News Of The Day

Northern Advocate, 23 May 1941, Page 4

News Of The Day

Training Entering New Phase Training at the Kensington) Military Camp is entering a new and more interesting phase. In addition to drill movements and elementary rifle instruction, fieldcraft is now being included in the syllabus.

R.N.Z.A.F. Plane Crashes It was officially announced yesterday that an aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force crashed at Kairanga, near Palmerston North, yesterday morning, and suffered severe damage. The occupants were not injured.

Many Enlistments. With the departure of a further six members of the North Auckland Elctric-Power Board’s staff to join various units of the Expeditionary Force, staff enlistments totalled 22 as at March 31, the engineer (Mr. T. R. Overton) told the board at the annual meeting in Dargaville yesterday. In addition a number of younger men had carried out territorial training or were at present in training.

Eeware Stackers.

Repeating that no fatal accidents had occurred to members of the staff of the North Auckland Electric-Power Board during the past year, and that even minor mishaps such as transport collisions had been much reduced, the engineer (Mr. T. R. Overton) told the annual meeting in Dargaville yesterday that there had been some narrow escapes, however, by farmers almost fouling hay-stackers in high-tension wires.

Night Manoeuvres There was almost a complete blackout at Kensington Military Camp this week when the first exercise in night manoeuvres was carried out. It was a preliminary, staged within the camp area, to give the training unit some idea of moving under control during darkness. One platoon took up defensive positions, which were attacked by sections from another platoon. The objective of demonstrating points to be given special attention in night operations was attained; but what the men liked best was the fact that it gave a taste of the real thing.

Arrival of Moa

It was probable that the moa had reached New Zealand about 50,000,000 years ago, said Mr. Gilbert Arehey, director of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, in a lecture delivered under the auspices of the Auckland Institute. Mr. Arehey said that the earliest fossil remains so far found dated back only about 5,000,000 years, but there were geological reasons for this. The probability was that the moa had been finally exterminated within 200 or 300 years after the arrival of the first Polynesians in New Zealand. Traditionally the earliest arrival was Kupe, in 950 A.D., but it was not unlikely that others had preceded him. The disappearance of the moa should therefore be set back to seven or eight centuries ago at the latest.

Sheep-Worrying at Aurere. Losses of sheep from worrying by dogs have been suffered by an Aurere farmer, Mr. L. J. Matthews. Of 180 gheep turned out on one grazing ground, only 100 were mustered. A few days later 50 were found dead. Although a nightly watch is kept no dogs have been caught. About 18 months ago, Mr. Matthews suffered similar losses. Steps were taken to deal with the menace, and these appeared to be fully successful, until the recent repetition of his serious losses. The damage done to flocks of sheep, by dogs in the Far North has been a matter of frequent complaint, and it seems as if the time is approaching when it will be a question of whether the country is to grow worthless dogs or produce mutton and wool. .

Post Office Black-out

Complying with the regulations, the Whangarei post office is now a dark building at night. With the black-out, the blinds are down and the office, which previously provided a pool of light at night, is now fully darkened.

Killed While Shunting Fatal injuries were suffered by a railway surfaceman, Mr. R. J. Terry, aged 43, married, of Pal'mertson North, when trucks were shunted in the station yard, knocking him over. The wheels of a truck passed over his right leg. Mr. Terry died in hospital.

Bcmfc Splinter in Linoleum Last week a Cambridge firm received an order of linoleum from England. In the middle of one of the rolls was a bomb splinter which had penetrated nine thicknesses of linoleum. Either the premises of the London firm or the ship in which the goods were brought ffrom England had been bombed.

Poles From Australia

Difficulties regarding the shipment of poles and timber from Australia to Dargaville were outlined in a letter to the North Auckland Electric-power Board at its monthly meeting in Dargaville yesterday from a firm of agents, which suggested shipments to Whahgarei or Auckland ancf an adjustment in freight charges. The board decided that shipments should be made to Whangarei.

Lighting Reduction “The necessity for getting people into line with precautions for thenown safety has not been seriously questioned in this district, and I think people here realise that assistance of any description to the enemy is a contribution towards their own disablement and destruction.” —The engineer to the North Auckland Electricpower Board (Mr. T. R. Overton), in his report to the annual meeting yesterday, when commenting on efforts to reduce sky-glow.

Soldiers Exempt,

Regulations have been gazetted providing for the exemption from stamp duty of all receipts by members of the armed forces for allowances made to them and their dependants. These regulations came' into force on Wednesday, and receipts of this nature will enjoy similar exemption from stamp duty to receipts, for payment which may be regarded as wages or salaries.

* ' #2 * * Home Guard Parade C Company of the Whangarei Home Guard is not losing any time in resuming its activities now the Health Department ban has been lifted. The company commander (Lieut. B. P. Hopkins) has called a parade for all members of this company at the High School grounds on Sunday, when the range practice and shooting syllabus will be carried out. New recruits will be welcome and can be enrolled at the parade, which will be a morning one only.