LOCAL AND GENERAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 November 1941, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Already 898 members of the 2nd N Z E.F. are members of returned soldiers’ organisations through New Zealand. The membership of the 93 associations throughout. New Zealand now numbers 34,645, there being 11,790 in the 20 South Island bodies and 22,855 in the 73 organisations located in the North Island.

Sittings of the No. 9 Manpower Committee and Armed Forces Appeal Board on the West Coast have been arranged as follow: —Westport, December 10: Manpower Committee 9 a.m., Appeal Board 2 p.m. Hokitika, December 16: Manpower Committee 10 a.m., Appeal Board. 2 p.m. Greymouth, December 17: Appeal Board 10 a.m. Greymouth, December 18: Manpower Committee 10 a.m.

“We are almost in a position of not being able to meet our obligations, ’ said Mr. W. S. Mac Gibbon, at a meeting of the Canterbury Provincial Patriotic Committee last evening. The National Patriotic Funds Board set Canterbury’s levy for 1941-4.2 at £ 71,462, and asked for one-quarter of this amount, £lB,OOO, immediately. Yet all that Canterbury had in its general fund was £19,000, out of which expenses of its current activities had to be met.—Press Assn.

Some person with a perverted outlook on life apparently takes exception to the flocks of pigeons which can be seen daily .in the Queen’s Gardens, Dunedin, as a poisoning campaign has been carried out amongst them durrig the past few days. The method of destruction is by poisoned wheat, and no fewer than 20 of the pigeons were found lying in the gardens on Saturday morning. Altogether about 50 birds have been destroyed during the past few days.

“Whereas it was formerly very difficult in this district at all events, to get Maoris to submit to treatment in hospital, it is now more difficult to get them out once they are in hospital,” said Mr. P. E. Stainton, chairman of the Taranaki Hospital Board, at a conference with representatives of contributing local bodies in New Plymouth recently, when referring to factors which contributed to the need for greater hospital accommodation in the district.

The Dobson mine was idle to-day, following a stopwork meeting at the mine this morning. The meeting was called to discuss a cavilling dispute, and when it concluded about 10 a.m., the management informed the men that it was then too late to go into the mine. On account of the binns being full, the Blackball State mine was also idle to-day, and will not work to-morrow. The mine has worked fairly regular time for some weeks past.

The perseverance of the spider is proverbial, but the palm for a super effort must surely go to a small member of the species in occupation of the Courtroom at Greymouth. When the Court was about to sit this morning, a spider was noticed hanging about five feet from the floor, in front of the clerk’s bench. To reach that position, he had manufactured no less than 2a feet of web, and appeared to be taking a rest preparatory to adding the extra five feet to gain the floor.

That age and point of view are vital factors in assessing the difference between danger and safety is brought home in a letter received by an Auckland mother from her son, who is now training in the Fleet Air Arm in England. Prior to leaving Nev/ Zealand the boy had done no flying other than as a passenger in a commercial machine. In the few weeks since he has been in England he has learned to loop, spin, roll, and do most other aerobatics, and now he is going on to dive-bombing. “But,” he told his mother in a recent letter, “don't get worried about this. I . won’t do anything rash or which is not safe.”

The peculiar fact that silver 'beech which grows especially well in the forest regions of Southland and Otago is not found at Stewart Island was mentioned by Mr. D. J. Wesney in a talk to the Invercargill Rotary Club. On the other hand, he said, all the five species of beech found in New Zealand grow in the Eglinton Valley. Silver beech, Mr. Wesney explained, is the best-known and most common of the five species of beech occurring in New Zealand—silver beech, hard beech, red beech, black beech, and mountain beech.

Make your purchases early at the Plunket Shop, Town Hall, to-morrow. Open from 10 a.m. Prime meat, homemade delicacies, flowers, toys, etc. — Advt.

Supplies of Australian steel are still not available to start the building of the first steel minesweeper at Auckland. Three composite trawlers havebeen launched at Auckland and three steel minesweepers are to be built there. The work on the three composite trawlers, H.M.N.Z.S. Hinau. Rimu, and Manuka, is not being held up by any shortage of materials, and they are now equipped with wheelhouses and the decks have been laid. There is still a large amount of internal work to be done, and it is expected it will be some months before the vessels will be ready to be commissioned..

