General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 30 August 1945, Page 4

General News

Wear on Motor Tyres “Instances have occurred where loose broken metal of a large size has been placed on country roads,” states the annual report of the Transport Department. “This has had a disastrous effect upon tyres, causing serious wear and sometimes the premature failure of -the tyre. To conserve tyres, the emergency speed limit of 40 miles an hour, and the restriction of tyre loading to a specified maximum, have been maintained,” t"he report continues. “Heavy goods vehicles are restricted to a maximum of 25 miles an hour, and public passenger vehicles to 35 miles an hour.” Work at Massey College It was reported at a meeting of the Massey Agricultural College board of governors that the Rehabilitation Department desired the college to make provision for the training of about 400 ex-servicemen next year, compared with over 200 this year. The college enrolments in 1945 were more than 500, including the ordinary civilian students. In order to ease the position, the college authorities have decided to introduce fourth-term instruction this year for ex-servicemen only. This additional term will not conclude until a few days before Christmas. More Bursaries Granted Twenty-one overseas educational bursaries were granted by the Rehabilitation Department last month to ex-ser-vice men and women. Intended mainly to meet the needs of post-graduate students, the bursaries are of £250 sterling a year in whatever country the course of study is taken. The department has now awarded 66 bursaries. One of the new bursars is going to England for post-graduate surgical work at a London hospital with a view to becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Another will specialise in medicine at various hospitals in England and at the Royal College of Physicians in London. A third will st udyfor his diploma of anaesthetics at Edinburgh University, the Nuffield Institute and the Royal College of Surgeons.

White linen Suits, beautifully Tailored. Longer Coat line. S.S.W., S.W. and Wm.’s. 83/9 to £7/10/-. (8 Coupons). McKay’s;* Alfred Gould and Son announce details of an attractive catalogue to be sold at public auction in the Rooms, Hardy street, to-morrow, Friday, at 2 p.m.* Summer Suits for little boys. Will launder perfectly. 16in, 18in and 20in. From 10/11 (2 Coupons). In the Showroom at McKay’s.* Spring Suits in light weight woollens. Delightful styles in shades of Grey, Rust, Blue, Petrel and Green. Sizes S.S.W. to Wm.’s. Priced from 82/3. ('ll Coupons). McKay’s.* Girls’ Black Italian Cloth Bloomers. Heavy Quality. 14in, 22in, 4/11. Me Kay’s.*

Field Daffodils Daffodils in a natural setting have a charm quite different from those growing in a more formal arrangement in gardens. When grown in clumps under trees or dotted over a paddock narcissi of various types provide beauty even though individually they may not be show bench blooms. Among other parts of the countryside the Wakatu district is particularly gay with field daffodils at present. Both alongside the main road and the little used back road they are to be seen scattered carelessly among the pastures, peeping through hedges, advancing along roadsides and lining the banks of streams. A stroll through Wakatu and Enner Glyn brings to mind pictures of many an English countryside in spring. Whaling Season Ends The season for the Tory Channel whalers has officially closed with a catch totalling 107 whales. This is equal to the previous record season, although a further two whales were caught that year after the official whaling party had been disbanded. Beer Famine Averted Auckland, in one of the critical years of the war, was threatened with a Christmas beer famine, states the “Auckland Star.” Importations from Great Britain of carrageen seaweeds of French and Irish origin, used to clarify beer from the “muddy” stage, liad run out at a certain brewery—and the peak of the festive season was only three weeks off. It was a case of no carrageen, no beer. Such was the emergency when the services of a botanist—a woman—were enlisted. The expert who came to the rescue of the brewery was Miss Lucy Moore, M.Sc., a graduate of Auckland University, who joined the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1938. She is attached to the Botany Division, Plant Research Bureau, and was recently elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. When {old of the brewery’s predicament Miss Moore went out, collected a sackful of carrageen from Cook Strait, sent it to Auckland and saved the day. Beer-lovers of Auckland City might well take off their hats to her. There has since been no shortage of carrageen. It is believed that 'the brewery got such a fright that it laid in stocks sufficient for years. Carrageen, which is the Irish moss of commerce, is a blackish, rather fleshy seaweed with much branched stivped fronds three to 10 inches long.

Tinned Fruit Supplies “Are there over-supplies of tinned pineapple and peaches in the various Air Force canteens, and is it permissible for present Air Force personnel to purchase these for distribution to their civilian friends?” asked Mr S. W. Smith (National, Bay of Islands) in a notice of question to the Minister of Supply in the House of Representatives. Mr Smith also asked whether those supplies would be available to the general public when the Air Force camps closed.