GENERAL NEWS Request By Motorists: “Raspberry" In Return

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 April 1947, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS Request By Motorists: “Raspberry" In Return

“The South Island Motor Union at its last decided to approach Parliament regarding a reduction in petrol taxation. Instead of a reduction we have had a ‘raspberry’ given us —as you will have noticed there has been an all-round increase of a penny a gallon in the price of t petrol,” said the secretary of the West Coast branch of the Automobile Association, Canterbury, at last ■evening’s meeting at Greymouth.

Low Temperature The temperature at Greymouth this morning, 44 degrees, was the lowest for almost six months. Early in November of last year there was a similar reading of 44 degrees at nine o’clock,, but the thermometer has not recorded a . lower figure since September 4, when 40 degrees was registered. Yesterday morning’s temperature was 52 degrees, eight degrees higher than that this morning.

Army Pay Problem Yesterday was the first pay-day for the. Army since the new pay rates were announced, but the complicated administrative work involved in adjusting the rates made it impossible to pay under the new schedule. It is anticipated by Army headquarters that these difficulties will be overcome at the end of the month and the adjustments will then be made.—(P.A.) Hospital Board Secretary The Grey Hospital Board has received 29 applications, from all parts of New Zealand, for the position d managing-secretary to the board, made vacant by the recent resignation of Mr J. E. A. McKeefry. The applications were considered last evening by the board, which appointed a committee to discuss them further and refer them to the Health Department for its perusal and recommendation.

Marriages to Americans Marriages between United States servicemen and New Zealand girls had been remarkable for the number which had been successful, said Dr D. E. McHenry, professor of political science at the University of California, speaking yesterday to the Wellington Rotary Club. There was a much higher percentage of broken marriages among those contracted in the United States over the same period, he added.—(P.A.)

Unexpected Arrival It was reported to a meeting of the Grey Hospital Board that a new lawn mower had been delivered to the hospital recently, but both the carman (Mr F. Oakley) and Mr J. L Stokes said that they knew nothing about the machine having been mdered. The acting-secretary (Miss C. J. Greaney) said that the was ordered in 1940 and that Ministerial approval for its purchase was not required as it was a teplace ment. It could not be supplied by the manufacturers during the war. H.M.N.Z.S. Bellona Diverted H M N Z.S. Bellona, which has been taking part in exercises with units of the Royal Australian Navy, was scheduled to berth at Lyttelton on Saturday morning, but advice was received in Christchurch this morning that the ship has been diverted and will proceed direct to Auckland. Fourteen Army personnel are aboard, three of them New Zealanders commissioned in the Indian Army returning for furlough, 11 other ranks of J. Force, who are returning on compassionate leave. All have been waiting for a passage in Australia.— (P.A.)

Child’s Body Found The body of an 18-months-old boy, Patrick Anthony Fraher, who had been missing from .his home m Christchurch, since yesterday morning was found in a creek near the home. Intensive searching by police and by - volunteers throughout yesterday . failed to find any trace of the child, who went missing at 10 o’clock yesterday morninf’’. The search was intensified m the’ late afternoon, but when darkness fell and the task of the searchers became more difficult there was still no report. The search was continued during the evening, and the body was found this morning. (P.A.)

Progress League’s Railcar Advocate for many districts, organisations and people in the matter of securing additional railcar services and improvements to existing services, the Westland District Progress League has been successful in obtaining the use of a railcar for itself. As a result of an application made to the Railway Department, Greymouth members of the league will travel by special railcar to Hokitika next Tuesday evening when the organisation’s monthly meeting will be held in that town. The railcar, which will seat 50 passengers, will leave Greymouth at 7 o’clock, and Hokitika for the return trip at 10 o’clock.

Boulder of Rare Stone • A boulder of a rare stone, conjectured to have been carried from the mountains round Lake Brunner by the pleistocene age glaciers, has been presented to the Canterbury Museum by Mr C. Evenden, of Kumara, where it was found in a sluicing claim. Rough grey in its natural state, the stone has, when polished, a Wedgwood blue colour, speckled rather like granite. Its scientific name is sodalite syenite. According to Dr. B. H. Mason, honorary mineralogist to the museum, boulders of the stone are occasionally found in the Kumara district, but the outcrop from which they come has not been located. If an accessible deposit were found, it would undoubtedly “rank highly and have a wide field of uses as ornamental stone.” The museum has had one side of the boulder polished, giving a blue surface about two feet long, and it will be on display in a few days. National Savings Last week, out of the 335 areas in the Dominion for which national savings quotas have been alloted, 311 were successful in obtaining the prescribed weekly amounts, this being the same number as in the preceding week. All the principal centres were successful, and in each of the 20 posal districts the full district quota was obtained. At most places the investments were well in excess of the stipulated amounts. The re-investment of “bomber bonds” has contributed considerably to this end. At four places the phenomenal achievement of having the investments exceed the full year’s quota has already been recorded. The successful areas are Ohai (Southland), Waikanae (Wellington), Ohura (Hamilton), and Kimbolton (Palmerston North). At Ohai and at Waikanaedhe accomplishment was recorded early on the first day of the new financial, year. '

Mass will be celebrated on riext Sunday, April 20, at Te Kinga,.B a.m., and Kokiri, 10.15 a.m.—Advt,