NEWS OF THE DAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21979, 25 March 1946, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Honey For England As a practical gesture to relieve the food situation, in England a ton of* money is to be sent by the residents of New 'Plymouth and district to Plymouth. England, which sustained devastating damage from aerial attacks during the war. The gift is being sponsored by the New Plymouth Rotary Club, which is making a donation itself and inviting the public to subscribe to a fund for the purpose indicated.

Tuberculosis Control It was hoped to arrange for some suitable legislation which would improve the position wrote the Minister of Health, Mr. A. H. Nordmeyer, in reply to a letter from the South Can? terbury Hospital Board supporting the representations- made by the Opotiki Hospital Board about the control of recalcitrant infective cases of tuberculosis. “The success of any legislation will mainly depend upon hospital boards providing the necessary accommodation for these patients, which are not normally suitable cases for treatment under our present sanatorium system,” said the Minister. Cobb River Dam Work on the Cobb River dam is likely to be commenced shortly, according to a report by .the Waimea Electric Power Board’s engineer, Mr. N. A. Andrews, to the last meeting of the board. Machinery was being moved in to the Cobb Valley and workmen’s huts erected he said. It was estimated that if an earth dam was decided on it could be completed in 12 months, while a concrete dam would take two years to erect. The construction of the transmission line connecting the Cobb hydro-electric scheme with the South Island gjid system would take three years, added Mr. Andrews. Banking Hours Banks intend reverting to 3 o’clock closing on Mondays to Fridays, though it is not practicable to give effect to this immediately. This reply, received by the council of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, has been made to the Manufacturers’ Federation by the chairman of Associated Banks in New Zealand. The subject, he stated, was receiving careful attention, and an announcement would be made early as to when the change could be implemented. The council decided to confer with the Chamber of Commerce about requesting the banks to consider providing facilities for the receipt of money for safe custody after normal banking hours. Money and Meals

The persons who suffered most under the British rationing scheme were the small householders with just one or two to feed, said Mr.. C.. Morris, who has returned from a visit to Britain. He is managing director of Kirkcaldie and Stains, Limited, Wellington. Housewives in the small household group found it extremely difficult to manage, he said. A small lin of tongues would take the full issue of points for one month. It was easy in such circumstances to imagine how much private people appreciated food parcels from abroad. “If you have enough money you can feed at the hotels and restaurants and not bother about food coupons,” said Mr. Morns. That is one significant fact about the food rationing in Britain. But by no means all can afford to eat at hotels.

Beetle Menace in Forests “There is a beetle destroying our forests, particularly the birch, said Cr. V. Dellavadova at the monthly meeting of the Buffer-County Council. Plantations from Punakaiki to Matai, and in the Maruia valley, were infested with this pest, which was a definite menace, he added. He visualised trees dying and then fire spreading through the dried-up forests. If such a fire covered the Buffer Gorge coal seams the disaster would he a national one, he said. Hi s motion that the notice of the Minister of Forests and .the Cawthron Institute be drawn to the menace was carried One member said he did not know whether to blame the opossums or the new beetle, but he had noticed that the mountain rata had disappeared from the district.