LOCAL AND GENERAL

Grey River Argus, 17 November 1942, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A New York cable stated Dr Van Mook, former Governor of the Dutch East Indies has arrived there from England for a visit. He is to stay for several months.

The express' from Christchurch did not reach Greymouth till 4.45 p.m. yesterday. It was half-an-hour late in leaving Springfield, and had lost about another fifteen minutes by the time Arthur’s Pass was reached.

Spring Lamb is now' available at the Mawhera Meat Co. and Marsden Road butcheries. —Advt. ®

Sunday was the last day on which the bus service was run between Greymouth and Hokitika. This is a further move in the Railway Department’s policy of restricting Sunday services so as to conserve petrol and tyres.

During the week ended on Saturday, 17,071 tons of goods traffic passed" through the Otira tunnel from the West Coast to Canterbury. This compares with 16,074 tons in the corresponding period of 1941 and 14,297 tons in the same week of 1940.

You’ll win admiring glances in a Coat, Frock or Hat from White’s Corner, Your Fashion Centre.—Advt.

A cantata in three parts, embracing morning, afternoon and evening service, was a feature of the Junior Church Anniversary held at St. Paul’s Methodist Church on Sunday. Such a method, it is thought, has been used in a school anniversary on only one previous occasion. • Rev. E. S. Hoddinott was chiefly responsible for the work.

Mr J. J- B. Connor, district, officer of the Transport Department, arrived in Greymouth vesterday and conferred with the Goods Transport Control Committee. The question of ancillary users was among those discussed- Satisfaction was expressed with the carrying out of plans made during Mr Connor’s last visit here. Last night. Mr Connor met the Taxi Control Committee for th e first time. P. J l . Gallagher, late of the Empire Hotel, Seddonville, is now “mine host” at the New Commercial Hotel, Reefton, where old and new ’friends are assured of a hearty welcome. —• Advt.

It will be some time before the Lewis Pass highway can be permanently repaired’, the damage being more extensive than earlier reports indicated. Several slips have been on the Rahu Saddle section. Mr E. F. Evans, District Engineer of the Public Works Department stated yesterday that it was hoped, however, to provide a track for cars within about, three days.

Insufficient knitters to use the wool available for comforts for the forces are coming forward to the Greymouth Women’s Patriotic Committee, at whose depot patterns and wool are available. It is expected that with the school holidays and the approach of summer less knitting will be done by children. There is stated to 1 be an urgent need for more' volunteers to knit gloves for the Navy and Air Force, jerseys for the Navy, and Army comforts in general. Best British 80-inch Whitebait Netting, double mesh, 6/6 yard. Post free, from H. Hamer. Kumara. — Advt.

“The outlook for our vegetable supplies in the near future appears to be rather serious,” stated a report from the Auckland Hospital Boards head gardener to a meeting of the board. It appeared that the area of garden at Green Lane would be reduced to half within six months and that production there would probably cease entirely in the near future. “Owing to the- ever-increasing military demands on first-grade supplies,” the report continued, “I cannot foresee any improvement on the °P en market; in fact, I expect the situation to get worse at times.”

The monthly meeting of the Dobson Women’s Institute was held on Thursday evening in the School Hall, Mrs G. Smith presiding over a good attendance Miss Kirk read the as-pirati-ms. Correspondence was read and discussed. The motto for the month was: "Does it ease the load we carry to think continually of its weight?” Two visitors were welcomed. Mrs Batey gave an interesting demonstration on the making of felt posies and flowers, and the uses of curtain rings "for decorative purposes. Mrs Hill also demonstrated how to use rick-rack braid, etc., in several ways. The monthly competition (an embroidered apron) was won by Mrs Roberts. The social hour competition, “Song Titles” was won by Mrs Ramsay. The hostesses were Mesdames Mooney, McMinn, A. McPhie and Wm. McPhie.

You can’t stop time by stopping the clock. But you can stop that rundown feeling and enjoy better health by letting the Westland Laundry do that wash-day drudgery. Greymouth has one of the most modern Laundriei in New Zealand where all the water is filtered and softened. Visitors are always welcome. Come and see a modern Laundry in operation, you will be agreeably surprised. ’Phone 136. Depot, 27 Albert Street.—Advt.

