LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23851, 30 December 1940, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Doctor's Car Missing A Puracil doctor had his molor-car taken from his garage early <>n Saturday evening, and he had to hire a taxi to pay his professional calls upon patients. The ear was found undamaged at, Newmarket, at 2..">0 o'clock yesterday morning, with six gallons of petrol missing from the tank, the battery exhausted, and beer-stains <ui the seats. The Temporary loss of his motor-ear meant a great deal of inconvenience and unnecessary expense to the doctor.

Indian Munition Factories India is no longer dependent as in the past on Great Britain for her store of munitions, according to Major J/. T. Wileock, who has jus), arrived at Auckland on short furlough from his station at Meerut, near Delhi. He says that since the outbreak of the war great factories have been organised in which India is making her own munitions on n huge scale. Jhe work is going on for 21 hours a day in three shifts of Indian labour under English supervisors.

Flying-boat's Attraction One of the largest crowds for many months watched the arrival yesterday of the Tasman Empire Airways Jlyingboat Aotearon from Sydney. In addition to many people who wont to tho .Mechanics' Hay air base by niotoi-cai, others took advantage of the tine day to walk there along the waterfront road from the city. Among them were a number of holiday visitors from other parts of the country who had not previously had an opportunity of seeing one of the flying-boats.

Heavy Railway Bookings Evidence that many holiday-makers will shortly be returning to their homes to he" seen in the increased demand for reservations of seats on railway expresses during the week-end. Most of the bookings are for trains leaving after New Year's Hay, when expresses will be heavily patronised, hut indications are that even before that time there will bo large numbers travelling Two trains left for Wellington yesterday, and in each case the carriages were filled to oapacitj.

Racing Car Overturns _ . . \ narrow escape from serious injury was experienced on Saturday nipht by the driver of one of the midget ears which was taking part in the racing at Western Springs speedway. \\ bile approa el line; a corner in tlu* tonlli wo, JMaihiesoiVs ear lost a tyre and the car spun round sideways and completely overturned. The race was stopped immediately. The driver was assisted to his feet and waved to the crowd that he was unhurt. T-ater in the evening he was hack on the track racing, and received an ovation from the spectators. Coastguard Service Because of the war, many owners of small yachts have concentrated upon Waiheke Island. Consequently, a boat manned hv members of the New Zealand Coastguard Service is stationed at Ostend until next Sunday to give aid to yachtsmen whose boats sufier mishaps. The volunteer patrol crew will answer urgent calls for help fr:»m any p;irt of i lie island, and it anyone is injured will enlist, the services of Mr. C.~s. Butler, the local St. John Ambulance Brigade oflieer. Other patrol boats are stationed at Kawau and Great Barrier. Postal Workers Praised The work being done by the men and women of the Post OHiee staff was praised by the Postmaster-General. the Hon. 1\ C. Webb, after he had been shown through the ofliee 011 Saturday morning. "The general spirit of determination and goodwill among them is just splendid. ' said the .Minister, who referred 10 the very onerous tasks postal workers were called on to perform during holiday time. " I hey are facing up to it and putting all their en org v and strength into it..'' he said. "Jt would do some people good to see how they work and what they have to put up with." Petrol Shortage Overcome A new method of overcoming the petrol restrictions was exploited by several car owners who were met on the Waitakere Scenic Drive yesterday driving hired cars. It was explained by some of them that, having exhausted their petrol issue for the NovemherDeeember period, thev found that thev

cotild still enjoy :i Sunday online by engaging a rental car. it was observed that there was a con-aderable falling of! in tin* number of private cars using I !iis |x) | > 11! ai- highway, brought n lien it no doubt by the lack of petrol, but it was also observer! that five large sightseeing buses carried full loads over the seenie route. Wreckage of Holmwood A vessel which was sent to the Chatham Islands, after the disappearance of the Holmwood, has returned to Lyttclton. She transported the ])ieces of wreckage of the Holmwood from J\aingaroa to \\ aitangi, where the constable took charge ol (hem. They iui eluded some wood iroin the bridge, with a woorlen lifebuoy cleat on it, a partlvj burned window frame from the bridge, land part ol a fore-and-aft beam, about I eight feet long, from one of the holds. | I'lio wood 1 nun the bridge bore marks l staled to have been made by shrapnel, ; Pieces of metal from some of the tituI her were lorwarded to the authorities ; at Wellington. I Sunday Waterfront Work 'lhe loading ot two large overseas vessels continued until about Sb.'H) p.m. yesterday. Work on one of them commenced at eight o'clock in the inorn- ! ing and on the other at one o'clock in the afternoon. Work on a third large overseas ship began at eight o'clock in the morning and was finished before five o'clock in the afternoon. Cool store workers employed by the Auckland! Farmers' Freezing Company refused to work yesterday, but sufficient butter and cheese was brought out of the stores on Saturday to complete the loading of one vessel and arrangements were made to continue the loading of the other vessels with other produce yesterday. Brown Bear's Injury Many people have recently visited the ofiice at the Wellington Zoo drawing attention to an injury received by a little brown bear imported recently from Canada. The curator, Mr. C. J. Cutler, states that the bear had managed to dislodge a bar across a drain connecting its cage with that of the polar bears, and had thrust its paiv through. A polar bear had promptly bit ten it badly. The wound had been cleaned and attended to, and had been accorded careful examination bv tpialilied medical ollicers, who were agreed that the best course would be to leave the wound open; the bear was healthy and would keep the wound clean while it healed. Meantime, however, the bear had discovered that by holding up its damaged paw for sympathy it received more than the usual largesse from patrons, and in this way was drawing attention to what had happened to ife.