Local and General

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 November 1944, Page 4

Local and General

The outstanding record of Royal New Zealand Air Force transport squadroiis op between New Zealand and the South Pacffic was referred to by the Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones;) to-day, when he announcea that a valuable addition to the squadron is now on its way to the Dominion Four Sunderland flying-boats had recently been allocated to the Royal New Zealand Al \ Force, and the., were being flown out from the United King dom bv New Zealand crews, said the Mmyter. Thev would be used to supplement the existing Royal New Zealand Air Force an transport organisations. —P.A. The recent controversy over the running of the Dr. T. A. Will Memorial Handicap at die North Canterbury Racing Culb’s meeting at Rangiora, on Labour Dav. in association with the Hororata and Amberley Clubs, is likely to be the subject of .civil proceedings by a number of bettors. The race was run twice and Lord Advocate, winner at the original attempt, did not start in the second and official race. Punters who backed Lord Advocate in the first running, which started iioni the wrong barrier, propose to take action to recover the money they invested on the totalisator. —P.A.’ , A regular passenger and air mail service between Dunedin and Invercargill was inaugurated yesterday, providing the last stage of an air service from Auckland to Invercargill. A Union Airways Lockheed Electra arrived at Invercargill at 4.3 p.m. and left on the return journev at 4.15 p.m. There were eight passengers on the journey from Dunedin and 10 on the return trip. The service will be run daily except Sunday. It is now oossible to leave Auckland at 8 a.m. and be in Invercargill at 4 p.m. the same day. The aeroplane yesterday brought mail from Auckland and intermediate places. .It was heavier than the ordinary inward air mail, consisting of seven mail bags containing about 1000 letters, and several packets. The nntward mail was unusually heavy, consistin'* of 2232 letters.—P.A.

The annual demonstration of the West Coast Fire Brigades’ Association will take place at Hokitika on November 25. Twelve brigades from all parts of the Coast will participate.

A sitting of the Armed Forces Appeal Board has been set down for Hokitika at 1.30 p.m. on November 29. The sitting at Hokitika on November 24 will take place at the same hour.

The Christchurch Manpower Appeal Committee has tentatively set November 17 at 9.30 a.m. as the dat£ for its next sitting at Greymouth. It will not visit Hokitika on- this occasion, but will probably visit Westport after the Greymouth sitting.

While the express from Greymouth, this morning, was of only the normal capacity, carrying 106 passengers in five cars, the train from Christchurch is double that size. Consisting of 10 cars and two vans, it is bringing 374 passengers to the Coast. It will be half ap hour late in reaching Greymouth.

Next week a further consignment of 24 bales of waste paper collected at the Town Hall depot, Greymouth, will be railed to the Mataura Mills. Arrangements are being made to conduct a drive for weekly papers, which are stated to be needed urgently. Boy Scouts will canvass the residential area on a date to be announced.

The Blaketown School Committee have accepted the tender of Greymouth Prefabricators and Builders to construct a swimming pool with dimensions of 40ft by 15ft, and work is expected to begin soon. The Education Department has made a grant of £2OO, and the School Committee has found the balance of £233.

The rainfall at Greymouth during the year to date now exceeds the 100inch mark as a result of the heavy showers 1 experienced during the night. In the 24 hours ended at 9 a.m. to-day exactly half an inch of rain was recorded, bringing the total so far to 100.39 inches, which is about 14 inches more than up to the corresponding period of last year. A motor-car driven by Roderick William Inglis, of Cobden, collided with a steam roller at Paroa yesterday, and a passenger in the car, Joyce Inglis, 18, of Cobden, received bruises to the right temple. She was admitted to the Grey Hospital and was today reported to be in a satisfactory condition.

The Dobson State mine was idle today because of a dispute over a wettime place. The men went into the mine and the dispute developed after work had commenced. When a settlement satisfactory to the men was not reached, they came out of the mine and returned home. The Wallsend State mine, which was idle yesterday following a protracted stopwork meeting at the bathhouse, worked to-day.

The wet weather of the Spring and early Summer in Greymouth has given gardeners a problem because of the increase of slugs and similar pests. Not only have beans and lettuces been devoured, but even onion plants and rhubarb have been attacked, while among flower plants phlox drummondi have suffered. Experienced gardeners state that the problem is the most serious for some years.

V A conference of members of the Grey and Buller district Miners’ Central Committees was held at Greymouth, to-day, in the Lyceum Hall. This evening, in the Power Board offices, the committees will meet mine managers to discuss a proposed new wages agreement for the two districts. The Under-Secretary for Mines (Mr. C. H. Benney) will attend the meeting.

Last week, 251 towns attained their quotas of national war savings. All the principal centres were successful and in each of the 18 postal districts, the full district quota was reached. In the Greymouth, Oamaru, Timaru and Westport districts, all places obtained their individual quotas. In the Oamaru and Westport districts, too, the investments in national war savings exceed the annual quotas for those areas.

Fifteen more scarlet fever cases than in the preceding week were notified in the Canterbury health district last week, but the West Coast, for the first time in many months, had a clean sheet. The. total notifications of scarlet 'fever in Canterbury last week were t>4. There were also six cases of tuberculosis, two of septic abortion, and one each of malaria, enteric fever, diphtheria, and erysipelas.

The new siren which has been installed at the Greymouth Fire Station is audible over a wide area. Mr. W. H. Parfitt, Chairman of the Fire Board, remarked at the quarterly meeting, yesterday afternoon, that it had been heard at Nine Mile, Coal Creek, Omoto Road, Karoro and Boddytown. It had cost £56 when purchased from the Municipal Electrical Department, Christchurch, while installation expenditure had reached £36.

The port of Greymouth is comparatively quiet, with only the Karu and Poplta loading, their departure being dependent upon the weather. However, the middle and end-of-week accumulation will begin tomorrow with the' arrival of the Pakura and Rata, whose departure will depend upon the availability of coal supplies. Statistics compiled during the year show that during the 305 days to the end of October the port was unworkable for ships of any draught on 124 days—4o per cent, of the lime.

The membership of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association on September 30, 1944, was 60,065, it was reported by the president of the executive committee of the Christchurch Returned Services’ Association (Mr. D. W. Russell) last evening. The largest association is Auckland, which has 7803 members, next is Christchurch, which has 6824, Wellington has T 623, and Dunedin 5,017. At present the membership of the Christchurch branch is 7,200, an increase of 2001 over that at the same period last year.

Yet another harbour scheme for the West Coast—the sixth after Greymouth, Point Elizabeth, Lake Mahinapua. Westport, and Nelson—is being advanced by residents of Charleston, who are reported to be approaching the Minister of Marine (Mr. O’Brien) on .the subject. Thev propose throwing out a wing from the vicinity of Point Robertson, in a north-westerly direction, .to give a berthage .with an average depth of 30ft to 70ft. It is contended that were a railway to be constructed from Westport to Charleston, a distance of 16 miles, not only the open-, cast coal from that area, which is now carted to Westport by road, but Westport and Grey district coal could be shipped from Charleston. Still another proposal is being discussed by residents of Woodpeckei' Bay—the construction of a causewav from Kaipakati Point to Seal Island, with a mole in a northerly direction to give an anchorage with a depth .of 100 ft. The Charleston scheme, however, is reported to have progressed beyond the discussion stage, definite plans having been "formulated.

Whatever type of life you lead, White’s have the Frocks to make you look smart ... to suit every occasion' and they’re priced for every purse. Call early while the selection is at i+si best. —White’s Corner, Your Fashion Centre.—Advt.