NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 280, 27 November 1939, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Kilted Scout Troop A kilted troop of Boy Scouts lias now been formed at Maunu, near Whangarei. This trop of 20, under Scoutmaster W. Crawford, is the iirst kilted troop in North Auckland, the kilt worn being that of the Royal Stewart.

Stamp of Soldiers Praise for the stamp of the men who had enlisted for the special force and were now in training in various camps in the Dominion was expressed at Auck land by the Minister of Defence, Hon. F. Jones. Ho said he had seen ample conlirmation for the statements made by returned soldiers that the new New Zealand Army was well up to the standard of the men who went overseas in 1914-IS. Lack of Pilots Notice that Union Airways of New Zealand, Limited, had applied to the Commissioner of Transport, Mr. G. L. Laurenson, for permission to substitute a thrice-weekly service in both directions for the present daily service was received at a meeting of the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. The letter stated that the majority of the company’s pilots had been needed for service in the Air Force. Dust at Burnham The most unpleasant aspect of the conditions at Burnham Military Camp is the dust nuisance. The air Is filled with fine dust, much of it raised by the continual passage of heavy lorries along the camp roads. A start is now being made with the laying of bitumen on these roads. It is also intended to plant some fast-growing crop, such as oats, on the ground between huts, and when these operations arc concluded, the dust uuisauce should bo disposed of. • * The Number of the Missing Car is ' ’ An unusual coincidence occurred on Friday afternoon. Whilo driving towards the city from tho direction of Foxton, Mr. L. M. Justice, who was listening to his car radio while driving, noted tho number of a car reported missing in a police announcement ovor the air. Not long after, ho chanced to note the number of a car pulled to the side of tho road in the Himatangi district and found that it coincided with that of the missing automobile. Within a very short time the car was safely in the hands of tho Palmerston North police. Tribute to Y.M.C.A. “The Y.M.C.A. building was the only place in Jerusalem where Jew, Christian and Arab could’meet on an equal footing,” said the new president of the Auckland Association, Mr. W. Calder Mackay, at its annual meeting. Twenty minutes after he entered the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem during visit, Mr. Mackay said, three Jews were shot by Arabs for attempting to do the same thing. In the Y.M.C.A., however, outstanding figures of both races were engaged iu friendly discussion, with no hatred arising from religious or national antagonisms.

Novel Fire Station. The most modern fire observation station to be built in Now Zealand is now being constructed for, the State Forest Service on a spur of the Black Hills, overlooking tho Balmoral pine plantations, North Canterbury. When tho station is completed, an officer of the Forest Service will bo quartered thero continuously to notify headquarters of an outbreak of fire. Early this year such an outbreak burnt through 64 acres of the forest, and its spread was only checked by the quick mobilisation of the Forest Service and voluntary labour. New Type of Desks. A new type of school desk, designed by a member of tho technical instruction staff, Mr. D. H. Boal, has been introduced at the Gisborno High School. The rector, Mr. J. Hutton, explained to tho Board of Governors last week that it was desired to have tables and chairs in tho new classrooms in place of tho usual onc-picco desks, but the problem of accommodation for the pupils’ books had arisen. To all appearance the new desk was a table, but the complete top could bo raised and books placed in the space provided underneath. The inkwell was let in and was not affected by the raising of the top.

Slip in Gorge Shortly before 11 o’clock on Friday night a slip blocked the Manawatu Gorge at the same spot where the highway was affected by a big fall of debris a fortnight ago. By daylight a commencement was made and a one-way track had been cleared by 7.30 a.m. In spite of tho fact that comparatively little rain has fallen in tho vicinity, the surface soil in the Gorge has not consolidated after the recent slips, and at 3 o’clock on Friday morning Mr. Brockic had the area under observation where the surface was “creeping” slightly, though a slip of the proportions ultimately assumed was not expected. “The Day of Stalemate.”

The view that building, the most important of the secondary industries of New Zealand because of tho amount of labour employed, was gradually being brought to a standstill throught the effects of the import restrictions and tho virtual commandeer for defence purposes of essential commodities, was expressed by Mr. J. Roy Smith, secretary of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. He said that the day of etaJemate, which would begin a period of widespread unemployment, could not be far away. Builders were already facing an acute shortage of water pipes, nails, corrugated iron, flat iron, hard board, linseed oil, white lead, galvanised iron tanks, wire, and all liardwear supplies. Trade was being slowed up through delays in securing import licences. It was often overlooked that there were certain materials oil small bulk and value which ■were nevertheless necessary for tho completion of the house. It was not too much to expect, ho said, that builders’ merchants, whose stocks had been taken for war purposes should be granted special licences to replace their stocks without delay.

PARIS: It is reported that 120 professors of Cracow University have been deported to concentration camps in Germany, and that three Polish counts have been executed by the Gestapo.