General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 16 August 1944, Page 4

General News

Avoiding Last-Minute Rush 9o far the people of Nelson have been backward in paying the quarterly instalment of the registration levy and Social Security charge which feli due at the beginning of this month. Payments are coming in to the Chief Post Office much more slowly than in the past and the last-minute rush throws a strain on depleted wartime staffs. Retailers’ Conference A conference of the council of the New Zealand Retailers’ Federation and also of the Dominion price control com., tr.ittee will be held in Wellington today. Mr W. A. Armstrong (Nelson) will preside. Matters for discussion include the question of the five-day week, on which a ballot has been taken, consideration of a survey of the actual physical stocks held by representative houses throughout the Dominion, the disposal Of surplus Army stores, and sales tax anomalies,

A bit about beer and baccy! The British working man (vide latest statistics) drinks only half as much beer as he did forty years ago. but spends lour times as much on tobacco! The increased consumption of the weed is world-wide. The rush and tent* of modern life is doubtless responsible. People’s nerves are keyed up as never before, and good tobacco with its soothing, calming influence is a necessity. Here in New Zealand the demand for it has expanded enormously, especially since the appearance of “toasted,” which splendid tobacco is out-distancing all its competitors in the race for popularity. No need to tell what toasting does! Everybody knows that it not only enhances flavour and aroma, but by eliminating the nicotine renders “toasted” safe for even the immoderate spoker. The six celebrated brands. Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), Pocket Edition, Cut Plug No. 3 (Bulldog), Riverhead Gold. Desert Gold and Cavendish, may be said without fear of contradiction to have fairly captured the market. Imitations? Of course there are! Every good thing is imitated! Get the genuine article!*

School Air Raid Shelters The removal of air raid shelters at schools throughout the Nelson district is to be carried out in the next low Weeks, and a start has already been made with the work a!> Hampden Street School. Jessie Maekay I’octry Award At a recent meeting pi the New Zealand Centre of the P.E.N., Mrs Isobel Andrews and Mr O. N. Gillespie were appointed judges in Connection with t!ie Jessie Maekay Memorial Prize for Poetry. The competition for poetry written or published during 1944 closes on 31st January, 1945. Full particulars and entry forms arc available from the secretary of the P.E.N, (Box 965, Wellington) on receipt of u stamped addressed envelope. Vandalism at TahUha Beach The Tahuria Sands Association has planted several hundreds of youiig trees on the part of the Sands Reserve formerly occupied by the Army au ihoritics. The association’s efforts to get that area improved are being hindered by people Who each week-end pull up a number of the trees. This Week’s Coupons Ration coupons available this week are:—Meat (ration Is lid weekly, U coupons worth Bd. child's coupons Is, J Coupon Od, others 3d).—Nos. 41 and 42. Butter (ration Bur. weekly, each coupon 80?.). —Nos. 41 and 42, available Until 20th AugtirJ. Sugar (ration 31b monthly, each coupon 120 z). Nos. 41 In 44, inclusive, available until 3rd September. Tea (ration Boz monthly, each coupon 2oz). —Nos. 41 to 44, inclusive. available until 3rd September. Petrol (ration half face value of coupon >.—No. 2, available until 31st August. Two Airmen Lttse Lives Two members of urn Royal New Zealand Air Force lost their lives In an aircraft accident at a South Island air station on Monday. The airmen wer e engaged in solo flying training when their machines collided ill mid-air. The personnel concerned were:—Sergeant Robert Stuart Pettit (wife: Mrs R. S. Pettit, Coronation Avenue, North Road. Wiiitoll; father. Mr H. L. Pettit, 10 Brighton Street, Roslyn, Dunedin), L/Ae. Keith Edwin Hodge (wife: Mrs J. M. Hodge, 41 Itinenioa Avenue, Devoiipbrt, Auckland; mother, Mrs M. Hodge, 25 Avon Street, Oamaru). Few Empty Shops Within the past few weeks five or six new shops have opened ih Nelson and other business premises are at present being modernised for prospective clients. Except for one or two premises In Hardy street there art) HOW very few vacant shops available ih the city alea. Collision Requel at Takaka At the Court, Takaka, before Mr T E. Maimseli, S.M.. Alex. Kerr was convicted and ordered to pay costs 10b fbr riding a bicycle without a light in Factory road, Taliaka The case arose ap tile result of n collision between the cyclist and n motor cyclist at the* intersection of Factory road and Rototai road. Inaccuracy or Tribute? The tickets in use to-day for the Mel*chftiit Navy appeal were noticed by the more observant citizens to contain what they regarded as an inaccuracy. After repeated appeals for donations to help the men who sail under the "Red Duster,” the flag printed Oil the tickets Wkl the Navy’s White Ensign. One explanatory suggestion was heard: that this was done as a tribute by the Merchant Service to the Senior Arm on whose protection so much reliance is justifiably placed. Forced I,undine in Nea An aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force operating from a North Island air station on a navigational flight on Monday made a forced landing irt~*thc sea about one mile off shore. The pilot and crew were all rescued. The second navigator. Flying Officer Oscar Camille Miller, suffered a hip injury which necessitated sending him to hospital. Flying Officer Miller’s next-of-klrt is his wife, Mrs Jean Miller, 130 Waiwetu road, Lower Hutt,

