NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24448, 6 November 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

COME 60 men are at present engaged on the construction of the.Haast Pass road, which will eventually link Central Otago with the West Coast, and the full width of the road is now completed to within a mile and a-half of the she of the. bridge which will have to be built over the Haast River at the “ Gates of the Haast.” Work has been eased considerably on the Lower Hollyford road, which will run from the Te Anau-Milford Sound route towards the West Coast. This has resulted from the necessity of transferring some of the men to the western end of the Homer tunnel, where they are engaged on the road between the tunnel and Milford Sound. They camp during the week on the western side of the tunnel, and return to their permanent camp in the Kollyford Valley at the week-ends.

Sunshine at Lake Tekapp The meteorological recordings at Lake Tekapo for October show that, the sun shone on 28 days for a total of 207.6 hours, the daily average being 6.7 hours. This brought the total for the year to 1720.3 hours at a daily average of 5.7 hours. '’Rain fell on seven days in October. The total fall was 1-34 inches, making 19.08 inches for the year. Medical Benefits

Referring to medical benefits, the Minister of Finance (Mr W. Nash) said at Auckland that since the Social Security Act came into force, 37,000 babies had been born, which meant a payment of £5 5s for each to the medical profession. The proposals were still under consideration in regard to medical benefits between the Government and the B.M.A. The Third Echelon

Everybody in New Zealand, said Mr F. L. Frost, M.P., when speaking at a New Plymouth function in honour of members of the 4th Reinforcements, was keenly interested in the whereabouts of the third echelon. He had telegraphed the Prime’. Minister (Mr F Fraser) for information, but received the reply that, for military reasons, it was not yet possible to disclose, the destination of the men. Mr Fraser, however, assured Mr Frost that the echelon was safe and well.

Obstruction on Line Had an obstruction which was placed on the main railway lire near Gore on Saturday not been discovered and removed before the Dunedin express was due about 8 p.m., it is probable (says the Southland Times) that the express would have been derailed. Little information is available about the incident, but the police said that an bbstoble qf some kind had been placed on the line at East Gore on the far side of the Mataura bridge, but it was discovered and removed on Saturday night. Investigations are being made by detectives from Invercargill. The express from Dunedin would have been travelling at a considerable speed at the point at which the obstacle was placed. It is thought that the action was deliberate.

Good News for the R.A.F. “ We went over Berlin, and, boy, am 1 proud! That was the first time Berlin had been raided, and although the R.A.F. has been over since, I am able to say that I went on the first raid.” So wrote Sergeant-gunner J. Bracegirdle, of Auckland, in a letter to his father on August 30. But before it reached its destination word was received that Sergeant Bracegirdle had been killed in air operations. The Berlin “ trip,” as he calls it, was the last in which he took part up to the time of writing. The description given is a lacohic one. “ When we found out where we were' going we could quite easily have sold our seats to any of the boys who were not flying,” he wrote. “One chap had been over Germany the previous night, and he asked me to give him the trip, but I believe it is unlucky to change jobs, so I held my own seat. We had a good trip there and back, and although it was cloudy, we were able to see our ‘eggs’ go off.”

Not Remembered The übiquitous small boy attired in his motley and with his cry of “ Penny for the guy,” was noticeably absent from the streets of the city and the suburbs yesterday, apd not for many years has November 5 passed so quietly and with so few reminders of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. For once, householders were not aroused in the early hpurs of the morning by youngsters intent on turning an honest penny before going to school, and it was the exception rather than the rule to hear the bang of crackers at every street corner.

Noxious Weeds Act The law relating to noxious weeds was criticised at the meeting last evening of the Green Island Borough Council, when it was contended that, as matters stood, ratepayers could evade their responsibilities. A resident, having been served with notice to clear gorse from his property, might cut out an odd bush and then let the matter rest. It was suggested that the matter should be taken up by the Municipal with the object of having the law suitably amended. In the meantime, the council agreed to deal drastically with all offenders within the borough.

