NEWS OF THE DAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21579, 5 December 1944, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Fire Board MeetingRoutine business was dealt with at a meeting of the Gisborne Fire Board yesterday. Members present were the chairman. Messrs. B. S. Bree, I. J. Quigley, G. D. Muirhead and W. Harnett", with the superintendent, Mr. J. W. Kane, and the secretary, Mr. C. Blackburn. Notifiable Disease . j Eleven cases of scarlet fever, one of erysipelas and one of pulmonary tuberculosis formed the list of cases of . notifiable and. infectious, disease registered at the Gisborne office of the East; Cape health district last week. Two deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis were, reported. Dry Period ill North With the prolonged dry weather in Northland, dairy production for some weeks has shown no increase and in some districts a decline has been recorded. There is little or no growth so that it is probable that hay crops in pastures, the grass going to stalk, will be light this year, unless heavy rain falls shortly. Dredge’s £79,829 Overhaul The recent overhaul of the Auckland Harbour Board’s dredge Hapai cost £79,829. according to a report from the engineer-superintendent, Mr D. Holderhess. The report stated that as a result of the increased value brought about by the reconditioning it was proposed that the Hapai be written up from £3851 to £65,000. Political Quiz There was an attendance of about 30 at the political quiz conducted last: night by the Gisborne branch of the Communist Party and presided over by Mr. P. Hardcastle. Questions answered at the session dealt with the dissolution of the Commmtern, the defeat of Fascism and post-war collaboration between the Communist Party and other working class parties and the setting up of popular governments in liberated territories. Opportunity was given for discussion on numerous matters of local and international importance. Further questions were submitted to be dealt with at the next meeting in February.

Fined For Assault Two men appeared before Mr. E. L Walton, S.M., at a recent sitting of tiie Rualoria Magistrate’s Court charged with assault. Lu Whangapirita, lorry driver, pleaded guilty and was lined £4 and costs. -Six months’ probation was the sentence in the case of Ruru Kaiwai. The offences were committed against Koro Terauna and Tipeni Waihi respectively. A fine of £3 was imposed upon Peta Taukamo, labourer, on a charge of being a rogue and a vagabond in that he was found by night on the enclosed premises of the Waiapu County Council. A second charge, that of- the attempted theft of four gallons of benzine, was dismissed.

IVairoa Hospital Blaze Ashes and soot piling up to a height of several feet in a dischargebin at the base of the furnace chimney in. ihe boiler-room at the Wairoa Public Hospital are believed to have been the cause of an outbreak of lire in the nurses’ home at the lmspital. The hot ashes on top of the pile ap* parently came in contact wan me wooden wall and started the blaze. When the fire brigade arrived smoke was issuing from the -ventilators and rooms on the top floor of the eastern wing. It was a difficult task to locate the scat of Ihe lire, but once located the firemen quickly had it under control and the outbreak subdued. Damage' was limited to woodwork between ihe walls of the building and to a small portion of the boiler-room ceiling damaged by water.

Window Glass Will Exclude Heat British glass research workers have produced a window glass which will keep houses in tropical climates cool. Windows of ordinary glass must be covered with blinds or shutters during the day in hot countries, to keep out the heat which passes through the glass. This new glass prevents 80 per cent of heat from passing through to the interior of the house. Tests carried out at Colombo University showed that heat which was allowed to pass through a skylight of ordinary glass was reduced to one-third. Research has also shown that the glass has a deterrent effect on flies and other insects. Experiments carried out at an abattoir where this special glass was tilted to all windows proved that the number of flies in the premises was greatly reduced.