LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24251, 17 April 1942, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Married Men's Appeals The first substantial list of appeals arising out of the ballot for married men with children was heard by_ the Auckland Area Manpower Committee yesterday. Efforts are being made to dispose of the bulk of the 1424 appeals before the end of the month, and with this in view the No. 1 Armed Forces Appeal Board, sitting as a manpower committee, will also deal with a number of the cases. Lure of the Mushroom The peculiar lure of the mushroom as an article of diet was illustrated by the experience of a city restaurant yesterday. In the entrance window was placed a particularly attractive-looking basketful of mushrooms, intended merely as an inducement to people to come in and dine. However, so many shoppers came in to inquire if they were for sale that it became necessary to add a notice that they were for consumption on the premises only. Tabulating Ration Cards A huge task is being undertaken by the special staff at the Town Hall concert chamber in connection with the issue of ration books. All the application forms received at the numerous suburban and district bureaux are returned to the concert chamber staff, which has to tabulate them for filing. The preliminary check to ensure accuracy in completion and stamping and the sorting into alphabetical order of the 90,000 cards already received makes a heavy demand on the staff. "Men With Weak Hearts" Explaining to the central committee of the E.P.S, in Christchurch the method of classifying men enrolled under the compulsory system, Captain F. Govsky said a file had been provided for the cards of men with disabilities. ''Or, rather," he added, "for the cards of men who claimed to have disabilities. After we had looked into a number of cases it seemed that there must be more men in Christchurch with weak hearts than anywhere else in the world." Laying of Pipe-line The laying of the under-water section of the new North Shore pipeliner across the channel between Hobsonville and Birkenhead will be undertaken by the waterworks staff of the City Council between 4 and 5 p.m. next Monday. This operation was to have been begun on April 11, but the weather was not favourable for the project. The Auckland Harbour Board notifies masters and owners of vessels that the channel from Bij'kdale wharf to Island Bay will be closed to all navigation on Monday between the hours mentioned. Raid Protection Booklet Based on the codes published by the New Zealand Standards Institute, a Government booklet on the construction of domestic raid shelters and protection from flying glass is now being distributed to householders in Auckland. The contents are introduced by a striking graph diagram showing the. small risk incurred in air raids by people in approved shelters. In a preface, the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Eraser, appeals to householders, as a national duty, to do everything possible to protect their families against the hazards of war. The booklet gives full advice on how to construct both open and covered trenches, and on screens and adhesive treatments for glass. Tunnelling at Parnell Rapid progress is being made with the three shelter tunnels under Constitution Hill, Parnell, and three continuous shifts are being worked. There is a largo tunnel 15ft. wide, which will eventually connect with that started at Victoria Street East, and two accommodation galleries 7ft. 3in. wide. The wider tunnel has now been driven about 80ft., while the deepest of the nafrower drives is over 50 yards into the hill. The other is about 10 yards shorter. The rock encountered at present is papa, and when this is blasted a great deal of fine dust makes working conditions both difficult and unpleasant. This is counteracted to a great extent by the old air being pumped out and replaced by fresh air.