NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24594, 30 April 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

statistics for 1940, compiled by the Meteorological Office and issued .in last week’s Gazette, show that the lowest rainfall in the Dominion was experienced at Alexandra, Otago, where only 14!36 inches was recorded. This compares with the heaviest falls of 380.69 inches at Homer tunnel and 268.78 inches at Milford Sound. Renwicktown, Marlborough, had only 53 days on which rain fell, but Puysegur Point, Southland, had 279 wet days. Christchurch had the best record of the main cities with 27.40 inches of rain, Dunedin coming next with 35.57 inches. Auckland, with, 39.17 inches, had a slight advantage over Wellington, where 44.54 inches was recorded. The heaviest 24 hours’ rainfall experienced in the Dominion was registered at Russell, with a total of 10.45 inches, which just exceeded recordings at a number of Westland stations.

Orderly Impressment At the last meeting of the Dominion Executive of the Farmers’ Union in Wellington a motion was carried recommending that the present system of impressment of vehicles should be abolished and that properly constituted authorities should immediately proceed to draw up lists of trucks, classified in accordance with importance of their uses in the national economy. -

Air Force Enlistments A statement that to date there had been 25,000 volunteers for the Roya! New Zealand Air Force was made by the Minister of Defence, Mr F. Jones, when speaking at a civic reception at Auckland to Mr W. Holmes, past president of the English Trades Union Congress, who has arrived on a visit to New Zealand. Mr Jones said New Zealanders had every reason to be proud of the response to the call for men for the Air Force. Super-Summer Time Advanced What is described as super-summer time will come into force in Britain on Sunday. The British Government has announced that clocks are to be advanced another hour in Britain between May 4 and August 10. The new time will be two hours ahead of Greenwich mean time and 10 hours behind New Zealand summer time, which is to continue throughout the winter. A Long Struggle

“This is going to be a long struggle in which we must give of our best; if we do not give of our best, then I am afraid it will be difficult to win,” declared the newly-appointed Polish Consul General for New Zealand, Professor K. Wodzicki, in an interview at Wellington. Professor Wodzicki, who was a prisoner of the Ogpu when Russia seized her slice of Poland, said the Polish Government was convinced that Britain, with American aid, would win the war, and with that in view had decided upon a policy of having direct representation in the British dominions. Professor Wodzicki spoke with some bitterness of the serfdom to which people in German-occupied countries had been reduced. “In Poland, as elsewhere, my people are just slaves,” he said. “ They toil for their food and for a few marks.” Hitler’s aim was to strangle all freedom and culture in the countries he had invaded, and to conscript all labour for German ends.

Teachers in Territorials A Press Association message from New Plymouth on April 24 contained a summary of a departmental memorandum concerning leave pay for teachers on territorial service. The Education Department states that this message made it appear that the department had approved of teachers receiving their civil pay in full for the first three months of their territorial training. It points out, however, that the approval given referred only to pay for school holidays falling within this period. Mounted Units Break Camp

The Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry and the Otago Mounted Rifles, which have been in camp at Burnham for the past three months as the Third Mounted Rifle Brigade, have concluded their three months’ course of intensive training, and began the march out of camp on Monday. The operation will be spread over several days, as the shipment of the 900 horses used during training is a task that necessarily takes time. Horses returning to Otago and Southland will travel by train. All are being returned to their owners this week, except those 'that are sick or slightly injured. These are being retained at the camp under the care of Lieutenant-colonel J. Stafford, Assistant Director of Veterinary Services, until they are thoroughly fit and'well again. \

Mufti Allowance Advice of a mufti allowance concession for soldiers who have returned from overseas has been received by the secretary of the North Canterbury Labour Representation Committee (Mr G: W. Dell) from the Minister of Defence, Mr F. Jones. Mr Dell said that he had now been informed that a man could obtain an advance on the allowance of £7 10s before handing in his uniform, amounting to the difference between £7 10s and the surrender value of the articles he had to hand in to the authorities. That would amount to about £4 15s, which would enable him to make arrangements to buy a suit. The balance of the £7 10s would be received when he handed in his military clothing. Previously a soldier had to hand in his military clothes before receiving ihe allowance. Empire Producers The possibility of holding a second Empire Producers’ Conference in London after the war is being investigated by Mr H. Bronson Cowan, of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, who (says a Press Association telegram) is now in Wellington and will later visit Australia and South Africa. Mr Cowan was one of the four Canadian delegates to the Empire Producers’ Conference held in Sydney three ■ years ago, when he was secretary of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. On his present trip he has been asked by the federation to meet the heads of national farm organisations and find out to what extent the policies approved by the last conference are being implemented, and also the' feeling about holding a second conference, which, he stated, was strongly supported by a number of Australian farm organisations.

Pharmaceutical Benefit* Chemists have not yet been supplied by the Health Department with details of the contracts they will be asked to sign under the pharmaceutical benefits section of the Social Security Act (states the Christchurch Star-Sun), and it is, therefore, impossible to ascertain what response will be made by them when the benefits come into force on a day yet to be named by the Minister of Health, Mr A. H. Nordmeyer. The chairman of the Canterbury division of the Chemists’ Guild (Mr L. J Dale) said that all chemists were to be supplied with contracts, which they could sign if they desired. “As so far they have not been approached individually, it is impossible to give any indication as to the response the scheme will meet,” he added. “It is assumed that there, will not be any serious objection, as, in effect, the main alteration is that payment will be made: to the chemist by the Social Security Department, instead of by the patient as at present.”

The Commissioner of Taxes announces that an instalment of the registration fee will become payable on May I. and also that the first instalment of the social security and national security charge on income other than wages will fall due on the same date.

Coffee for breakfast. Order from your grocer a tin of “Bourbon,” the coffee of quality. Instructions in every tin. Prepared by Durie's, coffee specialists. 32 Octagon. Dunedin.— Advt • ~ For ' rings, watches and .lewellery, try Peter Dick, jewellers. 59 Princes street. Dunedin.—Advt