LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23780, 7 October 1940, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Blood Transfusions Since the beginning of this month the blood transfusion service of the St. John Ambulance Association in the city has arranged for no fewer than 23 hlnod transfusions for tho Auckland Hospital, of which six were given yesterday. This constitutes a record since tho service was begun in August, 1936. University Examinations Annual terms examinations will commence at Auckland University College to-day and will extend until Friday, October 18, the college term ending on October 31. Tho degree examinations of tho University of New Zealand will start on October 28, and will bo completed within three weeks. A.I.F. Soldier Flies Tho uniform of tho Second Australian Imperial Force was seen probably for tho first time in Auckland yesterday when Private W. A. Leech, who in civil life is a Victorian laundry manager, arrived from Sydney by tho flying-boat Awarua. Private Leech was accompanied by his wife, whoso relatives live in New Zealand. He intends to spend a week's leavo here and will fly back to Sydney when it expires.

Safety Fence at Huntly Motorists appreciate tho whitepaintcd safety fence which the Railway Department has erected at tho approach to the combined rail and road traffic bridge over the Waikato River at Huntly. . This safety feature i»s regarded by officers of the Automobile Association (Auckland) as being highly desirable, in that it assists motorists on foggy nights or at other periods of reduced visibility. Popularity of Beaches

Attracted by brilliant sunshine and a morning tide, large numbers of sunbathers and some early swimmers patronised the beaches on both sides of the harbour yesterday. Passenger ferry traffic to the North Shore was the heaviest since last summer, many people travelling to Takapuna and Milford. The reserve at Mission Bay, which was one of the most popular resorts, was almost filled with motor-cars.

Horse-chestnuts in Bloom Horse-chestnuts are blooming unusually early this year, and a shapely tree at Avoiulalo, well covered with fine spikes of blossom, is arousing tho admiration of travellers on the Great North Road. There are only a few specimens of this tree in tho Auckland district, but in England it is one of the features of tho countryside, being beautiful at every stage of growth and brilliantly coloured during the autumn.

Taupo Aerodrome By notice in the latest Gazette, tho Tauhara aerodrome at Taupo, comprising 4G9J acres, is vested in the Taupo Road Board, on condition that the board is to maintain tho surface, fences and other structures to the satisfaction of the Controller of Civil Aviation and the Public Works Department, and keep the property licenced as an aerodrome under the Air Navigation Act. No stock except sheep are to be grazed upon the land.

Typewriters lor Army Since an appeal for typewriters was made last week by Major G. R. Blackett, M.C., assistant area officer at the Rutland Street drill hall, about ten machines have been received 011 loan for the duration of«*tho war. About six more are still wanted, as well as two portable typewriters. Major Blackett said 011 Saturday that the work of his office would be considerably assisted as a result of the generosity of the people who had sent him machines. Church Buses An experiment undertaken five months ago by the Tamaki "West Anglican parish, of running free buses to bring distant parishioners to church, is stated by the Church Gazette to have proved most successful. Once monthly a bus is run from the rapidly-growing Orakei suburb to the parish church at St. Heliers, alternating with one monthly from Glendowie. Thus a combined service is held fortnightly, and tho church is almost invariably filled.

Petrol Station Hours Two examples of the arrangements under which petrol station hours are j being regulated in the smaller centres aro contained in the latest Gazotto. At Taumarunui tho normal hours on Monday to Friday inclusive are to be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but three stations will alternate weekly in opening from G p.m. to 8 p.m. on those days, and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Saturday hours for all stations will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. At Waiuku six stations will take weekly turns in opening from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Strange Noise at Kaiapoi A loud and sudden noise, which appeared to some to he a distant or muffled detonation, was heard by many residents of Kaiapoi (Canterbury) on a recent evening. The noise was heard by everyone attending a service in a Kaiapoi church, at p.m. They felt a concussion in tho air. A resident living about a mile and a-half from the sea said the noise seemed to come from the coast. He felt his house shake. A friend had suggested that it was caused by tho explosion of a mine. Anti-gas Precautions Training in anti-gas precautions and first-aid has been given to many civilians by members of the St. John Ambulanco Brigade in Auckland. Appreciation of tho work, which has included instruction for wardens and others associated with the emergency precautions scheme, has been oxpressed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, tho Hon. W. E. Parry, on behalf of the Government. To extend tho work, a revised, enlarged and illustrated second edition of a handbook, compiled by the corps superintendent, Mr. E. C. Howes, from official and military sources, is now being made available to the public on application to the brigade. Soldiers on Leave Only small numbers of Expeditionary Force soldiers were to bo seen in the city over the week-end, leave being restricted to those men who were already in camp before tho recent mobilisation of tho Fourth Reinforcements. To givo tho latter a maximum opportunity of settling down quickly to their new life, they were not granted leave, and visitors were not allowed to Papakura camp yesterday. However, Ngarimwahia camp, where the majority of the men are those who preceded tho reinforcements into training, was opened to friends and relatives, and a considerable number took advantage of tho fine weather to make tho trip by rail and road.