LOCAL AND GENERAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 January 1941, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Empire Hotel, Waiuta has been purchased from Mr G. S. McGallan, by Mr J. Ryan, formerly of the Rapahoe Hotel. Mr Ryan took over the license this week.

The Christchurch Corsair Club will conduct an excursion to the West Coast on Sunday, January 26. The first train will arrive at Greymouth at 6.25 a.m. and the second at 7 a.m. Later a special train will run to Hokitika.

“Why don’t they have a carriage reserved for nursing mothers?” asked a woman as she alighted on a Wellington railway platform from the Napier mail, train. In her arms she carried a crying baby. “He hasn’t had a wink of sleep since we left Napier, she added. An official explained that at one time special women’s carriages were provided on some trains, but that they had been discontinued when it was found that they received insufficient patronage.

Spare petrol tanks in Napier and Hastings are being filled with petrol for use in the event of an emergency. The tanks are those which went into disuse when sales of super petrol were discontinued six months ago, and the Government has decided to make use of the storage space thus made available. It is thought that storage for between 40,000 and 50,000 gallons will be made available in each town. The petrol companies own the tanks, which are rented to the resellers, and under the scheme they are filled and sealed under Government control.

Because his Italian parentage might cause ill-feeling among men in camp, a xoung man born in New Zealand, of Italian parents, appealed for exemption from military training at Wellington, to-day. He has never been out of New Zealand. It was pointed out to him that he was a British subject. He said he was Italian because of his parentage. He added that he has been abused and treated unfairly because of his parentage, and the result was that he was “prejudiced against all this sort of thing.” The appeal was dismissed.— r Press Assn.

Straw hats will shortly be worn by men of the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment, who last week entered camp at Kensington Park, Whangarei, for an intensive training course of three months. The hats are on order and are expected to be issued within the next few days. The hats will be the same shape as the familiar felt peaked hat, which was recently largely replaced by forage caps. These caps were introduced mainly to help to relieve a shortage of felt; the straw hats will also relieve this shortage and will give the troops protection from the sun not offered by the forage cap. This will be the first time they have been issued in New Zealand. It is not yet known whether a similar issue will be made generally to all units of the Territorial Force now in camp, although other units apart from the 2nd Battalion have also been issued with the forage caps, and it is possible that the Whangarei issue will be made at the battalion’s own . expense. Suggestions for the manufacture of straw hats to Army pattern were recently transmitted to Wellington.

Sittings of the Royal Commission into the accident at Kaye’s Coal Mine, Ten Mile Creek, Greymouth, will commence at Greymouth on January 23. All persons desirous of giving evidence are requested to communicate with the Chairman at the Magistrate’s Court, Greymouth.

Concern over the possibility of the Taranaki coast, and particularly the town of Waitara, being shelled by a raider, with considerable loss of life and damage, was expressed by members of the Clifton County Council. A resolution was unanimously passed, instructing the County Clerk, Mr. H. E. Vaughan, to write to the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, suggesting the advisability of ordering a “black-out” at Waitara owing to the danger of attacks through the brilliant lighting of the town.

Brought ashore by ' launch on a stretcher from the American motor vessel Clevedon, a seaman, who was injured by a fall into the hold on Tuesday, when the vessel was. bound from Sydney to Balboa, was admitted to the Auckland Hospital last night. While the vessel was making for port, the injured man, Leo Thompson, aged 43, was cared for as far as possible through advice sent by radio by Dr. W. Gilmour, acting superintendent at the hospital. His condition is fairly serious, injuries to the spine and head having resutled from the fall.—Press Assn.

Government Departments and farmers in the South Island have cooperated to produce New Zealand’s first linen flax crop. Over 13,000 acres were sown, and the crop is now being harvested. The work of processing the fibre will be supervised by a Belgian expert, M. Bevernage. All the fibre will be purchased by the British Government, whose grader is already in New Zealand, Five hundred tons of seed werb imported last Spring, and 11 districts were selected for growing. Under the Empire plan for growing linen flax, New Zealand will contribute 3000 tons of fibre out of a total Empire production of 22,000 tons in the first year.—Press Assn.

An interesting exhibit in regard to the debated subject whether the dragon-fly (commonly known as the horse-stinger) is an enemy of the bee, has been obtained by Mr. E. Smellie, Apiary Instructor at Greymouth. During a visit to a Blackball apiary, Mr. Smellie found a large dead dragon fly, and closer examination disclosed several interesting facts. Not only had the dragon fly been eating a bee, only a portion being left to project from its mouth, but it had been stung to death by another bee, the sting being visible in the dragon’s back, on a level with the wings. The exhibit appears to offer conclusive proof that the dragon-fly preys upon the bee.

A serious labour position faces the sawmilling industry in the Rotorua district. The placement officei’ for the Bay of Plenty, Mr L. H. Armstrong, has stated that so scarce are skilled workmen that in at least one mill millhands are going out into the bush to fell trees and then returning to the mill to cut timber. The machinery, consequently, was half the time idle. The labour position was so acute, he said, that while the minimum wage was 19/- a day it was not difficult for workmen to find employment at 25/- daily. j Benchmen, in fact, could command £9 a week, for a week which varied; from 40 to 44 hours. None of the 20 mills in the district bounded by Taupo, Ruatahuna, and Mamaku was fully staffed.

Special purchase of Victory Crepe. 6000 yards of this beautiful fabric saved from enemy bombers. Regular 5/11 and 7/11 a yard value. Now selling at C. Smith’s for 3/11 yard.— Advt.

A tailored Suit or Costume is always a good foundation to any wardrobe; we can show you some perfect examples of these priced from £4 10/-. White’s Corner, Your Fashion Centre. —Advt.