NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 55, 6 March 1943, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

U.S. Mounts a Horse Nowadays the sight of anyone riding a horse on our city streets is something of a rarity, but yesterday afternoon two American soldiers created attention as they trotted around the Square thoroughly enjoying themselves. Maybe these two lads hail from Texas * or Arizona. Who knows? Fewer Road. Deaths Road fatalities in New Zealand during February were the lowest for that month for the last six years, according to figures released by the Transport Department. The number of deaths was 10, compared with 12 in February last year and 29 in February, 1939. Six were passengers in motor vehicles, three were drivers, and one a pedestian. Mr. Roosevelt Won’t Mind The office of War Information picked up a Tokio broadcast paying tribute to a Japanese shortwave propagandist who talked himself to death denouncing President Roosevelt. Tokio radio said the microphone martyr harangued Roosevelt nightly and overstrained himself. His condition steadily got worse and finally he succumbed.- The radio added: “He died a happy death. ’ ’

The Übiquitous Sparrow The sparrow is a jack-of-all-trades, says a writer in Forest and Bird; it is a flycatcher, at other times, it wages war on grubs, caterpillars, etc.; and in season frequently takes its wages from the grain grower. It does a little poaching at times by robbing the spider's web of its victims. In all temperate climes inhabited by man, there is the sparrow looking optimistic and well, and in order to secure a living taking many risks which other species avoid.

Booking for Haircuts One Auckland barber has overcome the difficulty of manpower shortage and saved himself from the unnecessary rush which would ordinarily have been imposed on him when his assistant was called in the forces. Longhaired prospective patrons must book for a haircut beforehand. The saloon door remains closed except to those who have made appointments, but the barber is sometimes able to squeeze an odd job or two in between appointed times. This method appeals to his regular clientele, who rarely have to wait now, but arrive at the establishment at the appointed time, and are attended to immediately.

In Recognition of Service The executive of the Palmerston North Red Gross Society were advised at the monthly meeting held last week that the Joint Council of the Order ol St. John and the N.Z. Red Cross Society, at a recent council meeting, resolved to issue a joint badge as a small recognition of the service rendered by the respective workers. The award is made to members who have given 12 months’ service consisting of two or more days per week over that period of 150 hours’ service. This badge is to be restricted to the members who are packing food parcels, next-of-kin parcels, surgical dressings or sewing for sick and wounded, and under special conditions to those en gaged in hospital visting.

Triangular Stamps Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer announced yesterday at a meeting of the Dominion Advisory Board of the New Zealand Federation of Health Camps, that the 1943 Health Stamps will be triangular • —the first of that shape to be issued by the New Zealand Post Office. In this respect alone they will be novel, for even in the general world of postage stamps, the triangular shape is un-

common. The Minister added that the central feature of the two-penny plus penny denomination would be a photograph of Princess Elizabeth, and of the penny plus half-penny denomination, a photograph of Princess Margaret Rose, this being done with Royal assent. The former stamp will be brown in colour and the latter green. The Minister said these attractive designs would considerably aid the cause.

Oil Recovery Device Over a year ago the invention of a simple but effective device for the separating of oi’ from bilge-water was reported to have l>een made by two Swedish ship engineers, Bohliu and Ostman. Acording to recent reports in Swedish shipping journals, the device has proved to be effective and over 300 Swedish vessels have so far been equipped with this type of oil purifier. It is also stated that the Swedish Navy has shown interest in the device and placed large orders with the manufac turers. It is claimed that the inven tion makes it possible to recover most of the oil which percolates into the bilge, and from where it is generally pumped out together with the bilgewater, and that it has reduced the ships’ consumption of lubricants by over 50 per cent. Milestones! The milestones in a child’s school life were the first day at school, going from the primer classes to the standards, moving on to an intermediate school, the beginning of a secondary or technical course, the “first job” or going on to the university, said Mr. E. Bary in an address to the Citizens’ Lunch Club yesterday. When speaking to men, he said, he never lost the opportunity to advise “father” as well as “mother” to be by the child’s side at those important times. There was too widespread a tendency to “leave it to mother” He advised a closer acquaintance between parents and teachers and by parents with the school their children attended. “If you don’t know your child’s teacher, I can tell you that the teacher knows a good deal about you,” he added amid laughter.