DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 5 October 1945, Page 4

DOMINION NEWS

RAILWAY GUARD KILLED p.A. AUCKLAND, Oct. 4 A guard employed on the WaiukuPaerata branch railway was killed during shunting at Fernleigh Station about nine o’clock this morning. He was Mr. Matthew William Thew, aged 44, married, with three children, of Waiuku. The train which left Waiuku for Paerata at 8.50 a.m. pulled into Fernleigh about five minutes later, and the engine had almost completed it sshunit, and was being recoupled when Thew, apparently slip ped and fell across the line. He was killed instantly. COUNTY COUNCIL BANS hospital RATES. P a WHANGAREI, October 4. The decision to invoke section 59 of the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act, 1926, in order that the Valuer-General may undertake the collection of: hospital rates in the Mangonui County, has been taken by the Minister of Health (Mr. Nordmeyer), according to advice received by the Mangonui Hospital Board from the Director-General of Health (Dr. Watts). This is the outcome of a refusal of Mangonui County Council to strike a rate for hospital purposes for the year 1945-46, following on similar action in the previous year, at the request of a section of the ratepayers, whose derating campaign was headed by district branches of the Farmers’ Union. Levies payable by the County Council to the Hospital Board for the current financial year amount to £8,337. The implication of the Minister’s action is that the hospital rate will be struck by the Valuer-General upon ratepayers. In the event of a refusal to pay, the Valuer-General would have power to employ legal process against a defaulter, culminating in distress upon farm property, stock and chattels. PARCELS' FOR TROOPS WELLINGTON, October' 3. Advice to friends and relatives of soldiers overseas, not to despatch any more pracels, newspapers or surface mail letters to members of the 2nd. N.Z.E.F. in Italy or the Middle East up to and including those who left New Zealand with the eleventh reinforcements was given to-night by the Minister of Defence, Hon. F. Jones. He said that parcels and newspapers from New Zealand, under present shipping conditions, had been taking from six weeks to four months to reach the New Zealand Base Post Office in the Middle East. The position was unlikely to improve and, in view of the fact that all troops, up to and including the eleventh reinforcements, will be on their way home before Christmas, the need to discourage the posting of parcels to these men was clear. For similar reasons, letters to all in the above-mentioned category should be sent by air mail instead of by surface mail. Mr Jones stressed that this advice does not at present apply to those who left New Zealand with the twelfth or later reinforcements, but further information will be given from time to time as news of projected- departures for New Zealand from the Middle East or Italy becomes available.