General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 19 October 1942, Page 4

General News

No Plane To-day Because of misty weather there was no plane service between Wellington and Nelson to-day. The air service between the West Coast and Nelson, has also been cancelled.

Two boys escaped death or serious injury last week when they were playing rc/nd an electric power pole between Paroa and Rutherglen (says “The Press”). With the aid of a rope woven from flax they pulled off the earth wire running up the pole, leaving the bottom of it in the ground. The top of the earth wire came in contact with an 11.000 volt line, with the result that the current travelled down the rope, said Mr Sinclair Trotter (engineer to the Grey Electric Power Board). The boy who was holding the rope suffered slight burns on his hands and on the ball of a foot, when the power became earthed to the ground. The other boy, who endeavoured to free his companion, also suffered minor burns on the hands. They were attended by Dr. H. S. Ray and later taken home. Mr Trotter said that the boys were very lucky to escape, as people were generally killed by such a shock. He attributed their good fortune to the fact that the earth wire had remained in the ground at the base of the pole. Release of Government Seeds The South Canterbury executive of the Farmers’ Union, at last month's meeting, carried a resolution asking for the earlier release to growers of Government stock seed. At a meeting of the executive, a reply was received from the Director of the Fields Division of the Director of Agriculture (Mr H. B. Tennent) indicating that release of the seed this year had been held up because of pressure of other urgent work. “You may rest assured,” wrote Mr Tennent. “that the matter of allocations is being pushed forward as rapidly as possible, and that growers will be notified as soon as decisions have been reached, and the seed is availably for release.” The reply was received as satisfactory in the meantime.