SOLDIER KILLED

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24543, 27 March 1943, Page 6

SOLDIER KILLED

BODY ON RAILWAY FATALITY NEAR PAPAKURA The body of a soldier was found on the railway track about half a milo north of the Papakura station at 7.35 yesterday morning. The victim was: Private William Grant, whose mother. Mrs. H. Grant, resides at IfifjH Great North Road, Avondale Private Grant had been stationed at. Papakura for the last 18 months and was a labourer in civil life. It is assumed he was making his way back to camp along the railway line when run down by a train in the early morning. He was last seen by another soldier about midnight on Thursday. An inquest was opened by the coroner. Mr. F. K. Hunt, yesterday afternoon at Papakura and adjourned. LOCAL AND GENERAL Manpower Committee Sittings of the Auckland Manpower (Industrial) Committee will be held in country centres nest week. On Tuesday the committee will hear cases at Ham- . ilton, the following day at Rotorua, Whakatane and Te" Puke and on Friday at Tauranga and Wnibi. Wills for the Services Since the Auckland District Law Society began its special will service for soldiers, about 9000 wills have passed through its hands. It is stated that the cost of the service has been appreciable and will necessarily continue for a number of years. Members of the society have attended at the camps and have also drawn wills free of charge iii their offices for men in the services. Broken Bottles Complaints about the number of broken bottles in city streets have again been made by motorists and others. One man said he had seen two servicemen deliberately throw battles on to the road in the vicinity ot parked cars near a city theatre. He pointed out that apart from the hazard to pedestrians, including children, the practice would defeat the best efforts of motorists to conserve the rubber of their tyres. Servicemen appeared to be the chief offenders in this respect. Second-hand Books War conditions have brought about an increasing demand in Auckland for second-hand books, particularly recent general literature and and other works thr.fc contain useful information, although they may have been published a decade or two ago. Public libraries and book clubs meet the needs of many people for fiction and genera! literature of the lighter sort, such as biography and travel, but there is still a call for other classes of books required for study or reference. One result has been some hardening of prices for works that are still fairly up to date. Interest in New Zealand Requests for descriptive matter about the Dominion from overseas people who intended visiting New Zealand after the war gave increased evidence of the position won by New Zealand in world affairs and of the interest in its attractions, said the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, yesterday. Unfortunately, cwing to shortage of paper and printing materials the Tourist and Publicity Department was unable to produce many of its former publications. "It seems unpropitious," added Mr. Parry, "to refer to the tourist traffic to-day, but sound to predict that New Zealand will have overseas visitors by the thousand." Regatta at Ngaruawahia A large number of United States servicemen will be the guests of King Koroki and Princess Te Puen at a regatta being held to-dav on the Waikato River at Ngaruawahia. Canoe races between representatives of the two races and mass singing and hakas by Maoris will be the main features of the entertainment. F«r the canoe races it is intended to use for the first time the three war canoes made for the centennial celebrations. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, the Minister in charge of the Maori War Effort, the Hon. P. K. Paikea, the United States Consul at Auckland. Mr. Hiram A. Boucher, and the officer commanding the Northern Military District, MajorGeneral P. H. Bell. D.5.0.. will attend the regatta. Tramway Appeals Withdrawn One appeal made yesterday before the No. 1 Armed Forces Appeal Board by the Auckland Transport Board t° r the release of a motorman from the Air Force, and two others for employee.' due to report to the Air Force today were withdrawn. Mr. A. E. Ford, engineer-manager of the Transport Board, said the board wished to employ more women, so that a greater numberof grade 1 men could be released tor military service, but the Manpower Committee had said this could not done unless the whole service was wor , * ing a six-day week, a step which inboard considered was. undesirable in tn interests of the health of their employees and of public safety. Mr. '■ Hackett, secretary of the Auekla' Tramways Union, in opposing the ! peals, said that a mass meeting of tr<* ! way employees had expressed'their w ' ingness to work a six-day week.