NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24685, 14 August 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

r PHE ceremony of the lodging of the A flag of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Legion of Frontiersmen will take place at a special service to be held in First Church on Sunday morning. Captain Norah Ross will present the flag on behalf of the squadron, and it will be lodged in a case that has been erected on the south side of the church. Officers and members ♦of the Women’s Auxiliary and Frontiersmen and friends not engaged on military duties, will attend' the service.

Bowling Green for Waverley At a special meeting of the WaverIsy Ratepayers and Householders’ Association last night, it was decided to borrow £l5O from the Bank of New Zealand for the purchase of an acre section in District road for use as a bowling green and croquet lawn. The committee in charge of the purchase was authorised to obtain signatures from members willing to act as guarantors for the loan. The loan would bo in the nature of an overdraft, and a new account would be opened for the purpose. The chairman, Mr W. V. Sturmer, presided over an attendance of 11 members.

Uneconomic Transport “There are hundreds of heavy lorries being utilised in this way, entailing a high consumption of benzine and very much dearer freights to the outback farming community,” said Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition, Waitomo) in a note to a question which he asked the Minister of Transport, Mr R. Semple, in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Broadfoot asked whether, with a view to saving the consumption of benzine, the Minister would investigate the number of lorries which were carrying timber or stock one way and making the return journey unladen.

Probationer* Pay Up The amount of money collected by probation officers as costs of prosecution and by way of restitution during the last financial year was £6203, which was £1217 higher than the previous record year, states the Chief Probation officer (Mr B. L. Dallard) in his annual report. “Although the collection of this large sum is partly due to consistent pressure by probation officers,” Mr Dallard states, “the fact that remunerative employment was available for all who were fit and willing to undertake manual labour was a contributing factor. The total amount collected since the inception of the scheme is now over £87,000.”

Thrashing by Stepmother A Wellington woman who severely thrashed her stepson had to answer a charge of assaulting him. She pleaded not guilty, but after hearing evidence for both prosecution and defence Mr J, H. Luxford, S.M., convicted her and ordered her to come up for sentence if called • •on within six months. A doctor who examined the boy, who was 14 years old, said that there were bruises over his back from the shoulders to the . region of his knees and on the fronts of his wrists. and forearms. They were black and blue, and in some cases the skin haid been broken. If the bruises were caused by a thrashing, the thrashing was unreasonable.

Meritorious Service The statement made yesterday that Sergeant-major W. H. McLenaghin and Lieutenant C.' W. J. Boult were the only holders of the Meritorious Service Medal residing in Dunedin is not correct, for Sergeant T. J. Mahoney, who retired from the army in 1931, was awarded the medal for completing 29 years’ service on the New Zealand Permanent Staff. He joined the Permanent Staff at Wellington in 1902, and after spending 10 years in Christchurch, came to Dunedin in 1912. From 1915 he was for six years in charge of the Invercargill Artillery Barracks. He then retired to Dunedin, and, following his retirement, has been living in this city. Soldiers’ Snowball Diversion'

A foot of snow has recently made conditions unpleasant for the troops in camp at Waiouru, but to a group of soldiers, including some from Dunedin, who have just entered the camp, the snow afforded some light diversion. While travelling by train to the camp, the soldiers made the most of every stop to indulge in the practice of snowballing. After several of these outdoor contests, the men carried their activity A step .further and stocked their carriage with with which ’to continue the fight right up to the time they reached .camp. Each man has been issued with six blankets to keep out the cold at night, but units going on manoeuvres have had considerably less generous provision made for their immediate comfort. War Damage Insurance The need for a war damage insurance scheme to cover buildings in New Zealand was stressed by the Mayor (Mr A. H. Allen) at the annual meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce last night. “Our position has deteriorated considerably of late,” Mr Allen said, “and it is time a scheme was brought forward to cover business premises for war damage, for, after all, they are national institutions. Some form of insurance should be introduced so that the buildings would be covered in' the event of their being destroyed by enemy action. “It is time,” Mr Allen added, “ that the Government introduced such a scheme, the cost of which would not be very great when spread over the whole Dominion.”

New Zealand Film Production An indication of the number of films which have been produced in New Zealand by the studios of the Government Tourist Department in the past year was given in the department’s annual report. One of the major undertakings of the studios, the report said, 'was the production of the 5000 ft centennial film, which covered the story of New Zealand’s early history, from the first organised settlement and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi to the present day. Another outstanding production was the film entitled “Wings Over New Zealand,” portraying the fine work of the young airmen training for the R.A.F. Several other films either showing the many attractions of this “ tourists’ paradise” or dealing with such matters as the road safety campaign, were also made in the department’s studio. Strange Conduct An elderly man was admitted to the Southland Hospital as the result of a strange affair which happened in Invercargill on a recent night. A constable had reason to remonstrate with a young man because of his behaviour. The elderly man interfered, but made off in a hurry when the constable approached him. He sought refuge under the Otepuni bridge across Leven street. There was a fair amount of water in the creek at the time, and it was, of course, cold. When the man was told to come out of the water there was no response. Even the offer of some whisky did not have the desired result. It was thought that he might have escaped from his unpleasant situation, but to make sure a pontoon was secured by several men, and after a pull upstream they found the man standing numbed and exhausted up to his chin in water. He was immediately taken to hospital.