Anglican Church Meetings Once a year the Archbishop and Bishops of the Anglican Communion assemble in Wellington to discuss and order—with delegates from clergy and laity—various phases of church life fo r the year. Ai*ehbishop West-Watson, Bishop Cherl’ington of Waikato, Bishop Fitchett of Dunedin, Bishop Simpkin of Auckland, Bishop Stephenson of Nelson, and Bishop Bfenhett of Aotearoa arrived yesterday and this morning. To-day they will attehd the ahnual meeting of the Board of Missions, an dthey will be present at the board’s special service of thanksgiving to be held in St. Paul’s Cathedral Church this evening, at which Bishop Stephenson will be the preacher. To-morrow there will be meetings of the standing committee of General Synod, and the Provincial Pension Board and on Friday the Board of Theological Studies, the Military Affairs Committee, the Church Army and tho Publicity and Social Affairs Committee. Zoo Elephant Dead Nelllkutha, the Wellington Municipal Zoo elephant, died yesterday at 2.30 p.m, She had been ill 11 dayß, during which time the cUrator( Mr C. J. Cutler), Nelli’s special attendant, and the veterinarian, made unceasing efforts to Bave her. Just before she died give her some relief from lying down. Seventeen years ago the Madras Government made a present of her to the Wellington City Council. In that 17 years she has given pleasure to thousands of Wellington children and, in the process paid for her keep. A postmortem will be made to determine the cause of death.

Flower Shows to be Revived Flower shows are to be revived in Nelson. The committee of the Nelson Horticultural Society decided last night to hold all the flower shows which the society used to conduct before war conditions caused them to be abandoned. The first one will be a spring show in September. Daffodil Day and the garden competitions will also be held this year.

Motor Transport Referring to the very small number of new motor-vehicles placed in service in New Zealand since the outbreak of War, the annual report of the Transport Department slates that the result is that approximately 40 per cent, of the commercial vehicles in New Zealand are ten years old or over and are rapidly approaching the end of their economic life. The position had, however. been relieved to a limited extent by the release of a certain number of lend-leasc and used army vehicles. Owing to the necessity of having to retain in operation vehicles which normally would have been replaced by new ones, the demand for spare parts had risen steeply. That factor, combined with a general wartime difficulty in securing spare parts from overseas, had created a difficult problem for the transport Industry, The vehicle-inspection staff of the department had therefore been called upon to assist operators to locate spare parts and to give technical at'.vicc in the solution of maintenance problems. Although the patch and repair principle had had to be adopted as a wartime expedient, it was clear that if an efficient road transport system was to be maintained in the Dominion the renewal of a large proportion of New Zealand's ileet of passenger and goods vehicles must in the near future become an urgent matter.