General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 8 January 1944, Page 4

General News

Eire in Motueka Hay Paddock At 4.40 p.m. yesterday the Motueka Fire Brigade was called to a fire in an acre paddock of hay in Poole street. The fire was extinguished by means of bucket pumps, and three-quarters of the hay was saved. Mr C. Lummis was the owner. The fire is thought to have been caused by children playing with matches. Uneasy Conscience Government Departments often acknowledge the receipt of ; what is known as “conscience money,” that is, money sent in payment of some tax or debt which had been evaded only at the cost of an uneasy conscience. People who make payments of this sort generally prefer to remain anonymous. A case of uneasy conscience which was off the usual run surprised the manager of an Invercargill store the other day, states the “Southland News.” A man came into the shop and handed the manager a small article worth a few shillings. The man explained that 15 years before, when he was a youth, he had stolen the article from the store at Christmas time. Ever since his conscience hhd troubled him and this Christmas he had definitely decided to return the article and confess his fault. The article appeared to be almost as good as new. Vegetable Supplies Because of the exceptionally dry season most kinds of vegetables have been in short supply at the markets in Christchurch this week (reports “The Press”). Very few cabbages have been offered for sale, cauliflowers have brought up to £1 a dozen, and prices for peas have ranged from 9sd to lid a pound. Carrots have been practically unobtainable, and although the retail prices of carrots and onions have dropped, fruiterers and greengrocers have not ben able to meet the demand Lettuces are almost the only vegetable in plentiful supply. The demand for stone fruit also has been greater than the supply, although cherries are fairly plentiful at comparatively high prices. Very small supplies of stone fruit are coming forward from Central Otago, probably because of the demand in Dunedin, and local plums of the Wright’s Early variety have been in such short supply that fruiterers and greengrocers have been practically rationed. Cherry plums are usually plentiful at this time of the year, but supplies are not coming to hand as rapidly as usual. Washing Difficulties Owing to the difficulty of obtaining laboux\ one of Wellington’s big laundries has notified a number of private hospitals that it will no longer be able to undertake their washing (states “The Post”). This has placed the private hospitals in somewhat of a dilemma, as their weekly wash is a large one and it is not easy to find anyone willing to undertake the work; in the majority of cases it cannot be done on the premises and has to be sent out. Laundry and dry-cleaning firms have been experiencing great difficulties for a considerable time in coping with work owing to labour shortages, and the manager of one firm stated to-day that there did not seem much prospect of an improvement as it was well nigh impossible to get an adequate staff. At one time a suit could be cleaned and pressed and returned to its owner with in a few days, but now it was almost a matter of weqks.

Porters not in Demand "There are plenty of people travelling, but no one wants his luggage carried,” said one of the porters at the Auckland railway station recently. Old women who ordinarily would not carry a postage stamp, he commented ruefully, performed Herculean feats in carrying their luggage to the train. “The thoughts of the coming holiday must give them energy and strength,” the porter added as he watched one man struggle along manfully with a heavy bag in each hand. Feed Prospects in Southland The dry weather has given farmers in Eastern Southland cause for concern about winter feed. There are still many acres of late-sown turnip seed that show no sign of germination, and the lack of vigorous growth among the earlier sown crops has allowed the fly to obtain a strong hold. Areas of cultivated ground are a patchwork of green and brown, showing where seed has been sown before a spell of rain and germinated and where it has failed to receive the benefit of a good shower. The fine weather, however, has allowed farmers to proceed with shearing and other operations. The opening of the* freezing works has drawn off a big number of men from the sheds, and farmers are now compelled to continue the work without üßsisUnce. Visitors to Museum The greatest number of pontons over to visit the Canterbury Museum In u short period has passed through the institution during the recent holiday period (states “The Pro#*”). No positive statistics are kept, but officials of long service report that the museum has never before been so popular. Apart from the increased attruction through the improvement of the exhibit:; and methods of presentation, the school service is believed to be mainly responsible for the increased popularity. Facilities are now available for school classes to be conducted through the museum under the direction of competent instructors who comment on exhibits, and the interest of the children has induced many parents to attend with them in the holidays. Recently a number of attentive groups were seen listening to primary school children explaining what they had been told about particular displays. Manpower on Farms The suggestion that urgent consideration of certain aspects of farming should be given by the Government is made by the president of the South Canterbury Primary Production Council (Mr L. V. Talbot). “It would be as well if Parliament was called together at an early date to discuss, among other important questions, the decline in primary production and the question of manpower for farms with a view to arriving at a definite policy in dealing with these matters,” said Mr Talbot. “There will be an urgent call for more and more farm production in 1944 and ii the post-war years. It is the duty and privilege of all farmers to do all they can to supply that need, but they cannot succeed alone.” Canterbury Health Record A record has been established in the Canterbury and Westland health district for the control of the enteric group of organisms, namely, those producing typhoid fever and paratyphoid fevers respectively, that is, the A and B types. The Medical Officer of Health (Dr. T. Fletcher Telford) told “The Press” that for the first time not a single notification under these headings had been received in the district health office for the calendar year just ended. Dr. Telford said that the combined population of the Canterbury and Westland health district was 185,499, which was greater than that of any other single health district in the Dominion, the next nearest in population being the Central Auckland district, with a population of 185,140. Imported Foodstuffs Housewives have already begun to realise that the comparative liberality of grocers a few weeks before Christmas in meeting requests for tinned and dried fruits and spices was the result of a special seasonal release by authority of the Ministry of Supply. A large proportion of such commodities, it is understood, came from stocks that had been accumulated at strategic centres to meet any civil emergency. All stocks then made available, it was stated, have now been exhausted, and any releases Ynade in the future must be on a small scale. Baked beans, spaghetti, asparagus and tinned soup are also in very short supply and are expected to remain so, but golden syrup, mustard and matches are more easily bought than for several months past. Supplies of rice, sago, tapioca and similar grains are still restricted and the resumption of full shipments must await a change for the better in the international situation, just as the supply of tinned goods is dependent upon the priority demands of the armed forces and the quantities of tinplate released to canners for civilian stocks. Bloodstock Boom in Germany Extraordinarily high price's were realised at a sale of yearlings in Berlin, according to reports reaching Reuter from Stockholm. An average price of reichmarks 24,344 (about £2500 at prewar rates) was fetched for 95 yearlings auctioned at the Hoppegarten. The best figure, twice reached, was Rm. 81,000 (about £5750). The next best bid was Rm. 52,000 (about £5000). An order cancelling horse racing when total mobilisation was ordered last winter was soon revoked, and racing this autumn has reached a boom unprecedented in Germany, the report states. Totalisators can only with difficulty cope with the large queues. Three Gorse Fires Three gorse fires claimed the attention of the Nelson Fire Brigade yesterday and last night. At 2.50 o’clock yesterday afternoon a lead of 300 feet of hose was required to deal with burning gorse on the hillside between Queen’s Drive and the Anchor Shipping Foundry. At 10.50 p.m. a call was received to St. Vincent street, above Parere street, where bucket pumps and beating stopped an outbreak in gorse. At 12.5 o’clock this morning the brigade’s services were again required to put out a fire in gorse in Vanguard street opposite Victory Square.