In the Magistrate’s Court, Hokitika, vesterday, before Mr. G. G. Chisholm, S.M., Douglas Jack Aitken, who had been remanded from Greymouth for sentence on a charge of stealing a shirt valued at 12/6 from a boarding house at Greymouth, was convicted and fined £5 and ordered to pay witnesses expenses, 15/10, and the value of the shirt stolen 12/6. Accused was warned that if he appeared before the Court, again he would be imprisoned.

After attending the Buller Gorge railway ceremony, next Tuesday, Messrs Webb and Semple are expected to leave Westport on Wednesday for Grevmouth. Mr. J. O’Brien, M.P. stated tb-day that the Ministers will speak on the Dominion’s war effort, and he had arranged meetings for them at Runanga next Wednesday evening, and at Hokitika next Thursday evening.

On Wednesday at 4 p.m. the total of National Savings investments for the present week amounted to £762, which amount exceeds Greymouth’s quota of £622 per week. In recognition of this achievement a special flag, is flying op the'Post Office flag pole. This flag will remain flying until Monday morning when it will be lowered and not flown again until the weekly quota is again reached. The weekly investment figures since the quota scheme was introduced, are: — Ist week: £620; 2nd week: £188; 3rd week: £332: itn week: £282; sxh week: £333; 6th week: £524.

Replying further to statements defending the quality of New Zealand flouG two bread judges at the Nelson show said that there were not 20 brands of flour available in the Nelson district, as stated to be ths case in Wellington. If the brands were not available to Nelson bakers, others could be substituted at the discretion of the flour controller. They were getting a large quantity of the kind of flour which deteriorated through being kept in store for a long period. One of the judges said that he had some of that in stock, and challenged the Wheat Research Institute to send its test, baker to Nelson and make a first-class commercial loaf from it.— P.A.

Notice of motion of appeal, by way of a re-hearing, has been filed in the Supreme Court at Nelson, by the Inspector of Mines at Reefton. against the Warden’s Court judgment on the Crown’s claim for forfeiture of the mining privileges at Onekaka. Notice of motion seeking advice of the Court on the procedure that should be adopted in the appeal was withdrawn. in the Wellington Supreme Court to-day, by the Solicitor-Gen-eral, who stated the appeal would last a fortnight. He asked for a fixture, but Judge Blair said the motion of appeal, which had been filed only yesterday, was not yet validly before the Court. —P.A.

Asked if he had any comment to make on the evidence before the Armed Forces Appeal Board at Auckland Io the effect that the labour position was becoming desperate in the footwear industry, and that the introduction of a 44-hour week' would bring about an improvement, the Minister for Labour (Mr Webb) said that ah the necessary machinery was already available. The obvious thing to do was to-make application to the Industrial Emergency Council to have the whole question investigated. IL in the opinion of the council, an extension of hours was necessary in the interests of the war effort, he presumed the council would meet the case in much the same way as all other cases for an extension had been met.—P.A.

“Why not merge the Physical Welfare Department with the Social Security Department,”, suggested . a member of. a sports club deputation which interviewed the Minister lor Internal Affairs (Mr Parry) yesterday. The Social Security Department, the speaker said, now embraced one of the largest functions of the State, and it had the handling for allocation of a few million pounds annually. Mr Parry said he appreciated the spirit and intention of the suggestion made. There .was no doubt the work of the departments was linked, that both were founded to assist in the betterment of the people and were giving a great service. “I wish there were money available,” the Minister added, “to help along some of the clubs doing a real and valuable service for the physical fitness movement of the Dominion.”

When crossing the railway line from Fonblanquc Street to the Buller Valley Dairy Factory, a sedan car, driven by Mr George Mackay, stalled and was crushed like paper when it was caught between two trains. The accident occurred just after midday yesterday (says the Westport “News”). One train, which was just about to leave on its run up the Buller Gorge, was stationary. The car was on the line, at the bead of the stationary train, and could not be moved, despite the efforts of the driver. A tram, coming down the line, caught the stranded car, carrying it along the line about 30 yards, and at the same time crushing it up against the stationary train. The driver had by this time abandoned the vehicle, The debris had to be taken off the line before the Buller Gorge tram could leave.

Men! See our selection of sponge bags. Extra strong and made in daik shades. Rubber lined. Only 2/6 each. C. Smith’s.—-Advt.