General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 7 January 1944, Page 4

General News

Race After Express A man in the uniform of the R.N.Z.A.F. chased wildly down the platform at Auckland railway station this week after the fast disappearing tail-light of the Limited express for Wellington. Appearing through the gates after the train had moved about 30yds. the airman ignored the advice of porters and others that he was too late, and sprinted for the full length of the platform before be clambered on to the last carriage. His triumph was short-lived, for a member of the Provost Corps pulled him off again a second later. Hen as Mascot A Sumner soldier in the Middle East relates another chapter in the life of "Lulu.” the Tunisian wonder hen, acquired as a mascot by one of the units of the Second N.Z.E.F. "The boys,” he writes, “managed to smuggle her across to Italy in a small box. She behaved marvellously on board, although stuck down below all the time in our stuffy quarters. She is now having the time of her life in this country—plenty of grass, straw, lizards, and bugs. What is more, she is laying. She is perhaps the most travelled hen in the world, having completed close on 5000 miles — a good bit of the time in action.” Marlborough’s Sunshine Because of the fickle nature ol figures, which have a habit of getting themselves tangled. Marlborough was robbed of half a hundred hours of sunshine for December (states the “Express”). The correct sunshine total for the month was 294 hours 18 minutes, but through an inaccuracy this was incorrectly shown at 244 hrs 18mins., In December. 1942. there were 271 hrs 12mins of sunshine. so that instead of bringing less sun. last month actually supplied much more. In fashion reminiscent of last General Election a "parcel” containing 50hrs of sunshine, which had been overlooked, has now to be added to the published total. "The Express” comments : "Remembering last election Nelson, which enjoyed only 287 hrs 52 mins of sun, may perhaps call for an official recount of Marlborough’s tally, which probably puts this district second highest for the month Wellington experienced 313hrc 12mins” No Permit Available The Waikouaiti Racing Club was compelled to use the single pool system of betting at its New Year meeting. It intended to use win-and-glace, and bought another totalisator for this purpose, but was unable to obtain a permit to carry out the necessary alterations to the building. Beginner’s Luck A novice at the trots at Alexandra Park last week, a service girl, had the usual beginner's luck Induced to put 10s on Hilda Potts, her delight at the prospect of a dividend turned to disappointment when on her horse running second to Highland Scott, it was pointed out to her that she had backed the horse for a win and not for a place. So she tore up the ticket and threw it down Then Highland Scott was disqualified and Hilda Potts placed as the winner. The service girl and friends made a frantic hunt for her'torn-up ticket and managed to retrieve the pieces. To her surprise the tote paid her twice the amount she had expected. She had picked up and pieced together not her own 10s ticket, but someone else’s -€T ticket "In mid-Victorian days, writes Dr. Ernest Chatemore in a medical journal, i "doctors seemed to regard smoking with ; less favour than does the modern ’ practitioner, who. while recognising that tobacco may sometimes prove highi ly injurious, nevertheless contends that i when this happens the smoker is generally himself to blame for failing to exercise more discrimination in his choice of brands Impure tobacco, i.e.. i tobacco with a high nicotine content. is certainly to be avoided, but if really ; good it may benefit the smoker, for it . dispels worry and may prove very helpp ful in assisting mental effort.” But really pure tobacco ft; not so common [ as may be supposed Fortunately for - New Zealand smokers, our Dominion is 1 the home of “toasted.” famous „ throughout the land for its exquisite ' purity and comparative freedom from t nicotine, eliminated by the toasting - process in the course of manufacture » For flavour fragrance, and all-round ' excellence "toasted” stands alone. Ask 1 for any of the six genuine toasted > brands Cut Plug No. 10 (B.ullshead) , Navy Cut No 3 (Bulldog).-Cavendish' Riverhead Gold. Desert Gold and - Pocket Edition and you’ll avoid imi--7 cations * 1 Alfred Gould announces an auction 5 sale of surplus household effects, to be held next Thursday. 13th inst.. at 2 p m on account Mrs J D. Robertson, at the ■ top of Richardson street.*

Blenheim Stock Prices Selling operations were resumed after the holiday break at the Maxwell road yards, Blenheim, this week, when only a small yarding was submitted to buyers. Sheep are notv getting down in price to somewhere near freezing values, and consequently ewes were fetching several shillings less. Wethers, too, were a shade lower. The store department contained a number of the season’s first lambs for fattening, and the demand lor these at good prices was keen. Lotteries Government revenue in two Australian States benefits from State-conduct-ed lotteries. Queensland has its Golden Casket Art Union, and profits during 1942-43 were £369,000. Ticket sales realised £1514.000. an*, prize-money distributed totalled £967,000. The Government received £75,000 in tax and stamp duty. Since 1920 nearly £6.000,000 has been spent on hospitals and motherhood and child welfare services, and other sums from special lotteries have gone to patriotic funds. New South Wales has lotteries, too. In 194243 there were 95, a record, and State funds received £694,000. The Gift Season An unexpected present was given to an employee of the Wellington City Council during the festive season (records “The Post”). He had left his car in the garage until after Christmas, but left the window open, and when he took the car out after the holidays he noted an unusual squeak in the back. When he investigated after driving round a considerable part of the day he found that a cat had left four kittens in the back of the car. Sharks at Croixelles Some of the largest sharks yet seen in the Croixelles —14 miles to the north of Carluke —are reported by holidaymakers (states the “Express”). This is confirmed by a Blenheim party which has just returned from the locality and which saw one shark, which they estimated to be between ten and 12 feet in length, swimming very close to the shore. As might be supposed, bathers there are not over-venturesome, and several campers who went for a swim before they were aware of the presence of the unwelcome prowlers were chased from the water by one of them. This particular shark was stated to be “as thick through as a cow,” and determined efforts were made to catch it. A stout line was fixed to an oil-drum, and left floating in the bay, and a large shark was actually hooked. Excitement reached a high pitch as the fish made frantic efforts to escape, and attempts were made to shoot it, but finally it swam at full speed into the drum and the blow tore the hook from its mouth. What the position is in regard to other seaside resorts is not known, but one explanation of the “epidemic” of sharks at the Croixelles is that the Jong period of hot weather is enticing them into the warmer water close to the beach. Jam Raspberries The first supplies of jam raspberries grown in the Waimate district are now on the market in Christchurch (states "The Press”). The fruit arrived in excellent condition. Supplies of local raspberries are coming to hand slowly because of the shortage of pickers, and the dry weather is likely to make the season shorter than usual. The shortage of punnets has affected the supplies of dessert raspberries, and those which arc poorer in quality because of the dry weather ar~: being sold with the jam raspberries.