NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 103, 2 May 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Motor-Cyclists in Armed Forces. Motor-cyclists of the armed forces will not require to carry “L” plates on their machines if they are inexperienced riders, according to His Majesty’s Forces Motor-Cyclist Suspension Order gazetted last night. It is pointed out, however, that the riding of j motor-cycles by members of the forfbs is strictly supervised. The Wily Chinese. The wiles of Bret Harte’s “Heathen Chinee’’ were being outlined in Shanghai, according to Miss A. M. Moncrieff, M.A., who has spent 10 years in China. She told Wellington Rotarians on Tuesday that even the puppet government set up by Japan in Shanghai had in sisted on using the Chinese national flag, but to jilacate Japan they had flown a yellow pennant over the top o' it. But, as it turned out, the yellovt disappeared from the pennant after the first shower of rain, leaving the Chinese flag flying free, surmounted by only a plain white flag. Nails on the Road While waiting outside the hotel at Amiberloy to see a passenger in one of the service cars on a recent morning, a motorist picked up several large nails which were lying about near the place where the cars pull up. “You will be lucky if you do not gather in one of these,” he remarked to his friend when the cars (of which there were three) arrivod. Sure enough, a few miles along the road one of thorn stopped as a result of a punctured tyre. The nails were too large to have dropped unnoticed out of somebody’s pocket, and the inference is that they were put there. Callous Mother A case of callous neglect by a mother who left her two young children unattended while she went out and enjoyed herself is reported by the Canterbury branch of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children. The children, one three months old and the o'ther 16 months old, were left from 1.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m., cold, wet and hungry, by the mother who, night after night went out and did not come home till after midnight. The father was in a military camp. As a result of the society’s intervention one of the babies was sent to hospital and both are now in safe keeping. Exercises on Beaches.

If an example set in Wellington is followed in other seaside cities and towns, many men of various ages will have refreshing “Keep Fit” exercises on beaches during the winter. Last Sunday morning a start was made at Lyall Bay by local units of the Home Guard with an officer of the Department of Internal Affairs. After some formal exercises the men played vol-ley-ball, “paddermintou,” and other suitable games. Members of the public are invited to take part in these physical courses, which will be continued on Sunday mornings when the weather is favourable. The Site of Arapuni

The lititle-known fact that the site of the present power station and waterrace at Arapuni was purchased many years ago by Mr. J. A. Pond, of Auckland, to preserve it for hydro-electrical development, was mentioned by the chairman of the Auckland Electric Power Board, Mr. S. J. Harbuitt, at a social gathering held by the board. Mr. Pond, who was now aged 94, said Mr. Hartbutt, offered the site to the Government at a price which no more than covered the expense he had incurred, and the Government purchased it. This was a fine example of public spirit and deserved the highest praise. Building in April Figures supplied by the Palmerston North building inspector show that in' April there wore 17 building permits issued, covering an aggregate estimated value of £7494, as against 34 permits in 1 the corresponding month of last year, with a total value of £12,731. The difference is thus £5237. The following are the figures for the month just closed, with those for April of last year shown in parentheses: —Houses, 7 (9); value, £7042 (£10,718). Alterations and additions to houses, 3 (14); value, £222 (£1687). Sheds, 7 (10); value, £230 (£276). Alterations to business premises, nil (1), nil (£SO). Increased Box-making.

Wartime demands for packing cases for goods being sent to the armed forces had brought about a great increase in box-making factories, Mr. Arthur Seed told the Armed Forces Appeal Board in Wellington when ho asked that a planer operator should be granted exemption from military service. Although the export of fruit was restricted, said Mr. Seed, the box factories would have to treat an additional 20,000,000 superficial feet of timber this year. That was the output of about 20 average-sized sawmills. Even last year, Mr. Seed said, the factories were working overtime. Rumour Not Confirmed

A rumour current in. Auckland during the past few days that the well-known Auckland professional wrestler, Ser-geant-Major Meynell (Lofty) Blomfield, a member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, had been killed in action overseas has no oflicial confirmation. The rumour has caused members of his family in Auckland considerable anxiety, and his mother, Mrs. A. Blomfield, of Takapuna, communicated with the Defence authorities in Wellington. A reply to her inquiry stated that no oflicial information had been received regarding Sergeant-Major Blomfield, and that she could rest assured that any information would bo conveyed immediately to the next-of-kin. Chemists Wanted.

“The women of this country are anxious to do something for the war effort,” said the chairman of the Wellington Armed Forces Appeal Board (Mr. W. F. Stilwell, S.M.), when hearing an appeal for exemption from military service for an analytical chemist. “I am quite sure that young women who have graduated as Bachelors of Science, if approached in the right way, would be prepared to step into industry for the period of the war at least.” The representative of the company which had lodged the appeal said, in reply to Mr. Stilwell, that attempts had not been made to fill chemists’ positions with women graduates. To secure men was practically impossible.