalf of the Dunedin and Suburban Fishmongers' Association by its president (Mr D. Minnock) to the Acting Prime Minister (Hon. AV. Nash). "The retail trade and Dunedin public regret the delay in settling the fish dispute, and demand immediate settlement to relieve food requirements. Early reply, please." '