Local and General

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 November 1943, Page 4

Local and General

Shortly before 4 a.m., to-day, burglars entered the Post Office at Queen Street, Northcote, Auckland, and opened a large strongroom with gelignite and stole cash and stamps, including social security, health and ordinary stamps, to the total value of £3OO. The job was expertly done, axle grease being used to pack the charge, and just, the right amount of explosive applied to force the mechanism without damaging the door. —P.A:

West Coast students who were successful in the recent Canterbury College degree examinations included: First 8.A.: Cynthia Blair, Education: Audrey Shannon. Phil. (Psy.); N. C. Shannon, English, History, Geography; Pauline Stewart, English, History, French. Sect. 8.A.: J. U. Macaulay, History, Geography; June Mosley, Geography. Sect. B.Sc.: M. M. McGlashan, Physics 11, RadioPhysics I. Section L 1.8.: E. J. Dennehy, Latin, Phil. (L. and E.). Otago University, Medical Intermediate, W. G. Evans. In line with the North Island Motor Union request, the Minister of Transport (Mr. O’Brien) announced to-day that warrants of fitness for motor-cars will not now be required for renewal every half year, but at 12 monthly intervals. Public safety will not be jeopardised, added Mr. O’Brien, as the amount of mileage possible under petrol rationing is greatly reduced. Cars will require warrants of fitness and third party risk insurance. The new requirement will not apply to private cars which travel more than 200 miles per half year. The Minister advises that apart from complying with legal requirement, all motorists should always maintain brakes and steering gear in sound condition.—P.A.

The Greymouth-Hokitika railway line was blocked for several hours this afternoon at Karoro, on the South Beach side of the Nelson Street crossing, when a loaded L wagon on a Hokitika-Greymouth timber train was derailed about 1.35 p.m. The derailed wagon, which was near the middle of the train, travelled about eight chains before the train was stopped. Considerable damage was done to the wagon and to the nermanent way, but it was hoped that the line would be ready for traffic again for the Greymouth-Hokitika train due to leave Greymouth at 4.45 p.m. Passengers on the Hokitika-Greymouth rail-car due at Greymouth at 1.53 n.m.. were brought on to Greymouth from the scene of the derailment by motor bus and passengers for the Grey-mouth-Hokitika rail-car w’hich was due to leave Greymouth at 2.20 p.m., were taken by bus to the rail-car on the south side of the mishap.

The annual Public Service Entrance examinations commenced in Greymouth, this morning, at the Wesley Bi-centennial- Hall, and will continue throughout next week. The candidates include 21 from the Greymouth Technical High School and four from the Convene of Mercy.

The Grey Electric Power Board decided last evening to send a parcel and a letter of goodwill and best wishes for a safe and early return to former members of the staff serving with the forces overseas and also a letter of goodwill to staff members serving in New Zealand.

As a result of the use of a blowlamp to remove old paint on the residence of Mrs. E. Bullimore, in Lord Street, Greymouth, this afternoon, fire broke out in a corner of the front of the house about 2.15 p.m. The Fire Brigade were quickly on the scene and extinguished the outbreak by the use of a stirrup pump. Little damage was done.

The extent to which chemists are called upon to dispense Social Security prescriptions was illustrated in the evidence of a Greymouth chemist to the Armed Forces Aopeal Board, yesterday afternoon. In a week, he said, 100 Social Security prescriptions were handled by him, and there were also 25 others, including over the counter prescriptions. His only help came from an unqualified assistant.

The Nelson Land Sales Committee has adopted as a general policy a maximum interest rate of 4£ per cent, for the new first mortgages on property sales approved by the committee. The chairman (Mr. P. S. Boyes) said that if an applicant for a sale did not agree to 4-j per cent, there was the right of appeal to the Land Sales Court. In cases where mortgages were transferred, the existing rates of interest would remain unaltered. —P.A.

An Auckland branch of the Heritage Movement, to be known as Heritage (Auckland) Incorporated, was formed at a public meeting.. The purpose of the movement is to,-assist war widows in the education and general upbringing of their children. It was stated that there were more than 200 widows in Auckland alone whose husbands had lost their lives while serving in the present war. Included among these were two mothers with five and seven children respectively. —P.A.

