LOCAL AND GENERAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 February 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Reefton combined schools’ annual picnic is being held at Hokitika, to-day. There were 650 passengers on the excursion train, a small preportion of whom remained at Greymouth.

The committee for Greymouth Borough, set up in accordance with the Physical Welfare and Recreation Act, will hold its first meeting in the Borough Council Chambers, 'to-mor-row evening. The committee will be pleased to receive suggestions regarding the observance of Physical Fitness Week in Greymouth.

“The decision has- still to be made.” said the Prime Minister (Mr. Savage), when a report that the. Controller of the National Commercial Broadcasting Service (Mr. C. G. Scrimgeour) would visit 1 America was referred to him. One report was that Mr. Scrimgeour will be leaving for America, next month, on business connected 'with the service of which lie is head. —Press Assn.

Through a fall of some 25 or 30 feet from scaffolding at the binns under construction for the new State mine at Rapahoe. this afternoon, John Glynn, 29, single, of Runanga, suffered serious injuries to his back and pelvis. He was attended by Dr. W. J. Dickel, of Runanga, and later admitted to the Grey Hospital. The full extent of his injuries was not available before the “Star” went to press.

Referring to the announcement in a cable message of the visit to New Zealand by the Duke and Duchess of Kent. the Prime Minister (Mr. J. Savage) said last evening, that the New Zealand Government had been officially advised of the visit, which was to be made at the end of 1940. “We will all be 'delighted to meet Their Royal Highnesses,” said Mr. Savage. “They will be assured of a warm welcome from the Government and people of the Dominion. It is hoped that they will take the opportunity of visiting various parts of New Zealand and seeing for themselves something of the great possibilities of this country”—Press Assn.

The following telegram has been sent by the Auckland Bureau of Importers to Mr, Dwyer Gray, DeputyPremier of Tasmania: “Remarks which you and other Australian politicians have made, relative to the import control regulations, obviously savour of political propaganda, and are bitterly resented by the importers, their employees, and others engaged in the distribution business. Your statement shows that you obviously know nothing about the operations of the regulations. We trust that you and other Australians will in future refrain from commenting on New Zealand domestic matters, of which you obviously know very little.” Press Assn.

Mass will be celebrated on next Sunday, February 12, at Kotuku at S a.m.," and at Rotomanu at 10.15 a.m. —Advt.

Further delay with the drilling programme of the New Zealand Petroleum Company, Ltd., has been occasioned by developments at Totangi, and a decision has been made to suspend active drilling (ill the arrival of new plant from the United States, state’s a report from Gisborne. Tools and equipment now awaited, and which were to be shipped from the United States by the Monterey, last week, are specially designed to meet difficulties of the type encountered by the drillers at Totangi Dome, where, because of the steep inclination of subterranean strata, the drill has a tendency to depart from the vertical. It is expected that the delay will not extend over more than three weeks, allowing for the delivery of the new plant to Gisborne, and its installation at the drilling site.

School Text Books for Primary Schools are all sold at published prices at B. Dixon’s, Tainui Street. All school stationery at standard prices. All goods sold are manufactured in New Zealand or England, and are the best of qualities and of unsurpassed value. —Advt.

New Year hospitality will certainly call for the best Whisky. Therefore we earnestly recommend Dewar’s Imperial as the New Year Spirit. It can safely be said that each bottle of Dewar’s has seen several New Years before the lever is prised, and it is the ageing process that brings to Dewar’s that unique flavour which appeals so greatly to all men who value good matured whisky. Griffen and Smith, Ltd., Distributors, Greymouth, Hokitika and Westport.—Advt.

“When travelling on the liners 11 different currencies had to be handled and I am sorry to say the currency of New Zealand was the one which cut least ice.” said Mr. R. Walker, of Adelaide. in an address to the Auckland Rotary Club.

An accident occurred about noon, yesterday, between Brunner and Stillwater. Mr. Michael Kealy, of Kotuku, was driving a half-ton truck in the direction of Kotuku, and, when passing another truck, went over a bank. Mrs. Kealy, who was travelling with her husband, received cuts and abrasions to her face and legs, and received medical attention. The top of the truck driven by Kealy was wrecked.

“It seems to be a point whether a wireless is a necessity or a luxury,” remarked the Magistrate, Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, when • counsel who was appearing for a woman charged with having failed to" pay her radio license, pleaded poverty as the reason for her inability to discharge the amount. Counsel would not give a definite opinion on the matter, but he explained that the defendant had'bought her set out of the children’s family allowance. “I am taking her case for compassionate, rather than for remunerative reasons,” he added (reports the “Otago Daily Times”).

The Isle of Man branch of the Empire Parliamentary Association will be represented at the conference of the association in New Zealand next year by the Speaker in the House of Keys, Mr. J. D. Qualtrough. Several other overseas branches have also replied accepting the invitation of the New Zealand branch to send representatives to the conference, but the selection of delegates is to be made later. Because their legislatures are in recess some branches have not yet had an opportunity of placing the invitation before their members. The present intention is to hold the conference, which is expected to last three or four days, about the middle of October, 1940. This will be followed by visits by the delegates to various parts of the Dominion, tours extending over about 24 days.

When the Minister for Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, was speaking at the opening of the new Hutt Central School on Saturday afternoon, a small boy slipped into the Ministerial seat and, with a sigh, settled down with his little legs barely reaching the edge of the chair. Everybody laughed except the Minister, who was obviously unaware of what had happened, Mr. Fraser was about to conclude his speech when he turned round. There was a roar of laughter from the crowd. “I see there has been a General Election, and I have lost my seat,” he said. “However, there is much to be said,” the Minister added, amid renewed laughter, “there is more hope for the future than when I was sitting there.” Remarking that he had great pleasure in declaring the building officially open, Mr. Fraser took the boy by the hand and said, “Come on, my friend, we will open the school together.” And they did.

An unusual appeal is published in a recent issue of the “Norfolk Island Weekly.” It is an invitation to some person with a wide variety of accomplishments to fill a vacancy on the teaching staff at the Norfolk Island Public School. These are the qualifications insisted upon: “Must be an unmarried male, experienced in general class teaching, and capable of giving instruction in all branches of manual training, including woodwork, metal work, cardboard work, wire work, leather work (art and saddlery), art. agriculture, and agricultural botany, and swimming (preferably holder of instructor’s certificate in life-saving). Knowledge of music, with ability to teach part-singing, is desirable, though not essential. The appointee should also be the holder of a motor-driver’s license so that he can transport pupils to swimming, and he must take a keen and active interest in all branches of sport.”

Mr. N. Stouppe, of Barry an: Stouppe, Opticians, is in Greymouth and. may be consulted for sight test ing to-morrow (Thursday) at the sur gery of Mr. D. Mcßrearty, dentist.— Advt.

Judging by the number of inquiries made at the Dominion Observatory, a surprisingly large number of people observe the heavens about 3 a.m. They have all remarked (says the Evening Post) on the exceedingly bright object then visible rather low down in the eastern sky and have inquired whether this is some new celestial object. What they have seen is the planet Venus, which at the present time, although not at her brightest, is very bright and apparently larger than usual. The planet is certainly a fine sight about that hour, shining with a magnitude of minus 4, or. in other words, being about nine times as bright as Sirius, the brightest star, which can be seen in the eastern sky in the evening at the present time. The planet appears to be larger than usual, for the same reason that the moon when rising appeals to be larger than when it is in midheaven. —there are objects on or near the horizon to compare with it. Venus is about 66,000,000 miles from these early morning observers. It has a diameter of approximately 7600 miles and if viewed through a telescope looks like the moon in one of her quarters.