ARDUOUS TASK

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24275, 16 May 1942, Page 6

ARDUOUS TASK

CRASHED AIR LINER BRINGING OUT BODIES ROTJGH COUNTRY JOURNEY (P.A.) BLENHEIM, Friday After another strenuous day, in which exceedingly difficult country had to be traversed in very heavy rain, the party of police and soldiers which went to the scene of the crash of the Union Airways' Lockheed air liner managed to bring the five bodies of the victims well down the mountain to within three miles of Mr. H. Adams' homestead, Langley Dale. The party is staying over-night at the homestead and the bodies will be conveyed to-morrow to Nelson, where the inquest will be held. The task should be comploted by the afternoon. It is raining heavily to-night and the country still to be covered is rough, so that the party will be called on for another hard morning's work. The victims were Commander Keith Johnston, aged 38, married, of Miramar; Second-Officer W. Smillie, married, of Rongotai; Miss Pamela Fell, of Nelson; Miss A. Farrar, of Christchurch; Mr. W. W. Moore, of Wellington. LAUNCH WRECKED SMALL YACHTS LOST HEAVY SEAS IN HARBOUR Heavy seas whipped up by a strong east-north-east wind pounded Mr. A. J. Lemon's launch Aloma, into an almost complete wreck on the waterfront road near the new dinghy lockers at Hobson Bay at about five o'clock last evening. A portion of the road was flooded for short periods by the breaking sea. The New Zealand Coastguard Service was informed by the Harbour Board that the launch was in difficulties, but on arrival at the scene a patrol found that any attempt at rescue was by then useless. The Harbour Board was unable to send a launch at the time. The Aloma was about 36ft. in length. In addition to the Aloma three small yachts were also lost. Other small boats on the south side of the harbour dragged their moorings and were in difficulties. The wind's quarter is regarded by yachtsmen as the most dangerous on the harbour for moored small craft. "The new wave-break at Hobson Bay has proved useless," said Captain J. Eastmure, officer commanding the Coastguard Service, last night. The high wind was accompanied by intermittent showers from about one o'clock yesterday afternoon. Barometric pressure dropped sharply from 30.00 in. at midnight on Thursday to 29.50 in. at midnight last night. Humid conditions prevailed, the maximum temperature being 65 degrees and the minimum 59 degrees. Rainfall for the 24 hours ended midnight according to the Herald gauge was .21in. THEFT OF PETROL AIR FORCE SUPPLIES GAOL FOR SERGEANT-FITTER (0.C.) WHANGAREL Friday "This class of offence is notoriously difficult to check and the punishment must be severe when detected, i can well understand the anxiety of the Air Force to have it stopped," said Mr. Raymond Ferner, S.M., when Robert Cooper, a sergeant-fitter at a Northland aerodrome, was charged in the Kaitaia Court with the theft of petrol, the property of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The charge referred to two occasions, March 31 and April 4, when it' was stated that Cooper, having borrowed cars from civilian friends, had replenished the petrol from Air Force supplies. Cooper pleaded guilty. In both cases the car owners were ignorant or the presence of stolen petrol in their cars, .Mr. Kelly, for the accused, said the petrol taken was lying in a drum at the back of the hangar. It was some that had been in the tank of an aeroplane which had crashed. It was thought by Cooper that such petrol was not used again. The accused definitely had no criminal intent, for the petrol was removed in broad daylight. He had borrowed the car and was replacing the petrol used. Cooper'would be punished twice, once in Court and again by the Air Force. Nothing had previously been known against him. Cooper was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment with hard labour. BOROUGH OF RICCARTON HINT OF AMALGAMATION (0.C.) CHRISTCHURCH, Friday A hint that amalgamation might soon make Riccarton borough part of Christchurch City was dropped by the deputy-mayor, Mr. M. E. Lyons, at a meeting of the Christchurch City Council. The council was discussing the borough's contribution toward the wages of the caretaker at Deans Bush. It had been suggested that Riccarton should make a larger grant. Mr. Lyons said he hoped that the council would take no action. "It will not be very long before the power of remedying this anomaly will be in the hands of this council," be continued. Mr. H. E. Denton: What is the remedy ? Mr. Lyons: A unified city, to grant a little more to this very worthy fund. FIGURED IN MANHUNT MAORI SENT TO GAOL (0.C.) NEW PLYMOUTH. Friday Central figure in a manhunt in which the police and Waimate Plains settlers took part about the middle of April, Charles Hore, a Maori, whom the police said was a deserter from the Army, appeared before Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., in Hawera and pleaded guilty to 11 charges involving theft, false pretences and car conversions. He was sentenced to a total of .18 months' imprisonment. CHRISTCHURCH RUSES (0.C.) CHRISTCHURCH. Friday The first of seven new 29-seater buses for (he tramway service will, it is expected, be ready next Monday. The I other six buses are in varying stages of construction. The chasses, which originally came from Canada, had a chequered career. Even before they were unpacked, they were impressed by ihe Army authorities, but seven out of a total of 20 were subsequently released. HOME GUARD RECRUITS (0.C.) WELLINGTON. Friday The first list of men to be called up for service with the Home Guard in the Wellington district contains 548 names. They will be posted to Home Guard battalions in the same way as the Army posts recruits to territorial service. A special committee, consisting of a representative of the Home Guard, the E.P.S. and the National Service Department, will start functioning next week, and will deal with all those cases where eligibility for Homo Guard service is in doubt.