GENERAL ITEMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 15 October 1941, Page 4

GENERAL ITEMS

“Depression Juniors.” ‘T believe that something is being! done about ‘depression juniors,”’ said the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, in : opening the annual conference of the* executive council of the New Zealand Public Service Association in Welling- j ton yesterday. Something certainly j would be done to overcome the disabilities of those who joined the service during the depression, he said. First Woman Member of Synod For the first time in the history of ‘ the diocese of Christchurch a woman j member is attending the Anglican : Synod, which opened on Monday (states ‘The Press”). She is Head Deaconess Joan Spencer-Smith, principal of St. Faith’s the diocesan house for training women workers, and is synodsman for the Shirley parochial district. Deaconess Spencer-Smith was formerly senior tutor of the London Diocesan Board of Women’s Work, from 1920 to 1929, and began her work in Christchurch in 1931. Trathen’s Exhibit Spring Frocks, Millinery. Silks. See details advt. Page 3." 1 See Trathen’s advt. Page 3. Special ; Spring Offering Frocks. Millinery, Fer- ! guson’s Silks.*

Slocking Shortage in I'.S.A. An indication tli.it silk stockings are • not s-> easy to obtain in the United Slates of America as might be imagined is contained in a letter recently ■received from a former New Zealander ! now m busnics.- m Salt Lake City. ■ Utah. ' 1 have receive.l quite a few request.. to send women’s hose out to l New Zealand. but over lure we are jmi fieri rig in the same way.” he writes. j lie ‘told me th.it he had received the ] last shipment, of hose that he would be able to procure for a long time, as all the hosiery factories had been taken over by the powers tha* he and had to manufacture parachutes for home defence and for Great Britain. So you i will see that we are going to be short jot things, as well as you good people in New Zealand.” j Sunspot l-i/./.liiig Out. The gigantic sunspot, which a few ■ weeks ago was the cause of magnetic iconic round into view again. But. it i self, and has shrunk to dimensions | which make it just, an ordinary spot ! of very little significance. In the meanj time another new group of spots has | appeared and will be shortly crossing j the sun’s meridian, but. at present this 1 new disturbance does not give any iui dication of unusual activity. Kookaburras in New Zealand. ! Answering a question as to whether : there were kookaburras in New Zealand. Mr L. W. McCaskill, of Christchurch. stated on Monday that the j kookaburra or laughing jackass, was introduced to Now Zealand at various i times between 1865 and 1880, but the ; only success was with those taken to | Kawau Island by Sir George Grey. Some years later tlu' birds crossed to ; ihe mainland, where they also estub- ] fished themselves sueces: fully. They might be found in various places along the east coast from Devonport to Recognition of Lons’ Service. ! Recognition of over forty years’ ser- \ ce on local bodies is to be accorded jMr Horatio Everett on Friday next at j 2.30 p.m. at Motueka. The function has ; been organised with the object of extending to the public at opportunity to show their appreciation. Women Teachers and Overseas Service. J The Education Department’s view ]on the question of women teachers ] volunteering for service overseas is ! that, while so many male teachers are serving with the force:. women j can render maximum service by remaining in the profession (states the '“Express”). This statement is contain!ed in a letter to the Marlborough College Board of Governors in reply to an inquiry regarding the position of such a woman teacher as far as superannuation, etc., was concerned. The Director of Education advised that no policy had yet been fixed in this regard. If a woman teacher was accepted foi service, however, an application for the protection of her rights to her position upon her return, or for other benefits, would be considered on its merits. Kowhais Flo-. in Profusion Kowhais are flowering in profusion in the Nelson district this season. Thenmasses of yellow blooms stand out in I many a knot of native bush, on hill and plain. They 1 ive long been favourite trees for planting in Nelson shrubberies and some of these are growing big in domesticity and bloomi ing luxuriantly. Unfortunately, they j make a litter when buffetted by the 1 storms as they were last week. It has truly been a golden season for the tuis and other honey-eating birds. Most of Ihe kowhais in the Nelson district range in colour from the lighter yellow to deep orange. There are many varieties of them. Gensrally speaking the North Island varieties seem to be deeper in colour and more delicate in the leaf than those in the South island. i “Definitely No Dogs” I The question known so well to fiat I hunters, "Have you any children?” was ; given a queer twist when some fiats I were being inspected at ( hristchurch. lAn obliging agent produced several cards containing particulars of the I places to be seen, and on one card, ] written in pencil in the corner, was “Children 0.K., but definitely no dogs.” Non-political Body “The New Zealand Returned Soldieis’ Association must be kept as a non-political body.” said a member at the annual meeting of the Port Chalmers Returned Soldiers’ Association. Tr was decided to forward from the meeting to the conference to be held at Wellington this month a resolution reaffirming the decision reached last May that the Returned Soldiers’ Association should be non-political and nonsectarian. The opinion was expressed that the move to change the position would be overwhelmingly defeated. Amputation Essential? Mr Justice Blair had his own way of describing a crossing keeper when a ! civil action was being heard in the ! Supreme Court at Timaru. Mr W. D. i Campbell, who appeared for one of the parties, was referring to the need for a flagman at a point on the main south road. “I suppose you mean one of those men with one leg?” asked his Honour. After laughter had subsided his Honour continued. “I always had a theory that they waited till they cut a man’s leg off before putting him on to that job.” New Avenues for Export Trade i As a result of war conditions, a j number of opportunities have arisen 1 for New Zealand manufacturers to 1 develop new export trade business ‘ provided shipping and other war-time difficulties can be surmounted (states "The Press”). The secretary of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association (Mr R. T. Alston) said that in the last few weeks inquiries from various quarters about New Zealand’s export possibilities had been received by the association's office. The recent inquiries came from Toronto, Palestine, the British West Indies, Burma, Calcutta and Singapore, and the articles about which , inquiries were made covered plumbers’! supplies, matches, candles, tinned foods, pharmacetutical preparations, biscuits, ] margarine, shoe polishes and baking ! powder. A number of manufacturers, ! be said, had already established com- !> unication with the overseas contpan- | ics concerned in the hope of being able to complete arrangements with them. j Two veterans of the cue met in an ! Auckland billiard saloon the other evening, and while waiting for a table j got talking tobacco, us old smokers j will. Said one: "Don’t know how it is. ! Bob, but 1 don't seem to got the I pleasure out of my pipe I used to. Losi ing my taste for it.” "Reckon you're i brand-tired.‘ " said Bob. “You want a j change of baccy, old man. Myself. I've i been smoking same old brand lor 2D years, and wouldn't change. Why should I? 1 can't get anything better, or so good. But there are brands, 1 know, that go off” a lot. Mine —Cut Plug No 10 (Bullshead))—doesn't.” "Toasted isn’t it?” asked the cobber. “That’s right! One of the five genuine toasted brands —Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead). Navy Cut No. 3 ‘Bulldog). Cavendish, Rivcrhead Gold and Desert Gold. And next to no nicotine in any jof ’em! The toasting docs it, my bov! I Now you try Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullsj head), and 1 wager a new hat you’ll I soon relish your pipe again!” And so j tie did!’

I Cigarette Bulls and Fires. I Motorists who throw cigarettes from car windows were blamed as the cause (of many grass and scrub tires by various speakers at the fire prevention con. i forenee at Dunedin, but an expert, Mr It M. Uren, of the State Fon t (vice, declared that it was impossible to start a fire from a cigarette butt i states the "Star.” He has experimented I under all sorts of condition.' , he do • i dared, but had never been able to start a tire. Most butts burnt out in up to two and a half minute::. The I bottles, particularly those of clear glass* When there was water in a bottle, its effect was twice as bad.