NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24912, 11 May 1942, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

THE annual reunion of former nurses of the Dunedin Public Hospital was held on Saturday. National Hospital Day, when there was a good attendance of past and present nurses at an afternoon tea social. Mr J. W. Dove, chairman of the Hospital Board, welcomed the guests, and spoke appreciatively of the unselfish work of the women of the nursing profession. Several musical items were presented, and after the function the guests inspected the new wing of the Hospital and the preparations which have been made to ensure the safety of the patients in the event of an emergency. The usual church services were held yesterday, the morning service being at St. Joseph's Cathedral, and the afternoon service at Knox Church.

Temporary Premises Permission for the opening of a temporary bar in Broadway has been granted by the Dunedin Licensing Committee to the proprietor of the Carlton Hotel, which was recently destroyed by fire. The premises are now being reconstructed, and it is expected that they will be opened this week. Valuable Tyres Because of the rubber shortage, motor car tyres are apparently in some cases regarded as being more valuable than the vehicle to which they are fitted. The practice, when advertising a car for sale, of mentioning that the tyres are in good order, has been varied by at least one enterprising dealer, who has announced that he has a set of motor tyres for sale, with a sound car attached. A Warning to Motorist*

"The danger of cranking a motor car which is in gear should be realised and fully understood by the people who do not know much about mechanical devices." said Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M., coroner, when at the Christchurch Courthouse he was conducting an inquest into the death of a woman who had cranked a car which was in gear and which bounded forward, crushing her against the garage wall. The coroner said he had known many serious accidents to occur because of ignorance of the consequences of such a procedure.

The Saving of OH The importance of conserving supplies of lubricating oil, as well as of benzine, has been pointed out by authorities recently as an important factor in the conservation of overseas funds. It has been stated that the direct consumption of oil in running is only 15 per cent, of the total gallonage sold, the remainder largely being thrown away or used for some other purpose. The remedy suggested is the installation of an oil cleansing filter on all engines, a device which, by trapping impurities, greatly adds to the life of the oil. The Savage Memorial

With workmen taken into military service or. moved to more urgent jobs until only four remain, the Savage Memorial Monument and Gardens at Bastion Point, Auckland, have reached a state of semi-completion in which they are likely to remain for at least five months. This means that the establishment of the sunken garden in a horticultural sense will be delayed for a year. The basic construction work has been so far completed that it is now possible to get a clear realisation of the architects' vision of the final appearance of the pylon, the sunken garden at its foot, and the surrounding 15-acre park. Women in the War

"If victory is to be won in this war women will have to take the places of men in factories, shops, and on farms," said Miss Amy Kane, Dominion president of the Federation of Women's Institutes and an executive member of the W.W.S.A. in a national service broadcast talk last night. "Tens of thousands of men have already been taken from industry," she added. In the country, Miss Kane said, women were facing great difficulties in maintaining farm production, but were "doing a wonderful job." The W.W.S.A. had already enrolled 60,000 women for war work, and of this number 1750 were serving in some branch of the armed forces. Many more were wanted, however, particularly to do kitchen service in the military camps.

Danger Continue* "We must not forget our danger," said the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, in an address at Eltham. "We must continue to increase our preparations to drive back the enemy should he dare attack us. The fact that he has not done so yet must make no difference. Even if he never does so, we must prepare to attack him as soon as possible. Every one has a part to play in this—men and women, young and old alike." It was five months ago that Japan came into the war and New Zealand soil was threatened with invasion. Though the danger, he said, had increased, no attack had yet taken place. It was vitally important that every man, woman and child in the Dominion should guard against a traditional British characteristic—a short memory. Organ Recital

Those music lovers who braved the rain and the black-out to attend Dr V. E. Galway's organ recital in the Town Hall last night were treated to a fine programme of organ music. The outstanding number was the duet, "Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra" (Franck), played by Miss Mavis Macdonald at the piano, with the orchestral part provided by Dr Galway at the organ. Organ solos which had particular appeal were Bach's "Fugue in E flat major," the march from the " Damnation of Faust" (Berlioz), and Prelude on "Rhosymedre" (Vaughan Williams). Other items were "Air Varied" (Hiles), two pieces from a String Quartet (Robin Milford), "Nocturne in G minor" (Chopin), and "Lullaby" (Elgar).

April Weather April (states a report by the Dominion Meteorologist, Dr M. A. F. Barnett) was a typical autumn month, but, although rainfall was not infrequent, the totals were unusually light in many districts. . Conditions have been favourable for farming. There is abundant feed available, and stock is in excellent condition. The western half of the South Island experienced more rain than usual, with double the average falls in the western high country of the Nelson Province. Apart from the Bay of Islands district, the remainder of the Dominion had a dry month, with the greatest percentage deficiencies in Central Hawke's Bay, Eastern Marlborough, and Mid-Canter-bury. In these areas falls were frequently below one-quarter of the average. Bond -with America

Closer co-operation between the people of the United States and New Zealand, due to the work of men now in this country who are sending the daily news through the microphone, was foreshadowed after the war by Mr M. Slosberg, one of them, in an address to the English-speaking Union at Wellington. "The listening States in America get the news from these eastern countries spoken by men in their own language, with their own intonation, and in this way interest in these places will grow in America," he said. " In this way there is every possibility of bringing about real co-operation. I look on my job as part of British and American co-operation. I feel that if I can present this country to America, with understanding and knowledge, it will help, and we will all know what we are doing, and by and by my successors out here will not be reporting war. but happiness and development. We have all the fixtures now. Radio has developed with the war. and with radio, telephones, fast liners, and, later, fast passenger planes of the type that are now being used for war, we will have one unit, with interchange of thought and interchange of people."