LOCAL AND GENERAL

Grey River Argus, 8 January 1944, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Rain which continued steadily last night eased off early this morning. At Reefton, however, there was no rain until midnight, and then the fall was only light.

Signposting by, the Automobile Association’s patrol officer will be resumed shortly in Westland. The work has lightened the difficulties -of motorists who are now able to make their wav along the highway without the need for stopping every few miles to enquire their whereabouts. The rainfall at Gisborne in the past year was 48.63 inches, which i< 446 inches above the average, ann in the past 15 years it has been ex needed only once. For many years the rainfall has been low and in the past 25 years there have been onlv seven annual totals above the average, which is 44.17 inches.

Until conditions on the Grey bar are again normal, it has been arranged that coal from the Grey district mines will be transported by rail to Westport and Christchurch and 200 tons are scheduled for East Coast to-dav, while 3,600 tons a±e to go via Westport during next week. The Rata is to load 850 tons for Nelson and Tarakohe.

The Main Highway deviation at Orwell Creek, between Ahaura and Totara Flat has been completed by the construction of a serviceable ferro-concrete bridge across the watercourse, and the easing of gradients. Heavv vehicular traffic will nrofit by the improvements which will he appreciated by owners of vehicles who will probably relish the advantage of lower repair bills.

Since the announcement of the Minister of Defence that the Home Guard was to be placed on reserve, over one hundred Home Guardsmen have already handed in their rifle.’, equipment and clothing to the Battalion Headquarters. Home Guardsmen who have not already done so, are asked to return their equipment, etc.l, as soon as possible to avoid tedious .attendance at parades.

“You can expect a good supply of hats in New Zealand shortly,” said Brigadier L. M. Inglis, in an inter- ' iew in Timaru. “When we arrived in Italy, we found that the Germans had iaken everything except fountain pens and ißorsalino hats. These Jiats could be bought for about five shillings each and they were rushed bv the trooDS, so some of them are "sure to find their ',va> back here.” >

The non-wisdom .of travelling by plane at holiday crush periods without securing a return picket has been accentuated during the holiday period in Westland where a number of passengers who failed to take the precaution are finding themselves temporarily marooned as it will be some days before seats are available in the West Coast-Wellington service. Similarly, accommodation on the steam ferries io Wellington is packed for the next fortnight owing chiefly to the conveyance- of Army units returning from furlough.

Fashion has a score of things on her mind but the new Summer Frocks at White’s disclose her forejmost recent thoughts.—White’s Fashion Corner. —Advt.

As forecasted yesterday, a change in the temperature and welcome rain ‘were the features of yesterday’s weather conditions. The temperature recorded al 9 a.m„ noon, 3 p.m. and. at 6 p.m. were maintained at 66 degrees. Rain commenced falling about 4 p.m., gradually increasing in volume with a definite clearing of the humidity, which has prevailed, and was gradually replaced by <*' cooler atmosphere. A sea prevailed on the bar and prevented the Rata from making port. It is likely that the Rata will make the crossing ol the bar to-day at high water. Soundings made yesterday showed practically the same depth of water as on Thursday, the high water reading was 15ft. 4in„ and 6ft. at low water.

The Medical Officer of Health, Dr T. Fletcher Telford, who is shortly retiring, will do so with the credit of a record establshed in the Canterbury and Westland health district for the control of the enteric grouo of organisms, namely, those producing typhoid fever and paratyphoid fevers respectively, that is, the A and B types. For the first time not a single notification under these headings has been received m the district health office for the calendar year just ended. The combined population of the Canterbury and Westland health d strict is 185.499, which is greater than that of any other single health district in the Dominion, the next nearest in population being the Central Auckland district, with a population of 185,140.

The attention of all Axemen competitors is drawn to the fact that no Sports Club will accept any nomination in future, unless such nomination is accompanied by the nomination fee. Competitors: Your co-op-eration is asked for ! Remember the Ngahere Sports Club, with an excellent programme, starts the season on Saturday, February sth.—Be in.— Advt.

Several members of the P-ha Surf Club Auckland, recently had a fight with a sunfish which was 6ft m length and breadth and 2ft 6in through the thickest part of its body. They saw the sunfish while they were out in a surfboat and attacked it with their oars. Excited into a fury, the great fish charged the boat repeatedly, but managed to strike it only glancing blows. Ine bowman of the boat. Mr J. Jenkins, who is the welter-weight box-ng champion of Auckland, finally secured the anchor in the sunfish s mouth but before it could be killed it dragged him overboard. When it was despatched it was estimated to we-gn half a ton.

Rehabilitation Plans! Both in New Zealand and England, plans are being made for the economic and social welfare of the boys when they return from the war. Meantime, housewives, why not make plans for your own comfort and convenience. For example, why continue with the old-fashioned drudgery ,of doing your own washing and ironing! Come in, we’ll show you samples of our perfect work! Overcome that prebudice that a laundry "knocks your I'nen to pieces.” Our modern methods cause far less wear and tear than the old scrub board. And our No. 2 Thrift Service is ihriftness itself, covering ISlbs flat work, completely laundered for only ss. This is the ■equivalent of the average household's fortnightly wash. 'Phone 136. Decot: 27 Albert Street. The Westland Laundry I.td,—-Advt.

Government Departments often acknowledge the receipt of “conscience money,” that is, money sent In payment of some tax or debt which had been evaded only at the cost of an uneasy conscience; People who make payments of this sort generally prefer to remain anonymous. A case of uneasy conscience which was off the usual run surprised the manager of an Invercargill store the other day, states the “Southland News.” A man came into the shop and handed the manager a small article worth a few shillings. The man explained that 15 years before, when he was quite a youth, he had stolen the article from the store at Christmas time. Ever since his conscience had troubled him and this Christmas he had definitely decided to return the article and confess his fault. The article appeared to be almost as good as new.

A moonshine angler, recently casting his fly into that enchanting dusk which shrouds the dimpling stream as day gives way to night, in the hope of luring a fat trout, had the unique experience of foul-hooking a morepork byi the wing. Both were flabbergasted. There were frenzied flutterings on the part of the bird, and .a dumb amazement, tempered by an instinctive winding in of the line, on the part of the angler. Finally the bird wound the gut cast round it so that it could no longer fly. Its beak was free and it snapped so vigorously that the angler decided to scoop it un «in the net, and take it home like that, only a' few hundred yards. When it was unwound and placed on the carpet beheath strong electric light, the morepork was docile, probably because it could not see, but it turned its head frequently as exclamations issued from members of the family, and a five-weeks-old terrier snuffed round it. guardedly. When it was put outside there was a blur of fluffy motion, and no morepork.

I An interesting encounter with- a I family of yellow-crested penguins was experienced by a Dunedin police .sergeant while walking on the Peninsula recently. He first saw the , male penguin on a rock at the top of I a cliff about 100 feet high. As he ' approached the bird commenced to call out, and. thinking it was hungry, he offered it a piece of rabbit. The penguin, however, commenced to lead the way down a steen rock ) face, stopping every few yards and turning round as though waiting for the sergeant to follow. Intrigued by its conduct the seregant accepted the apparent invitation and soon ; came upon a nest which contained the mother bird and two slatey i brown chicks. The nest consisted of a little grass str’ewn over the rock and as it was nearly 100 feet above the sea, the parent birds must have made manv laborious journeys up , the cliff face to keen their chick's nrcyided with food. It was noticed that the male penguin was ringed and it was thought px-obable that it was one of those kept under observation by Mr L. E. R’chdale, who .has made an extensive study of the bird life of the .Peninsula.