NEWS OF THE DAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20526, 9 April 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

St. John’s Appeal The annual appeal for funds for the St. John Ambulance Association has passed the £IOO mark. Further donations are: Previously acknowledged, £lO6 2s 6d; Waingake Women’s Institute. 10s; Mrs. Martin, 10s; Whatatutu Women’s Institute, ss: total, £lO7 7s 6d. Patient in Collision While driving a patient to the Cook Hospital yesterday from Tokomaru Bay, Miss A. M. Walton, district nurse at Tokomaru Bay, became involved in a collision with another driver in Wainui road. Miss Walton's car was damaged by contact with a carrier's truck, and her patient had to be taken on to the hospital by the St. John ambulance. None of the three persons involved in the accident suffered injury.

Cyclists’ Black-out During the past week a number of cyclists who have been caught riding their machines at night without lights have offered the excuse that they are complying with black-out regulations. This subject was mentioned in a report made to the Gisborne Borough Council last evening by the engineer. Mi - . E. R. Thomas, who asked that attention be drawn to the importance of cyclists having their machines lighted when using them at night. Apart from the fact that riding without lights at night was a breach of the borough by-laws, the practice was extremely dangerous lor cyclists and pedestrians in the existing circumstances affecting street lighting.

Better Bus Returns The report of the engineer, Mr. E. R. Thomas, on the bus department management for the fortnight ended April 6, showed an improvement in gross revenue and in the average earnings per mile. In the fortnight, the buses ran a total ol' 6251 miles, and carried! 29,049 passengers, for a total revenue of £355 12s 3d. including £7 5s lor specials. During the corresponding fortnight of last year, the mileage was 6116, and the revenue £351 19s Id, from 28,329 passengers. The average return per mile was 13.65 d in the last fortnight, and 13.02 d for the corresponding fortnight of 1940.

New Number l’latcs New number plates for motor vehicles will be issued next month when the annual registration of vehicles takes place. Because of the scarcity of steel it was suggested earlier that there was a likelihood that the number plates now in use would be utilised again, the idea being to issue a distinguishing sign to motorists to indicate re-registration of a vehicle. This system operates in Britain, and it was stated that the Government was considering the question of adopting it in New Zealand in the interests of economy. However, it is now disclosed that supplies of new number plates for issue next month have been manufactured in Wellington.

Fortunate Gisborne That Gisborne was particularly fortunate in its Red Cross organisation was stressed by Miss E. P. Tennent, honorary touring director of voluntary aids for the New Zealand Red Cross Society, in the course of an address at the Red Cross rooms last evening. “Medical men and medical women, of course, take a keen interest in Red Cross work,’’ said Miss Tennent, “but few societies —indeed very lew —in the Dominion are as fortunate as the Gisborne centre in having such enthusiastic and exceptionally qualified leaders as Dr. Theodora Hall, divisional surgeon, and Sister D, E. Burrows, of the Cook Hospital, who is lady superintendent for the Gisborne Red Cross centre." Then again, continued Miss Tennent, Gisborne must be congratulated on its two up-to-date fully equipped practice room and a modern lecture room. She could think of only two better equipped rooms in New Zealand, one being in Wanganui, where the society there had been assisted by a generous donor. The third instance of Gisborne’s good luck was in the centre possessing such a strong men’s division in uniform. She could hardly express her surprise and her pleasure at the remarkable attendance, Ihe enthusiasm and the smartness of the men’s division, which was unusual outside the large cities. Though only a few hours in Gisborne, the speaker had been particularly impressed with these three features, and she extended her hearty congratulations to the centre on its up-to-date activities.