NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 97, 24 April 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

New Enemy Mine. A new form of enemy mine is mentioned by a resident of Bristol, in writing to a friend in New Zealand. “The new mine the Hun is using is giving some trouble,” he says. ”It is ‘acoustic,’ that is, instead of operating like the magnetic mine, it explodes by E sound—the noise of the propeller or the J rudder of a ship.” Mountain Training. A party of 25 Home Guardsmen from E Timaru carried out successful manoeuvres in the Mount Cook region at f the week-end. Through the courtesy of , the Department of Internal Affairs they had the services of experienced hunters j and in the course of planned attacks j under service conditions shot 21 1 chamois and than {Signallers co-op- i crated with sections, thus enabling valuable field experience to be gained. ! Art Union Winner The holder of the winning ticket of £2OOO in the “One For Fun” art union Ji has been identified as Mrs. J. M. lley- i nolds, Blake Street, Waitara. Mrs. | Reynolds and her husband have kept] unusually quiet concerning their good | luck, none but a few close friends be-i iug admitted to fthe secret. It will be a welcome £2OOO. Mr. Reynolds has been in ill health for many years and for the past 12 months he has been an invalid, not even being able to go out. Air Force In Rugby The admission of Air Force teams to senior championship footoall provides one of the important changes of wartime Rugby in Wellington. The Wellington Rugby Union's management committee has accepted the entry of 1 the Air Force teams without making auy alteration in the status of those clubs in the senior competitions last year. Thirteen teams will contest the first division championship, which means that there will be a bye for one team each Saturday. The Air Force, along with Athletic and Wellington, will field teams in both senior divisions. Helping Sport Rents charged to sporting bodies for the use of Auckland reserves for football and hockey are to be reduced by 50 per cent, for the duration of the war. I This decision was reached by the AuckL land City Council following representaJ tions made on behalf of the three .football codes and the hockey organisation. The request had been made that the use • of the ground should be granted free r of rent as sports bodies were faced with II difficulties. It was stated that during y the war sport would be carried on • largely by the youth of the community, such as those attending secondary B schools.

Serious .Shortage of Iron * • Advice has been received from the Ministry of Supply to the effect that the position regarding iron has become more acute, and is now extremely serious,” stated Mr. R. E. Hodge, architect to the Wanganui Education Board, in his report to the monthly meeting of that body yesterday. “Hat iron is unprocurable and corrugated sheets have now to be flattened, tor the manufacture of ridging, spouting, downs, tank bottoms ami tops, and Hashing. - -, ihe position will have an effect on the ouilding works of the board. We find it necessary to consider .very carefully the use of our depleted stocks in all building lines and delays are unavoidable when one must determine the urgency of every jo , o, large or small, Deiore issuing the necessary materials.

Aliens at Elections Enemy aliens are doLarred from ( election as a councillor and from being a councillor ou any New Zealand local oody and they are also debarred from voting at any forthcoming local body election. Otner aliens are deoarred from election as a councillor and from being a councillor, but they are not debarred iroiu voting at a local bod} election, provided tliey kavo the necessary qualifications. It is possible that the names ol some enemy aliens may appear on various rolls in their capacity as ratepayers, but they will not be able to exercise votes because the appropriate Act defines an alien as.one who is a subject of any ytate with which the King is at war aud states that such persons shall not bo qualified to vote at any election conducted by a local body and shall be disqualified Horn election as a inenvber of any local body/ The position of other aliens is somewhat different. An alien, not being an enemy alien, cannot be elected or appointed as a member of a local body, out is not disqualified by reason merely of his alien nationality from voting at nnv election or poll, unless aliens have been specifically disqualified by Statute from voting.