LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24049, 21 August 1941, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Princess Margaret's Birthday The 11th birthday of Princess Margaret Rose frill be celebrated to-day. The younger daughter of King George and Queen Elizabeth, she is four years the junior of Princess Elizabeth, the heir-presumptive to the Throne. Princess Margaret was born at Glamis Castle on August 21, 1930. Cook Islands Oranges The past orange season in the Cook Islands has resulted in some very large shipments, and the people have benefited greatly, especially in the outer islands, says the Press Association correspondent at Rarotonga. No further orange shipments will be made until next March or April. Offer by Women's Auxiliary The Women's War Auxiliary Corps in Hamilton has given an undertaking to the organiser of national savings in the. Hamilton district, Mr. E. H. Tyler, that each member will secure five new accounts. Mr. Tyler stated that this was a unique gesture, and was probably the first of its kind in New Zealand. Record Rate Collection Information that there has been a record rate collection in the Devonport Borough this year was contained in a report submitted by the Mayor, Mr. R. G. May, at last night's meeting of the Devonport Borough Council. A sum of £250,062 has been collected, representing 67.13 per cent of all the rates, compared with 65.61 per cent collected for the corresponding period last year. School Building Delay A decision to send its architect to Wellington to expedite authority to proceed with the erection of urgentlyrequired school buildings was made at the Auckland Education Board meeting yesterday. The chairman, Mr. W. J. Campbell, said that in a number of instances overcrowding could be relieved only by additional classrooms. A special problem existed at Orakei, where, it was anticipated, another 150 pupils would be seeking admission to the school. Hospital lor North Shore Advice that they were willing to be represented at a meeting of North Shore boroughs to discuss the proposal of a hospital for the North Shore was received from the Northcote and Devonport Borough Councils at a meeting of the Birkenhead Borough Council last night. The Takapuna Borough Council advised that it did not consider the time opportune for the proposal. The Birkenhead council instructed Mr. A. Hadfield to arrange a meeting of the three interested boroughs as soon as possible. A Good Measure When a question of distances arose in the Supreme Court yesterday, a witness described a motor-car as having been "about as far away as that rail." Mr. Justice Callan expressed a wish to know just how far that actually was, and when both counsel declined the responsibility of pacing it, His Honor invited the Court orderly, Constable Wright, to step it out. The constable did so, and reported 28ft.. At that moment the registrar produced an official plan of tl\e Courtroom. His Honor, after scrutinising it, said: "That makes 27ft. 6in., which, allowing Gin. for the position of witness' chair, makes exactly 28ft." Messages From War Prisoners Several messages from Australians and one from a New Zealander, all of whom are at present prisoners of war in Italy," yere heard shortly after 6.30 last evening in a broadcast from the Vatican City. An' Auckland resident who tuned in to the broadcast said that the New Zealander was Sergeant McMillan, of Wanganui East. No further details wore given. Sergeant McMillan's message was to the effect that he had been in the Italian prison camp since last February and, although he had written many letters, he had received none from home. The prisoners themselves did not speak, their messages being read by the announcer. Altogether about 30 messages were read, ,