General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 23 October 1942, Page 4

General News

Blenheim Stock Sale There was a smaller yarding of fat stock at the weekly Blenheim sale and as. in addition, there was more outside competition than usual, an advance in prices was recorded. Store stock was yarded in smaller numbers and realised satisfactory prices. Negotiations for Takahe Particulars of an offer made by the Christchurch City Council to the first mortgagees of the Sign of the Takahe were given to the council on Monday evening by the chairman of the finance committee. Councillor M. E. Lyons, reports “The Press.” The council had made an offer and then rejected a counter-offer and had then stood firm on the terms that the council pay the mortgagee £4OOO of principal money, plus interest and fire insurance premiums. the total amount involved being about £4600. The council, however, refused liability for £590 rates due to the Heathcote County Council. Ten days ago the solicitors with whom the council were treating had cabled to their English principals, but the reply had not yet been received. With the approval of the agent for the mortgagees the council had taken steps to board up windows and take other protective measures against the depredations of vandals. Comfort for Parents Relatives of New Zealand soldiers who are prisoners of war in Germany and from whom little news has been received, may derive some comfort from the following extract from a letter written by Driver L. N. Houston to his parents in George street, Dunedin. (reports the “Otago Daily Times’ ). Driver Houston was captured in Crete a little over a year ago. and has since been in Stalag VIIIB. In the course of his letter he states: “I nm felling trees with another chap. Some of them are sft across, but the work is no harder. We had a gramophone given i us last night and another new uni- ; form. We get our washing done hefe each week—the nuns at the convent do it. They also do our mending, and they make our clothes like new. We have our meals there—good food. too. I received my first patriotic parcel from New Zealand. They send us 200 cigaj rettes each month. All the New Zealand boys have had them. You can ' tell anybody who wants to know that ! the patriotic authorities are doing their I part very well.* , Westwaro Ho! Charles Kingsley’s | famous storm, contains one ot the finest tributes to the virtues of tobacco ever I recorded “When all tilings were made” |<he writes) “none »vas better than tobacco to be a lone man’s companion a bachelor's friends, a hungry man’s food, a sad man's cordial, a wakeful man’s sleep, a chilly man’s fire There’s no herb like it under the canopv of heaven!" Yes. tobacco’s all that—and more—when it’s good!—i e., pure, fragrant. comforting and consoling, and as harmless as science and expert hand- ! bog can make it. And the perfect to- ■ bacco is here, in New Zealand, at our very door ! Ah! you've “guessed it at once!” Yes it s “toasted.” as renowned for flavour and bouquet as it is for the small amount of nicotine it contains! Toasting works wonders! Five brands only of this finest of all tobaccos!—Cut PI ig No. 10 (Bullshead). Pocket Edition. Navy Cut No. 3 I Bulldog'. Riverhead Gold and Desert Gold. But see you get the only genuine toasted, if vou buy any of the brands named vou will!*

Magnetic Rcsurvey In the magnetic iv uiuy of Now ; Zealand being carried out by the Magnetic Observatory. Christchurch, under , it,- Director Mr 1! F. Baird, point.'- ‘ ! in the North Island and 37 m thn South : have been either reoccupied oi «• lab- ! During war up-to-date knowledge "i magnelie elernei t ant in many directions, states the observatory's annual report. Until recently. when instruments lent by lim Carnegie institution ai Washington! were put to field use. New Zealand lacked any cysfematie knowledge ol the rale of secular variation at increasing distance from the Amberley baststation Experience :o fur lias shown the variation to be different from that recorded at Amberley and to bear n relation to the latitude and longitude of a locality. The system for occupying all survey points once every live years has been found necessary in New 1 Zealand, as it has been in U.S.A. General Synod’s Meeting; The Primate (Archbishop West-Wat--1 son) said at a meeting of the Christi church Synod that the General Synod. | which usually meets in February, i would now meet at a later date in j Auckland in 15)43. | strange Companions ! Considerable interest and amu count j was caused in Queen street. Auckland, i by the sight of a small opossum riding , on the back of a dog. The clou, which i was accompanied by an elderly man. seemed quite unconcerned at the alien- j ; lion it attracted and stood quietly in I the midst of a large crowd. Refunds for Local Bodies 1 The Christchurch City Council has i I decided (says “The Press’* on the re-| i commendation of the by-laws and fin- ; ; ance committee, to support the Auck- | I land Suburban Local Bodies’ Assoc a- , , lion's request that the Government i bring down without delay the promised i legislation authorising hospital boards | to make refunds to local bodies for cer- ; tain emergency work. This covers the j provision of emergency and temporary hospital accommodation, compensation ' for the use of buildings as temporary | ! hospitals, payment for maintenance II and treatment of soldier patients, and ; one-third of the cost of emergency ! water supplies. An amendment moved |by Councillors J. S. Barnett and G. (Manning, that the report be referred , j back to the committee, was defeated ■ I after a long debate. | Effect on Soldiers’ Morale Commendation of the provisions in the Fail Rents Amendment B;ll dealI ing with ex-sehvicemen was ex--11 pressed in the Legislative Coun- ■ ■ oil yesterday afternoon by the »lHon. W. Perry (Wellington', and he . thanked the Government for adopting in the Bill suggestions made by the L Returned Services’ Association. An 1 important result of the Bill, lie said, i would be the excellent effect it would have upon the morale of the Fighting Forces, because of the protection it ’ gave to the wives and families of sorHome Front in War ; The importance of the home front I as well as the battle front was stressed i by the Leader of the Legislative Council (Mr Wilson) during discussion on the Finance Bill No. 2 in the Council. Mr Wilson said that a man was not necessarily sewing the best interests of the country by joining the Armed Forces where he might have the satisfaction of getting a shot at the enemy. Instancing police officers and school teachers. Mr Wilson said that many a man was doing a better job for the nation by remaining at home and continuing to do the work he was able to do best. Soldiers’ Subsistence Allowance An inquiry as to whether the Government would raise the soldiers' subsistence allowance of 2s 6d a day for those living out of camp and engaged on military duties to 5s a day was made by Mrs A. N. Grigg (National. Mid-Can-terbury). in a notice of question to the Minister of Defence in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mrs Grigg said it was impossible even for a man living at home to be kept on 17s 6d a week, and many men paid £2 a week and more for board. , Profit in Temperance How abstinence from beer brought its reward to coal miners is shown in ' the experience of 16 colliers at the Seaham mine in New South Wales. They had been contributing 6d a week to purchase a supply of beer at Christmas. but decided not to continue with the project. Then they invested the money in lottery tickets, one of which won a £5 prize. They reinvested this in a later lottery, and one of the tickets won first prize of £SOOO. Clergy’s Wedding I ces “Please dismiss the idea that weddings are a source of income in this country.” said the Rev. P. F. Lanyon at the diamond jubilee assembly of the Baptist Union of New Zealand, when ministerial stipends were being discussed. “In Australia I never married anyone under three guineas or two guineas at the home, but here the wedding fees are appalling.” (Laughter.) The president (the Rev. F. A. Parry) made the delegates laugh again when ho described how he once received as a wedding fee a cheque: for £2. which the bank would not honour when he went to cash it.