NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 161, 9 July 1943, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Citizens’ Lunch Club To-day’s subject is "Changing Britain’’ (illustrated), by Mr. H. Grinstead. Election Rolls Closing The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) stated yesterday that the general rolls to be used at the forthcoming General Election will close on Monday next. Freyberg Bond The first person to buy a Liberty Loan bond autographed by LieutenantGeneral Sir Bernard Freyberg was Mr. A. V. Eustege, 130 Grey Street, Palmerston North. The sale was made in the Square yesterday afternoon. June Sunshine The Dominion Meteorological Office reports that during June the sunshine duration was near normal along the east coast of New Zealand and below normal elsewhere. There were larger deficiencies in Nelson, Marlborough ana Westland.

Trout in City Street A live trout, 12in. long, was an odd visitor found in the side channel of the main street of Mcthven, Canterbury, following the recent snowstorm in the South Island. It was beside a cafe. Evidently the fish had been forced up through a manhole of an underground water race which had been blocked by debris, and the water overflow was carried down the storm water channel. Pigeon Range

That some people have an exaggerated idea of tho distances pigeons can fly w r as shown during an Army display in Auckland, when purchasers of liberty bonds were given an opportunity to send messages by carrier pigeons to friends in most parts of tho Auckland Province. The officer in charge was asked, apparently seriously, whether messages would be accepted for addresses in Egypt or Australia. Excessive Rainfall

Except in parts of Southland rainfall during June was excessive. Many districts between Raglan and Wellington, in Marlborough and Canterbury received over twice the usual June rainfall and for several places a new record was established. Surpluses w r ere less marked in North Auckland, Gisborne and Westlaud. Tliero was rain on each of the last sixteen days of the month at some Taranaki stations.

Dimming of Lights The failure of many drivers of Army vehicles to dim their lights when pass ing private cars at night was mentioned at a meeting of the Mauawatu Automobile Association. The chairman (Mr. W. H. Brown) said that it was probably only an oversight on tfie part, of the drivers, and the meeting decided to communicate with the Army authorities. It was expected that there woula be no difficulty in having the matter corrected.

“A Terrible Thing" "It’s a terrible thing to give a two year-old baby drink. I warn you, this is your last chance, and if you appeal again on this charge you will be committed to an inebriates’ home for not less than a year,’’ said Mr. A. M. Goulding, S.M., to William Johnston Reid, machinist, of Petone, who was convicted of a breach of his prohibition order. In the course of a statement made by Senior-Sergeant H. C. Wade it was stated that the child of the defendant had been given beer and was intoxicated. Reid was fined £2.

Gift of Training Farm Expressing himself impressed by the statement of Sir Apirana Ngata in the closing hours of the Budget debute " that few Maoris were accepted for training in the Air Force because ot the small percentage of would-be pilots who can come up to the educational standards required owing to a lack ol secondary school training," Mr. Samuel S. Green, of Donnelly’s Crossing, has decided to make a gift of 300 acres ot farm land adjoining Trounsou Park as a site for an educational institution with a training farm. The land donated is on the main highway handy to the Dargaville-Doanelly ’s Crossing railway.

Quality of Car Stickers When a telegram from the North Island Motor Union, asking for tho association’s opinion of tho new green relicensing stickers for cars, was brought up at a meeting of the Alanawatu Automobile Association, a number of members expressed the view that tho stickers were no use whatever. The chairman (Mr. W. H. Brown) said that he had received complaints from a number of members. He expressed the opinion that, with stickers of such poor quality as issued by the Government, the price for replacement should not be one shilling, as it was at present. Mr. T. M. N. Rodgers sa : 1 that it was no good the Government saying that the materials in the country available for the manufacture of the stickers were <>l poor quality, as the association had its own membership stickers made this year, and they had been very satisfac

Hokitika Air Tragedy The report of the Board of Inquiry which investigated the cause of and the responsibility for the accident at Westport on December 12, 1942, to a passenger aircraft operated by Air Travel (New Zealand), Limited, in which four passengers lost their Jives, has been released by the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, as Acting Minister ol Defence. While tho aircraft was flying at about 4000 feet, the starboard propeller dropped off, and the machine fell into the sea. The board, after hearing much evidence, found that the only feasible inference to be drawn from the evidence was that the check corti fied to by the ground engineer employed by the company, O. D. Openshaw, on December 12, 1912, was not properly carried out, in that tho bolts securing the propeller were not then tightened,, resulting in tho looseness and the ultimate loss of the propeller in flight. The board recommended that such license or authority held by Openshaw to sign out aircraft be cancelled. The board further recommended that a lifebelt be carried for each person on board where any coastal or sea route was followed.