LOCAL AND GENERAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 September 1940, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In a statement to-day, the Defence Minister (Mr.- Jones) intimated that, unless a soldier is placed on the seiiously or dangerously-ill list, no notification is sent to base records m New Zealand. Instances have occurred of relations hearing that men have been in hospital for various periods of time, without their haying been notified, hence the explanation. Press Assn.

Owing to change of addresses, members of the Fourth Reinforcements of the Expeditionary Force have, in some cases, found it impossible to obtain certificates from their past employers that they have been out of work since the mobilisation date of the reinforcements was postponed, such certificates being necessary before military pay can be ieceived. In order to cover such cases, the Army Department will now accept as corroboration of a claim for pay a certificate from a Justice ot the Peace or well-known citizen of the locality where the recruit resides.

The Stratford Citizens’ Band is the’ first band in Taranaki to appoint a female drum-major, the appointment being for the duration of the war. It follows similar appointments in Wanganui and Auckland bands. Miss V. Reeves is the new drum-major. She has had similar experience, having been the leader of J. R. McKenzie’s girls’ marching team which competed in various girls’ marching contests during last Summer. She will wear the girls’ marching team uniform. The previous drum-major, Lieutenant C. C. Lobb, is on leave of. absence from the band while he is on military duty. Miss Reeves will lead the band in the near future.

The outlook for lambing on the West Coast this Spring is exceptionally bright,* the Inspector of Stock at Greymouth (Mr. J. Fleming) stated, to-day. One Reefton farmer has already marked 205 lambs from 150 ewes, a lambing percentage of 136.66, and the lambs are making such good progress that this farmer expects to have some ready for killing in a fortnight or three weeks, an , unusually early date for the West Coast. On another Totara Flat property, 621 lambs have been marked from 451 ewes, indicating similar high lambing percentages in that area. The feed is coming on well and is assisting the rapid growth of the lambs. The pig litters are also doing well and there has been a considerable increase in the pig population of the district, with a number of new farmers taking up pig raising. An increased milk supply is now being obtained, the cows coming in generally in fair to good condition after the Winter.

The collection of waste non-ferrous metals throughout the Dominion has had many interesting and perhaps humorous sidelights, but it is believed that Waipawa, to use a popular term, “takes the biscuit,” and thereby hangs a tale. On a recent afternoon the staff of the Waipawa Borough Council was busily engaged in collecting waste metals from the houses of residents of the district, and one collector, observing an attractive aluminium canister outside the front door of a house, placed it in his collecting bag with feelings of regret that such a useful article should be destroyed. However, orders were orders, and he proceeded to jump on the canister to flatten it out so that it could be easily handled. This action brought to , the door an anxious householder, who arrived on the scene just in time to see the collector drive away with her new milk billy. Hat and coat were quickly donned and the householder gave chase and eventually recovered the canister, which resembled a badly-constructed tin plate.

There is another big reason why lower first cost does not necessarily mean that you will save money over a period of time. If you have to spend a lot of money foi' electric current to operate the cheap refrigerator, the extra money spent on a Frigidaire will soon offset your savings. Enquiries to Westland Refrigeration, Ltd., Upper Mackay Street. ’Phone 436.—Advt. ' ' ■

The native cabbage tree, considered by old-time Maoris a reliable prophet of the seasons, 1 is already well advanced towards flowering, and, if the sign is ,to be believed, Auckland should.this year enjoy’an unusually fine Summer, states the “New Zealand Herald.” An authority said that on many cabbage trees the stems which bear flowers are now about two feet long, and should be flowering before the end of the ■ month. Normally, it was stated, the cabbage tree did not blossom until November.

It was not considered opportune at the present time to apply for shipping space for frozen eels, stated a letter which was received by the executive of the Southland Acclimatisation Society last week from the secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce (Mr L. J. Schmitt) (states “The Times”). The shipment of frozen eels to the United Kingdom was subject to the Ministry of Food agreeing to space being allotted, the letter stated, and the demand for space at the present time was considerable.

The supplying of petrol to the West Coast by sea, to avoid the higher price caused by land transport, was urged by West Coast delegates at a meeting of the executive of the Automobile Association, Canterbury, last' evening. It was decided to approach the Department of Industries and Commerce in support of the W.est Coast request. Mr W. R. Carey, ,said the department had had similai' requests on behalf of other districts and had taken action. Mr G. S. Morris said that, with the pooling of oil companies’ supplies, the coastal tankdr Paua, owned by the Shell Company, might be available for West Coast ports.

For the currency of. the war, the Plumbers’ Board of New Zealand will have power to waive requirements regarding the amount of . time .- to be served at the plumbing trade by young men wishing to qualify for registration before proceeding ■ overseas with the New Zealand forces. This provision is contained in an amendment to the Plumbers’ Regulations, 1931, published in the Gazette last night, and the board in making it aims in this way to assist as much as possible young men of the plumbing trade who are going overseas with the forces.—Press Association.

The National Patriotic Fund Board at a meeting yesterday made a grant of £2OOO for its work in Great Britain among women’s war organisations. Approval was given to the provision of a recreation hut for fortress troops at Motutapu Island, Auckland. A grant was made to the Navy .Office for the purchase of naval comforts for Christmas. At 3 p.m. yesterday, Wellington donations to the fund for the relief of London air raid victims totalled £7950. Contributions are still being received. A donation of £lOOO towards the first phase of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic Council’s campaign for funds for the relief of the people of London was made by the Auckland City Council last night. —Press Association.

The opening of a New Zealand Forces Club in Charing Cross Road last month by Mrs Winston Churchill, wife of the British Prime Minister, drew comment from Lord Haw Haw, the German radio announcer. “In England,” he said', “New Zealanders are making a great fuss because their ‘home’ is in the building of the Italian Club in London. They are particularly proud of having replaced the picture of Mussolini by that of the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Even if it is irrelevant, it is nevertheless noteworthy that the picture of Mussolini is known in all the world, w’hile neither the name of the New Zealand Prime Minister nor his appearance are generally known. There are even supposed to be many people in England who do not know where New Zealand is.”

The decline in sales of new motor vehicles since the beginning of the war is set out in figures given in the ■annual report of the New Zealand Motor Trade Federation. In the year ended on March 31, 1939, registrations of new motor-cars numbered 28,937, new commercial vehicles 10,862 and new motor-cycles 2233. In the year, ended on March 31, 1940, after six months of war, registrations of new cars numbered 1’8,107, new commercial vehicles 9869, and new motor-cycles 1814. This represented a decrease in sales of cars of threeeighths (or 37.4 per cent.)', commercial vehicles nearly one-tenth, and motor-cycles nearly one-fifth. ' The decline had continued since March, registrations of news cars, which for April were 869, being 637 in May, 659 in June, 371 in July, and only 329 in August. There were similar declines in commercial vehicles and motor-cycles.