Flooding in the lower part of Runanga was brought before Hon. P. C. Webb, Minister of Mines, by a deputation there on Sunday. The Minister suggested that the Council approach the Grey County Council regarding improving the outlet of Raleigh Creek, winch is in the County. If some arrangement could be made, with the County, the Council could then approach him again, and he would do what he could to help. The erection of ’bus shelters in the town was also mentioned to the Minister, but he could give no hope of assistance, pointing out the possibility of more restricted running of ’buses in the future “A good response has been made by boys of the school to the call torvolunteers for farm work during the holidays,” states the monthly report of the Principal of the Greymouth Technical High School (Mr. W. M. Stewart). ‘-Some of the boys will be placed on farms on the West Coast, but it is .likely that a number will be stationed ow farms in Canterbury. The scheme is being organised by the Manpower Department, and the Education Department has given approval, in cases where seasonal work, such as harvesting, requires it, for boys to continue in their positions for part of February, without prejudice to their free pla'ces. In all cases, the consent of the parents is required before a boy is allowed to be enrolled for this work.”

An unfinished air raid shelter at Dunollie was the subject of representations to- the Hon. P. C. Webb on Sunday by Mr G. E. English. The work to date has been done voluntarily by a small band of volunteers, and he asked that a subsidy be made available to have the work done on contract in order to expedite its completion. Mr English also asked that- the ’bus proprietor be allowed to' run ’buses to funerals from Runanga as in the past. Mr Webb promised to- go into those matters. The question of doubling the value or clothing coupons used bv miners on working clothes and boots was raised bv Mr English, and Mr Webb replied that this matter was already receiving attentio.m

A nev kind of butter which will keep fresh without refrigeration is now befn? supplied in considerable quantity to troops in the South Pacific area, according to a statement made recently by the Auckland manager of the Internal Marketing Division, Mr A. H. Honeyfield. Favour--able reports had been received already concerning the butter, which was the result of intensive research bv Dr. H. McDowell, of the Dairy Research Institute, Palmerston North, and it was likely that largely increased supplies of it would shortly be despatched. The new type of butter, said Mr Honeyfield, consisted of a mixed spread of stearing oil, dried rhilk and butterfat.

Difficulty in procuring sufficient threepenny pieces ■is reported by Auckland shop managers, who ask that the public should keep this small change in circulation. Traders stated that they were having to use pennies to a greater extent in giving change, which was as much disliked by shop staffs as by customers who were sent away loaded with bronze coins. Persons concerned with the. handling of large quantities of currency attribute the shortage of small silver to the popular habit of saving by putting asid e “threepenny bits,” and this has certainly been accentuated by the presence in many homes of Patriotic Fund collection boxes. It’ is suggested that people who cultivate the saving habit should put their threepences, away separately and periodically replace them with florins or half-crowns, returnin? the small silver into circulation.

With the German occupation of the whole of France, Switzerland is now completely surrounded by Axis territory. The question has been asked (states the New Zealand Herald) whether this fact might interfere with the functions of the International Red Cross in Geneva as a distributing agent for parcels for prisoners of war. Auckland Red Cro 1 - authorities do not anticipate thai the transport of parcels will be affected in any way. No doubt this freight would follow the normal route from Lisbon. The Germans, it was stated had respected the International Red Cross Convention in every way. The German Red Cross was part of the international body, and whatever the control outside the frontiers of Switzerland the safe transit of comforts of prisoners ,of war could be relied upon.

“A very serious position is revealed by your statement;,” said ,Mr J. Dicker, a member of the Armed Forces Appeal Board, at a sitting in Nelson, when an officer of an independent infantry company stated that there was almost nothing for him to do in the unit at present. “We are’ taking men out of industries for the armed forces and in doing so 1 are seriously dislocating, some industries, and you tell us that units of the armed forces ar e doing nothing,” added Mr Dicker. Appellant was asking for a further period of leave. He said his unit and others of a similar type had been detailed as “fatigue units” attached to other units of the forces, and while the men were doing fatigues there was very little for officers to do. Further, while a unit was concerned with fatigues there was practically no training being done.