Levin Daily Chronicle TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1939. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 October 1939, Page 4

Levin Daily Chronicle TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1939. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Amazement at the change that liad occurred in the appearance of Auckland since he last visited the city 30 years ago vcas expressed by Mr. J. Waschke, of Durban, who arrived from the East by the Maetsuyeker. Mr. Waschke said he had spent 18 months in New Zealand nearly 10 years ago and had known Auckland when it had a population of approximately 80,000. The progress which the city had made was remarkable, he said, and he was greatly impressed with the beauty of the harbour.

An assistant linesman was killed when he was crushed by a truck in

which he was travelling and which capsized down a bank, states a Whaugarei correspondent. The Victim was Mr. iPerey Hennessy, aged 35, employed by the North Auckland Electric-Power Board. The truck, which was owned by the power board, was driven by Mr. Michael MeKeeney, linesman, employed by the board at Euakaka, and was returning from Whaugarei. When rounding a sharp bend on the road the vehicle skidded in loose metal and, after running uncontrolled for about 100 yards, left the road, overturned down a bank about 30ft.

Why have there been no raids by German aircraft over London and Paris? Mr. D. Endell Wanklyn, of Christchurch, who left Great Britain two days before war was declared on Germany, believes that the answer to this much-discussed question is to be found in Germany’s wholesome respect for the Allied anti-aircraft defences and for the Allied Power to “hit back.” British power of retaliation in the event of German air raids, Mr. Wanklyn said, had been demonstrated convincingly by the : experimental flight of the new giant bombers with their cruising range of more than 30*00 miles and their bomb-load of two ton, they were a potent means of retaliation in the event of “ Erightfulness. ’ ’ He added that some spectacular long-range flights carried out by these giant machines were, believed to have caused consternation in Germany.

In common with many other New Zealanders who visited London, he had been interested in. the ‘ ‘ soap box orators, ” of Hyde Park, said Mr. Samuel Barry, speaking at a luncheon gathering of the Auckland Creditman’s Club recently. The tolerant attitude adopted by all and sundry towards those orators w r as one example of the strength of the British people, he said. He gave one example of an orator in action. “He was a red-haired Irishman,’’ Mr. Barry explained. “Standing there on his box, he 1 told everyone they should join the army, and when they had joined it they should struggle to cause a war. And when the war was on, they should do their best to wreck the British Empire. Along the path a few yards from where he was speaking a policeman was strolling. The policeman showed not the slightest sign that he had heard anything unusual.

An intimation that within the next few days contracts would be let for a further 25 houses, bringing the total for the district up to 244, was given by the Minister of Housing (Hon. H. T. Armstrong) following an inspection of the State house settlements at Marewa and Richmond Block, Napier.

There was a large number of visitors to the Palmerston North Esplanade during the week-end, to inspect the cherry blossom. The Avhite cherry, of which there are not many at the Esplanade, has now shed its blooms, and the pink blossom, which makes the display for which Palmerston Korth is noted, will be at its best this week.

Attention is drawn to the dance organised by the Athletic Football Club, and to be held in the Druids’ Hall tomorrow evening. These dances are always popular and attract a large attendance, and in this instance every effort has been made to keep up the high standard achieved in the past.

That asparagus-canning is likely to develop into an important industry for Hawke’s Bay is shown by the fact that at present half a ton of the vegetable is being cut daily from beds in Hastings. The first cuts have shown not only excellent quality but a prolific yield, and it is expected that this rate will be maintained for a considerable time.

The one longitudinal dent in the hat, to which the Mounted Riile regiments of the New Zealand Expeditionary force clung throughout their service, has gone. Their successors in the Special Force have adopted the four-dent peak wTiich was characteristic of all other arms of the New Zealand service in the last w T ar, It w’as with some misgiving that the men at Ngaruawahia made the change last week, but they have done it to emphasise the unity of the Special Force. These men, of. course, are no longer mounted rifles. Their steeds in this war will bo Bren machine-gun carriers and light tanks but, in these, they will do many jobs formerly given to the horse men.

Circumstances surrounding an outbreak of fire in the Morere Post Office on October Ist, when the building was destroyed, gave rise to a suggestion that the fire had been started deliberately to cover the theft of mailbags, and De-tective-Sergeant H. Nuttall and Detective K. Mills announced yesterday that as a result of their investigations in this direction they wore now in possession of sufficient facts to clear up the mystery. It is understood that a man who lias been arrested in this connection will face charges in the Magistrate’s Court, Napier, to-day. A nearby resident who wms on the scene soon after the fire noticed that boxes in which the mail is usually locked were open, and it w r as subsequently found that four mailbags were missing.