The special Christmas greetings airgraph which New Zealanders can send to their relations in Great Britain, Canada, India and parts of Africa and the Middle East proved a, popular innovation. To date some 22,000 have been sent, approximately 14,000 to men in the forces, and 8000 to civilians. It is stated tliat to ensure airgraphs getting to the destination in time for delivery before Christmas it is advisable to post them not later than the end of next week. — P.A.

The monthly meeting of the Ngahere Women’s Institute was held at the residence of Mrs. Thornton. Mrs. R. Donaldson presided over a good attendance. A vote of thanks was accorded the delegate for her report on the Council meeting. A donation towards soldiers’ parcels was received from Mrs. Mayne,, senr. The competition for the month resulted: Mrs. R. Donaldson 1, Mrs. Richardeon 2, and Mrs. Sheehan h.c. Hostesses for the afternoon were Mesdames Armstrong and Thornton. The motto was: United we stand, divided we fall.

West Coast district failed by only £5l/6/3 to obtain its weekly quota of £1065 for national savings. Hokitika showed the best figures with deposits totalling £313/16/-, an excess of £143/16/-. Runanga was next with investments of £239/8/-, giving a surplus of £l3B/8/-. Blackball deposited £53/5/- or £l/5/above its quota. Other returns, with deficiencies in parenthesis, were-— Greymouth, £333/16/6 (£163/3/6); Reefton, £lB/1/- (£64/19/-); Waiuta, £l/5/- (£33/15/-); Ross, £5 11/- (£26/9/-); Brunnerton, £27 7/- (£22/12/-); Kumara, £l3/11/(£l7/9/-); Otira, £7/13/- (£6 7/-).

Asked by “The Standard” to comment on the Wanganui Trades Council’s suggestion, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, said that the order of reference of the Commission to review the Licensing Act would be as wide as possible, but he could not, of course, discuss the order in advance. “We all have our own ideas on the subject,” said the Minister. “My own ideal is that all bars in the future should be on the lounge system, where all types of liquid refreshment, alcoholic or not, should be available in comfort. Most definitely the little back bar and the hidehole bar should be completely done away with. There should not be any more concealment about the purchase of a drink than there is about any other type of merchandise.”

The apparent anxiety of men engaged in the timber industry to leave sawmills to cut silver pine was discussed by the Armed Forces Appeal Board, in Greymouth yesterday afternoon, with Mr F. L. Turley, representing the Timber Advisory Committee. Board members pointed out that while the timber industry had been declared essential, silver pine cutting, although important, was not within that category. -It seemed to be anomalous that men should be held from camp for the timber industry, while others left to cut the pine. Mr Turley explained that “old hands” at silver pine cutting could make £2 10/- to £3 a clay at that work as against 27/6 a day as a bushman, and it was hard to prevent them taking up the more profitable occupation. At the same time, the Timber Advisory Committee raised objections- to such transfers.

Mass will be celebrated on Sunday next, November 21, at Kokiri, 8 a.m. and Ruru, 10 a.m.—Advt.

Admitting that the Timber Advisory Committee was aware of withdrawals from the timber industry for other than military reasons taking place, Mr F .L. Turley, representing that Committee, told the Armed Forces Appeal Board, in Greymouth yesterday afternoon, that there might be one or two cases where men “got away without notification, ’ but there were not many. Men who were granted permission to leave on presentation of a medical certificate came within a different category. The Board had before it an appeal (subsequently granted in reservist’s favour) in which a young man was keen to leave the industry io join the Air Force, and it was stressed that an anomaly arose when the Advisory Committee opposed the call-up of men from the industry for the forces, while others were allowed by the manpower authorities to enter other occupations. Mr C. F. Shapcott, secretary, said there had been numerous cases of men going to Christchurch from the Coast, and he suggested that Mr Turley might use his influence on the Committee to block die release of such men -and thus enable men like reservist to ioin the forces.

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