NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 142, 17 June 1941, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Unusual Bird Visitor A giant petrel a sea bird of scavenging habits and blackish-blue in colour, was an unusual visitor to the Kairanga last week. It was first seen on the Kopane Road in an exhausted condition and was later taken to the Kairanga School, where the children were very interested in it. The specimen had a wing span of about six feet. It was allowed its liberty and later disap peared. Price of School Clothing The opinion that the price of school clothing was too high, and that the Price Tribunal should investigate the matter thoroughly, is expressed in a remit which will be discussed at the annual meeting of the Auckland -School Committees ’ Association on Wednesday. The remit considers that the committee should prbtest against the difference between the wholesale and retail price of school clothing. £2OOO Winner Works in Match Factory The winning ticket in the ‘ 1 Lucky Feeling" art union is held by Miss Dorothea McDovvall, of Bathgate Road, South Dunedin. She is employed as a typist at the match factory at Caversnam. Her mother purchased the ticket for her from an aged seller in Queen Street, Auckland, on May 0. A remarkable feature of Miss McDowall’s good

fortune is that her next door neighbour in Bathgate Koad won £2OOO in the art union about four years ago. School Boys as Territorials When the Wanganui Education Board was advised yesterday that youths of 18 years of age attending secondary schools were required to register for Territorial training and that the board would have to follow the usual steps it it was desired to appeal on their behalf, Mr. X. W. Mudford (Eoxton) said it was a serious matter when boys were likely to have their studies interrupted. The chairman (Mr. E. F. Hemingway) replied that the board could do nothing. It was in the hands of the Government. Home Guardsmen Pick Maize

Homo Guardsmen settled the labour prooiem for one larrner at Whakatane when he could not get Maoris to piucx his 10 acres of maize, f armers in the Bay, in response to the Government's request, grevv many hundreds of acres more maize this year, but are finding labour scarce for the cropping. iNiiiety Home Guardsmen, however, spent three hours at the work and picked all but 12 acres. They were rewarded at contract rates, and the funds will go to the expenses of running the Guard. West Coast Timber

The West Coast sawmilling industry, according to recenit advice, is to be called upon to supply a proportion oi the timber required xor a large number of cases and crates in which supplies for the armed forces overseas wiii oe packed. No details of the actual amount of timber required tor zsortn island manufacturers nave yet been received, but orders have already been placed for a quantity of good ordinary grade rimu tor case making. It has been found that a good deal of sap rimu required for bu6ter J boxes has already been supplied. Auckland Telephones

The culmination of nearly 18 months’ work will be reached at midnight on yaturday, when a large amount of new equipment will be brought into use in the Auckland telephone system, and about 10,000 numbers, about one in every three in the area, will be changed. The work, whicn has involved alterations at the Central, Mount Eden, Remuera, Ponsonby, Devonport, Tanapuna and Onehunga exchanges, will clear the way for future expansion as rapidly as war conditions will allow, and will greatly help in overcoming congestion, illegally on Premises

a young man who was found without excuse on the premises of the Tiki Bacon Company in Princess Street, Palmerston North, at 1 o'clock on Friday morning, appeared in tne Magistrate's Court yesterday to answer a charge of being a rogue and vagabond. SeniorSergeant J. Mclntyre said accused had wit a him a drum and rubber tube for syphoning benzine from the company’s lorries and his explanation was that he wanted some petrol because the vacuum tank on his car which was on the street outside, had gone dry. It was suspected that he had already transferred live gallons'to his car and was back for more when interrupted. The seniorsergeant said petrol thefts were hard to detect and they were being constantly reported to tne police. Accused, whose name was suppressed, was admitted to probation for 12 months and ordered to pay 13s 4d for the benzine taken. Treatment of Injured Footballer At the monthly meeting of the Palmerston North TLospitai Board yesterday, Mr. T. Green asked if it was a fact that, as published in the press, an injured footballer had to wait an hour p,nd 40 minutes for treatment at the “outpatient department on a recent Saturday and was then told that it was not open on Saturday afternoons. The medical superintendent (Mr. J. H. North) said he had communicated with the Manawatu Rugby Union, at whose meeting the statement was made, and the union had undertaken to correct the information. The facts had been quite wrongly state.d. That afternoon the staff were particularly busy and the player was kept waiting for 25 minutes. The player said 40 minutes, and the statement at the Rugby Union meeting said an hour and 40 minutes. The player was asked to come back on the Monday for an X-ray examination. The misunderstanding about the department .being closed at the week-end probably arose over this point. The department was open on Saturday afternoons and over tne week-end for serious or urgent