General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 10 April 1945, Page 4

General News

This Week’s Coupons. Ration coupons available in the South Island this week ending 14th April are:—Meat (ration Is 9d weekly), H coupon worth 6d, others 3d; child’s ration lid weekly. J. coupon sd. Nos. 23 and 24. Butter (ration Boz weekly, each coupon Boz).—Nos. 23 and 24. available until April 15. Sugar (ration 2Jib monthly, each coupon 10oz>. —Nos. 21 to 24. inclusive, available until April 15. Tea (ration Boz months, each coupon 2oz). —Nos. 21 to 24, inclusive. available until April 15. Petrol (ration half face value of coupon). —Nos. 9 and 10. available until April 30. New Zealanders Overseas The high regard in which New Zealanders were held overseas was referred to by the Acting-Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash), when he said the Government had undertaken to find some legal workers for positions in Kenya. Mr Nash said that the Governor of Kenya (Sir Philip Mitchell), while Governor of Fiji, had had New I Zealanders associated with him, and he : was so pleased with their work that he had appealed to the Government to find him some men for legal service in Kenya. In spite of the manpower shortage the Government would endeavour to do so. Flying-Ant Invasion Swarms of flying ants were responsible for an unusual spectacle durin° the Takapuna Boating Club’s race for Z class yachts at Auckland on Saturday afternoon, states “The Herald.” The boats had been just drifting for some time, almost becalmed, when spectators on shore saw sudden activity among the crews. The cause was swarms of flying ants, which made conditions most uncomfortable, especially just arounjl the buoy off Northcote.

Power Supply in Bullcr Area A conference was held recently »1 Westport between the Westport Borough Council and the Buller County Council to discuss the advisability of forming a Buller District Power Board. The county engineer (Mr C. F. Sehadick) was instructed to procure infoi> mation about the procedure and legislation needed for the establishment of a power board. A comprehensive statement has been drawn up by Ml Schadick. It will be considered at a meet ing of the Westport Borough Council to be held on Wednesday. The Buller County Council has expressed its support for the scheme, and the Borough Council, at its next meeting, is expected to dobate the scheme and its possible relation to the council's power supply department, which is the only organisation of its kind operating in the district. The department’s activities are supplemented by power purchased from the Westport Coal Company at Denniston. P.W.D. Congratulated. The prompt manner in which the Public Works Department erected a temporary bridge over the Moutere stream following the recent accident which resulted in the collapes of the Jubilee bridge, was the subject of complimentary references at last night’s meeting of the Automobile Association (Nelson). It was decided to write to the District Engineer (Mr F. W. Lindup) thanking him and his staff for the manner in which the emergency was met. As a result there was no inconvenience to traffic over th e Easter holidays. Girls Help in Factory “In response to a convincing appeal made by the Manpower Officer. I agreed, with your consent, to allow 50 of our senior girls to work at Kirkpatrick and Company’s factory for a period of eight days before and after Easter.” said Miss J. Stewart, Lady Principal in a report to the Nelson College Council of Governors. "The consent of the parents of the girls who wished to undertake this work was obtained and 50 girls worked for five daysbefore Easter and one more day last week. They found a seven-hour day quite strenuous, but they enjoyed the experience and I was very glad to hear that they had given great satisfaction and had done valuable work at a critical time.” Vandalism at Tarakohe. The Patrol Officer of the Nelson Automobie Association (Mr N. M. McLaren) reported to last night’s meeting of the executive committee that a number of names had been pencilled or scratched on to the Abel Tasman Memorial at Tarakohe. The president, Mr C. M. Rout, commented that it was regrettable that some people did not have more respect for a beautiful piece of work. The Internal Affairs Department wrote to the association advising that it was intended to place a protecting rail on the top of the cliff near the memorial but its design would have to be in keeping with the memorial.

Life Saving Certificates Gained. “During last month many girls passed life saving tests. Four were successful in gaining the bar to the Award of Merit (silver medallion) and well over 100 passed other tests, including those for the Intermediate Certificate and the Bronze Medallion,” said the Lady Principal. Miss J. Stewart, in her report to the Nelson Coliege Council of Governors. “Credit is due to the persistent effort of the girls concerned and to the training given them by Miss Paul and Miss Aldridge. No little credit is due also to the encouragement given to the candidates by Mr H. Davy, who examined them.” ‘‘Fill Her Up” That there ax*e stil some people who, when ordering petrol, cap say. “fill her up,” was revealed in a talk given by Flight Lieutenant E. C. W. Anderson, D.F.C., Bomber Command, to the Hastings Rotary Club. The speaker said that to the usual query of "How many do you want?” he would reply, “Oh, about 1500 gallons.” It was not unusual for planes in Bomber Com mand to carry up to 2300 gallons of petrol for a night’s effort, continued Flight Lieutenant Anderson, and as none of the crews knew their target for the night at the time of fuelling they were soon able to form fairly accurate advance opinions of where they were going once they knew the petrol load allotted them.

Waterspout at Castlecliff A waterspout provided a brief but spectacular display at Castlecliff recently, says the “Wanganui Herald.” First observed at 9.15 a.m. about twe miles south of the river entrance, making its appearance during a fierce rain squall, the spout reached a height estimated at 300 feet and came racing in towards the shore, gradually dissolving on the way. On striking the South Beach it disappeared in a flurry of spray and disturbed sand. It lasted less thart three minutes.

Boys’ Careers. t The occupations taken up by boys leaving Nelson College last year were summarised as follows by the Principal, Mr H. V. Searle, in his report to the Council of Governors: Transferred to other districts, 18; school teaching or training colleges, 7; University colleges, 30; professional engineering, surveying. achitecture. 2; Government or local body clerical service, 3; banks, insurance, legal, commercial houses, shops and warehouses, 21; Government or local body manual trades, 3; building, 9; motor engineering, 5; general engineering, 24; other trades, 7; farming, 39; factory operatives, 5; various, 10. Return to the Church So far there were no signs of a return to the church, said the Bishop of Wellington (the Rt. Rev. H. St. Barbe Holland), speaking at the induction of the Ven. Archdeacon E. J. Rich in the parish of St. Peter’s in Wellington, though there were signs of a growing sense of bankruptcy in the philosophy of life adopted by the majority of people. "Let- us remember that God has a future for the world and that we are defending a world that God has not abandoned,” said the Bishop. "Go home and find your fresh springs in God.” Watersiders’ Courage A letter expressing appreciation of the action of two waterside workers who dived into the harbour in an unsuccessful attempt to save a wharf superintendent from drowning on Wednesday morning has been received by the Auckland Waterside Workers’ Union from Captain H. M. Snyder, superintendent of the Water Division of the United States Joint Purchasing Board at Auckland. The wharf superintendent was Mr R. G. Watts, who was drowned when a cargo vehicle he was driving went over the side of Prince’s Wharf. The men who dived m after him were Mr J- O’Connor, a union executive member, and Mr Gainsborough. "Both Mr Gainsborough and Mr O’Connor jumped into the harbour and repeatedly dived, attempting to find Mr Watts’ body.” wrote Captain Snyder. "It was only after much persuasion that they left the water. I am certain that, their unselfishness and courage has been indelibly stamped in the minds of all those men who were at the scene of the accident.”