LOCAL AND GENERAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 February 1940, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A gift of venison from “anonymous sportsman,” which was received at the Army Office for the Magazine guard, is gratefully acknowledged.

Before Mr. G. G. Chisholm, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court, at Greymouth, this morning, a first offender for drunkenness, was convicted and fined 10/-, the amount of his bail.

While attending to the oven in the galley of the s.s. Kakapo, at the Greymouth wharf, shortly after eight o’clock yesterday morning, Frank E. Nockall, 43, married, of Auckland, chief cook on the vessel, knocked over a pan of burning fat. He suffered severe burns on the back and arms and was admitted to the Grey Hqspital.

When a car driven by Mr. Alan Fensom, icf Stillwater, struck a post at the side l of the road, near the Kumara Junction railway crossing on Saturday night due, it is stated, to the bursting of a tyre, Percy Billett, 22, single, of Blake Street, suffered injuries to hi& head and slight concussion. He was admitted to the Grey Hospital.

Last night’s rain brought down a small slip oh the railway line between Rotomanu and Te Kinga and, as a result, the special railcar carrying yachtsmen back from the Canterburj' regatta was delayed approximately 20 minutes. The express was 12 minutes late in leaving Greymouth this morning, as a consequence of the disorganisation of running schedules by the slip.

Two youths, named Henderson and Airey, both of Greymouth, were lost in the bush at the back of Kaiata last night. They were overtaken by darkness,‘and when unable to make their way out were forced to remain in tlw ( bush. A search party located them about 10 o’clock this morning. The youths were suffering from exposure, but suffered no ill-effects from their night in the open.

Mr. Savage has received further messages of congratulations upon New Zealand’s centennial. Sir Charles Fergusson, with his wife, recalls the many happy days they spent in the Dominion. Lord Craigavon expresses on behalf of the Government of Ulster, profound admiration for New Zealand’s patriotic war efforts. Another message comes from the Australia —Zealand Association at Beu-" nos Aires —Press As*sn. By 13 votes to four, the West Coast Trades Council, at a meeting on Saturday afternoon, rescinded the resolution in connection with the war, which was passed towards the end of last year. The resolution, which described the war as “another Imperialist struggle for markets and raw materials between capitalist Britain and France on the one side and capitalist Germany on the other” aroused the opposition of a number of unions affiliated with the Trades Council, and notice of motion to rescind the resolution was given a fortnight later. The National Council of the Federation of Labour also passed a motion disapproving of the action of the Trades Council. There was a representative attendance of delegates at the meeting, on Saturday, which lasted for four hours.

Gala crowning of “Baby Greymouth,” Regent Theatre to-morrow evening at 7.45. —Advt.

“We are not merely going to employ, we are now actually employing all the machinery of the law to defeat all would-be saboteurs with what thoroughness you will soon be able to judge for yourselves,” said the Prime Minister (Mr. Savage) during his weekly broadcast address last evening, which he introduced with the question: “Can democracy take it?” This was a question, he said, on which straight thinking at times like these would do nobody any harm. People were prone to think that democracy had a sure and certain existence apart from themselves, but actually democracy was the people themselves, the way they managed their affairs; and it had only such virtues as they' gave it.

Rainproof School Hats in the Regulation navy shade. Stitched brims. All sizes. Special price 9/11. Also wool and fur felts with stitched brims. C. Smith’s . for quality,—Advt.

The duty of the police to see that | witnesses called in Court Cases knew the recently-enacted regulations concerning the payment of expenses was emphasised by Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., in the Hamilton Magistrate’s Üburt; The regulations state that it is necessary for a person called as a witness to produce a certificate from his employer before expenses will be paid.'

Three leopard cubs have been born at the Auckland Zoo without, spots, and that is altogether in order, for, said the curator of the Newtown Zoo, Mr. J. Cutler, healthy leopard cuds are invariably spotless and are more like tabby cats, with stripes and in determinate colour, than any other animal until they are about four months old, when the stripes begin to break up into spots, but the distinctive, leopard yellow does not develop until they are IS months or so old. Occasionally cubs are born with spots, but in every case that he had ! known spotted cubs had been unhealthy and had not survived.

The Dobson Women’s Institute held their February meeting in the school hall, presided over by Miss A. B. Smeaton. Nominations for the executive were discussed and approved. Members were reminded to hand in their nominations to the secretary for election of officers for ensuing year. A special meeting to be held on the last Thursday, in February. It was agreed that March 7 be the date for thd first birthday party. All entries for the A. & P. Show are to be handed to Mrs. G. Smith (Dobson). Hostesses for the evening were Mesdames Walker, Whitfield, Rutherford and McMaster.