Specialist Unit Recruiting An opportunity for service overseas with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in a specialist unit is available for men who have had experience with the Public Works Department, large contractors or local bodies. Any men wishing to take advantage of this should apply immediately to the PublicWorks Office, Dunedin. The classes of men required include mechanics, fitters, welders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and bricklayers, but those particularly wanted are men who have had experience in handling mechanical plant such as tractors, shovels, bulldozers and excavators. Those whose experience is limited to the driving of motor lorries or cars are not considered eligible.

Homer Tunnel Progress Although the Homer Saddle was actually pierced some months ago, it will be some time yet before the tunnel which will connect Te Anau with Milford Sound will be enlarged to full size and completed for the use of motor traffic. Ring boring, which is the forerunner of .the excavation to full size, was carried out during the winter, and by the end of August, when it was temporarily suspended, 28 drains of the tunnel remained to be bored in this way in preparation for the use of explosives. During the past two months the men employed by the contractors, Messrs A. F. Downer and Co., of Wellington, have been engaged on widening the western entrance,' where the tunnel was diverted slightly to avoid a heavy overburden of scree.

Sketchbook on Beach

Some residents on the Lyall Bay waterfront, Wellington, were witnesses on Sunday of an incident which within an hour or two set . all the bay talking. At about 7 o’clock—an hour at which few are stirring on a Sunday morning—a youngish man with dark hair and complexion was seen on one of the parade seats, apparently sketching the view across the bay toward the Heads. The stranger was observed by the beach custodian, a City Corporation employee, who, after a little quick thinking, concluded that he had a duty to perform. Approaching the visitor he questioned him about his artistic activities, and, being dissatisfied with the answers, insisted on the stranger accompanying him to the local police station. The beach custodian returned to his duties alone.

Simple,! . Inherent descriptive qualities' are among the most striking features of letters from Otago boys at the front. This extract from the letter of a Dunedin R.N.V.R. rating at Home is a notable example of simplicity and directness: “We had an air raid on Saturday morning, with a great fight right above us. It takes you all you know to be able to follow the planes once they gel started. We could hear machine guns rattling, and it was not long before a Jerry bomber came down. It was quite thrilling to watch him; the plane was twisting and turning all the time, and all of a sudden one of his engines fell out. Then things began to happen, Three of the crew baled out, and the plane gathered speed and hit,the water, heaving up a large cloud of spray. It didn’t appear again, and so there is another of old Hitler’s machines at the bottom of the sea.” Sheltering in the Tubes “ I would rather take the risk of being bombed than spend a night down thfere.” says a New Zealand airman, referring in a letter to his parents to the conditions in London’s tube stations. Describing a visit to one of the stations, he says; “ Even at 4.30 p.m. the platforms were covered with men, women, and children. Each had brought some sort of sleeping mat, sometimes a few newspapers, sometimes blankets, rugs, or mats. The people were literally packed side by side like sardines in a tin. The atmosphere of the tubes it not exactly pleasant at any time, -and under present conditions it is much worse. It is a pathetic sight to see women and children sleeping on the stairs, in the passages, and along the stations themselves. The only satisfaction they can have is that they are in the safest place that could be in London.” Ship’s Bell Found

The ship’s bell of the barque England’s Glory, which was wrecked at Lookout Point, Bluff, on November 7, 1869, was found by a boy named Graham Squires on Sunday in the vicinity of the scene of the wreck. The bell is in a good state of preservation and the engraving “England’s Glory, London, 1861,” is plainly discernible. It was on its third passage from England to New Zealand that the barque was wrecked. She had a good passage to (he Cape of Good Hope, but thereafter bad weather was encountered. After unloading part of her cargo at Mauritius and then later at Nelson, she left for Bluff. Very bad weather was encountered on the West Coast and eventually Stewart Island was reached. An attempt was made to reach Bluff, but there was not sufficient wind to take her clear of the shore and she struck the rocks at Lookout Point. After about an hour and a-half she commenced to fill and rapidly sank. The officers and crew landed safely at Bluff by means of a ship’s boat. Green Island Water Pressure

