WAR NEWS IN BRIEF

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 April 1941, Page 2

WAR NEWS IN BRIEF

MODEL PLANES. [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, April 27. Modal aeroplanes to the surprising number of 73,264 are now on the way from British manufacturers to the Argentine* It is the biggest consignment which has ever gone to South America, and is an interesting example of the variety of British wartime industry. It includes flying models made up according to scale, with powerful motors enabling them to fly 300 feet. There are representatives of the Spitfire, the Avenger, the Imp, the Vickers Wellesley Puss Moth, and the Mail Plane, and an Interceptor, one of the latter having Argentine markings. CANADIAN EGGS. MONTREAL, April 25. The Canadian Ministry of Agriculture announced that Britain is buying from Canada during May 5,400,000 dozen eggs. The prices are ranging from 23 cents to 24.] cents a dozen f.o.b. This is double any previous month’s exports.

DAYLIGHT SAVING

RUGBY, April 27

With the introduction of an additional hour of Summer time on May 4 the length of the black-out itself will also be shortened. The shortening will one hour in Scotland and the north, and half an hour in the rest of England and in Wales. At present the black-out commences half an hour after sunset and ends half an houi’ before sunrise. During the three months’ period .of additional Summer time, this interval will be increased to an hour and three-quarters, and an hour respectively in the two areas. TOBACCO SHORTAGE. LONDON, April 26. The “Daily Telegraph” says that unless a method is found to supplement tobacco stocks, smokers throughout Britain in the very near future are likely to be completely deprived of supplies. This conclusion was reached after a tour of the Midlands, where it was found that over a wide area, it was impossible to make a casual purchase of cigarettes. London is feeling the shortage, which has long been acute elsewhere. EIRE’S FOOD SUPPLIES. LONDON, April 26. Mr. de Valera, in a speech, said: “If there is a shortage of food in Eire, the animals will have to go, and we shall have to be ruthless about it.”

He warned that strong action would be taken against farmers deliberately flouting the law under which they are required to till onefifth of their arable land.

MAGNESIUM METAL. TORONTO, April 26. A new and speedy cheap process of extracting magnesium metal, which is vital to defence industries, from dolomotic limestone, which abounds in the United States and Canada, was announced to-day by Mr. Ralph Keemle, a Hamilton metallurgist. The process involves electro thermic reduction. It has been tested in a small laboratory unit before metallurgists and chemists at Hamilton and Toronto University. Analyists describe the product as of fine quality. The Keemle reduction process involves heat treatment of limestone in an electric furnace. Particles of the metal thus isolated, jfire shockcooled by gas held in suspension in crude oil. SWEDISH CLOTH. (Recd. April 28, 11.10 a.m.) STOCKHOLM, April 27. All wool cloth is Being replaced in Autumn with a standard cloth, composed of wool, rags and cellulose.