Confidence in the future political career of Mr. J. A. Lee, M.P., expressed by Mr. J. W. Munro, M.p, when introducing Mr. Lee to his audience in the Concert Chamber of thi« Dunedin Town Hall. “I formed thn opinion at least 12 years ago,” Mr. Munro said, “that Mr. Lee was on& or the coming men of New Zealand. His name has been very much in the newspapers in the last year, and there have been those who say he will wreck —or should I say rock—the political boat. Don’t worry,” Mr. Munro added. “He won’t rock the political boat unless it is time it was rocked, and, so far as I am concerned, I want to sa> I am willing to follow Jack Lee right to the limit,”

After a meeting held at Frankton a provisional committee has been set up to organise a Housewives’ Union in Hamilton. There was an attendance of about 30 women. Stating that the purpose of the union was to defend women’s rights, Mrs. I. A. Collins, who presided, said that in times of nation al emergency there were those who would take advantage of conditions to burden the average person with high er costs. The meeting was definitely non-party. Mrs. M. B, Soljak, of Auckland, said the main problem to be dealt with was that relating to food prices. Other urgent matters which would have to be considered were housing, nursery schools, better kindergarten schools, and the provision of motherhood allowances. Eventually 4;he union would probably have to hold mass demonstrations in order to secure its aims.

It is now revealed that only chance saved Napier from a major disaster when the coaster Koutunui collided with the Nobel Explosives Company’s ketch Miro, which was anchored in the roadstead. Details of the Miro’s cargo reveal what might have happened. It comprised 775 boxes of gelignite, each weighing 501 b, 150 boxes of blasting powder, each weighing 251 b, and 11 boxes of detonators. It is stated that had the Koutunui struck the Miro eight feet further aft she would have rammed the detonator locker which would probably have ignited the rest of the ' cargo. What the consequences might have been can only be imagined, but the explosion might have killed between 80 and 90 men—-the crews of the Miro and the Koutunui and the waterside workers, which the Koutunui was bringing back from the roadstead—as well as endangering the large oil storage tanks at Port Ahuriri.

Grand procession leaves Opera House at 7.30 to-morrow evening for the Baby Carnival Crowning Ceremony at 'Regent Theatre. —Advt.

There is a most persistent movement among Scotsmen in the camps in the Dominion to organise a pipe band to accompany the New Zealand Forces overseas, according to Mr. R. H. Nijnmo. Mr. Nirnmo was president of the centennial pipe band contest organisation, and at the time of the contest in Wellington recently he appealed for sets of pipes for the troops. That appeal he is renewing, and he is mak ing it more general in its application. The immediate appeal is for eight set* of pipes for the troops in camp, and people who are prepared to makb straight-out. contributions as gifts or who are prepared to offer bagpipes a price are asked to send full particulars to Wellington. “There is no music in the world to march to like pipe band music,” said Mr. Nimmo. With a smile, he added that he thought it was impossible to win the war without pipes.

Book your seats early for the Baby Carnival Crowning Ceremony, Regent Theatre tci-morrow (Tuesday) evening. ’Phone 601 for reserves.—Advt.

In February, 1870, the first Presbyterian Church was erected in Greymouth. In December, 1'869, the Church Committee held a bazaar, and .£5O worth of toys were purchased from Melbourne. .£350, was raised, and a church was built in Hospital Street (now Guinness Street). A pastoral committee (Messrs. J. Kerr (senr), D. McLean (senr.), Joseph Petrie, F. Badger (senr.) and others) acted for some time, and Rev. J. Mclntosh was the first minister. .In 1873 the first Kirk Session comprised Messrs. Joseph Anderson, William Moutray, Samuel Hill, F. H. Gieson, Thomas Jolly, Thomas Wright, J. Atkinson. In 1928, St. John’s Hall was erected alongside the new church in Tainui Street, and the Sunday School removed there. The old church was then sold to a Hokitika resident. The building was disposed of, and the site remained unoccupied. Now it has been acquired for the erection of the Centennial Plunket Rooms and Women’s Rest Rooms.

New books-and reprints at B. Dixon’s, Tainui Street. “The Queen’s Book of the Red Cross,” 8/6, postage Bd. “Watch for the Dawn,” by Stuart Cloete, 10/6 (6d). "Ghosts of London,” by Morton, 8/6 (6d). “Five Fold Salute to Adventure,” by J. Buchan, 8/6 (8d). “My New Zealand,” by Ilarrap, 9/6 (6d). “The Oxford Book of English Verse,” new edition, cloth, 11/6 (8d). “History of the War,” by King-Hall, 2/9 ,(4d). “Along the Indian Road” by Stanley Jones. 7/6 (6d). “Old Westland,” by Lord, 7/6 (sd). “Far Away and Long Ago,” by Hudson, 3/- (4d)._Advt.