Residents of parts of the Borough of Green Island have been puzzled lately by an apparent shortage of water in the service to their homes. Such shortages have been experienced in the past as a result of the reservoir level falling in dry weather, but at present the reservoir is full. The mystery was explained at the meeting last evening of the Borough Council, when the engineer-foreman laid the blame at the door of the ardent horticulturists who have been using their hoses for the benefit of their gardens;' When a large number ‘of hoses was in use simultaneously, it was explained, the mains could not. supply the demand, and pressure fell, with the result that residents on high levels were deprived of the service. The residents had been given notice that hoses could not be used unless attended. It was suggested that if ratepayers would not cooperate, the use of hoses should be forbidden, but it was agreed that direct action should be taken against ratepayers continuing to ignore the bylaw requiring hoses to be attended while in use.

A Stupid Joke Some person or persons with a perverted sense of humour gave the City Fire Brigade a busy time last night. Between 8 o’clock and 9.30 no fewer than five malicious false alarms were received at the station, and machines were forced to turn out at short intervals to districts as widely separated as Mornington and Tainui. Most of the calls were from boxes in the Mornington area, and at one stage so closely did they follow on one another, that the reel from Green Island had to be brought into the city rs a standby. Had a large fire happened to break out while all the machines were away from the Central Station, the consequences of the stupid joke might have been serious. Fire Brigade Calls The City Fire Brigade turned out at 11.29 a.m. yesterday to the motor park at Tchuna, where paper which had been placed over a frying pan had caused a slight outbreak of fire :n a caravan. The cirsvan was not damaged, but the owner, Mr F. King, a resident of Tuatapere, received a cut which had to be treated at the hospital. An hour later, the brigade answered an automatic ,false al:rm from the Stock Exchange Buildings. At 8.33 p.m. the brigade attended a grass fire in Norman street, and at 9.33, turned out to a call from Messrs Hogg end Co.’s timber yard in Roberts street, where a slight outbreak of fire in the boiler house was extinguished. A justifiable false alarm from the Taieri and Peninsula Company's factory in King street celled the brigade at 11.15. The Pope and the War

The New Zealand Tablet, referring to a cable message which alleged that the Pope had blessed 200 Italian soldiers, states that only those blinded by prejudice could possibly construe it as a breach of the strictly maintained neutrality of \ his Holiness or as an indication of his approval of Italy’s war policy. “ Catholic soldiers, \yhatever their nationality,” it says, “seeking an audience with the Father of Christendbm, would be received with that same paternal love and given the same blessing.” The Tablet also quotes Bishop Liston, of Auckland, as having declared that the cable seriously misrepresented the Pope’s address, of which a broadcast was clearly heard in New Zealand. The major part of the address was occupied with considerations upon the present state of the world and the concern he felt at so many of his children in all nations suffering through the war. Having noticed soldiers among those present, he was reminded that they were leaving in their homes loved ones who would be anxious for their welfare as they faced the dangers of the battlefield. To their loved ones at home ho sent his apostolic blessing as a consolation, and he would urge the soldiers to be faithful to God if they would be faithful to their Fatherland.

The Railways Department advertises in this issue that another special train at cheap excursion fares will be run from Invercargill, stopping at Balclutha, Stirling and Milton, on Sunday next, returning the same day. The Railways Department advertises in this issue particulars of Sunday excursions from Timaru to Dunedin on Sunday next. Coffee for breakfast. Order from your grocer 3 tin of “ Bouirbon,” the coffee of quality. Instructions m every tin. Prepared by Durie’s, Coffee Specialists. 32 Octagon. Dunedin.— Advt. . For rings, watches, and jewellery try Peter Dick jewellers. 59 Princes street. Dunedin.—Advt.