NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25135, 28 January 1943, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

< t WHERE has been a good response •*- from the country districts as well as from the city,” the chairman of the Otago Board for the Reclamation of Waste Material, Mr J. L. Passmore, said yesterday, commenting on the preparations now being made for the drive for waste rubber which is to be conducted throughout Otago on February 13. The effort is being supported by the Returned Services’ Association in town and country, and the Commercial Travellers’ Association is also giving its assistance. The Communist Party has agreed to organise a section of the city and arrange for the collection of the rubber. In the actual collection of the material the services of Boy Scouts will also be utilised.

Opossum on Power Line There was a slight interruption in the city’s supply of electricity at 10.26 last night, the trouble being caused by an opossum which strayed on to one of the oil circuit breakers at the main sub-station at Halfway Bush. The City Fire Brigade received a call from the sub-station, but its services were not. required.

Erection of Sign Posts Work will be begun by the automobile Association, Otago, next week on the re-erection of the signposts which were taken down in various parts of the province some time ago at the request of the military authorities. An official of the association said yesterday that the army, which had now granted permission for the re-erection of the signposts, would assist in the work.

Review of Service Appeals For some time past the No. 1 and No 2 Armed Forces Appeal Boards have been engaged in reviewing cases which were adjourned sine die, more particularly those in which the appellants were classed as grade I. In many cases, the boards l ave found it possible to send grade I reservists whose appeals were adjourned sine die into t l army, and to Lrocure the release from camp of grade II and grade 111 men to take their places. Water from Rata Vine

Useful information for bush travellers (says the New Zealand Herald) was picked up by those attending the current course for officers at the bush and mountain warfare wing of the Army School of Instruction. They were shown that a short length of fresh rata vine when blown at one end will give off good drinking water at the other. The same water will stop a bleeding cut immediately and leave it perfectly clean and dry.

Property Sale The freehold property in Rattray street known as Paterson’s Buildings, which was portion of the block swept by fire in April of last year, was put up for public auction yesterday by the owners, Messrs N. and E. S. Paterson. The property included the main building, formerly occupied by Messrs N. and E. S. Paterson, and three shops, with a total frontage of 50 feet. Only about a dozen bidders were present, and as the highest bid, £4750, failed to reach the reserve, the property was subsequently sold to a private buyer at a satisfactory figure.

Hospital Buildings The Otago Hospital Board has received a letter from the Director-gene-ral of Health (Dr M. H. Watt), stating that during the war the tender system for the building of hospitals will be abolished, and that all hospital construction must proceed on the schedule basis. Dr Watt adds that except with Cabinet approval all hospital construction during the war must be in light structure unless the limitations of site prevent the construction of buildings of this nature. The Finance Committee of the board has reported that it does not approve of these decisions, and has referred the matter to the board for its consideration at to-night’s meeting.

“ Vengeance ” Shoes The ability of the Australian aborigines to distinguish tracks and to follow them for long distances is well known. Every member of a tribe can identify another member of the tribe by his footprints. To bring a curse upon a fellow black, an aborigine will at night make a complete circle of prints around his enemy while ne is sleeping. To avoid identification, he wears a pair of shoes, a sample of which is displayed in the educational case at the Otago Museum this week. These shoes are known as kaditcha, or “ vengence ” shoes. Besides disguising the footprints of the wearer, the shoes are sp constructed that they do not reveal the direction in which the person has been walking.

Novel Insurance Scheme In his tent when on service a military officer may leave as much as £SO worth of gear, which would mean an appreciable loss should the tent, as has occurred, happen to be accidentally destroyed by fire. An officer in one of the islands has promoted a mutual - -insurance society to cover this risk. The scheme provides for limited liability to contribute, and payments are made only if and when a claim arises. This simplifies the working, as no cash has to be collected until someone suffers a loss. The individual liability is limited to £5 in any one month, and the maximum claim an officer may make is £SO, with a £5 franchise. Soldiers and Harvesting Pay

A good deal of criticism has been levelled at the proposal to pay the usual army rates to soldiers who are to be detailed to the harvesting camps, which are to be established in various parts of Otago. The secretary of the Otago Primary Production Council, Mr E. H. Caldex-, pointed out yesterday that many men with families were better off on army pay than they would be if the army pay ceased and they were paid the schedule wages for harvesting. Jf the questions of broken time owing to bad weather and the lack of continuity of employment were taken into consideration, he added, it would be seen that the men would be in a better position on army pay, which was continuous whether the men were out in the fields are on duty in camp.

Plastic Surgery Wide possibilities for the assistance of certain types of wounded soldiers who have returned from service with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force have been opened up by the establishment in Christchurch of a plastic surgery clinic. The clinic is under the command of Major J. J. Brownlee, New Zealand Medical Corps, who recently toured, the various military districts and described the work the clinic hopes to do. It has been opened by the North Canterbury Hospital Board at the Burwood Convalescent Hospital at the request of the Director-general of Medical Services, Brigadier F. T. Bowerbank. Plastic surgery, including operations to remove or reduce disfigurement, has been available to returned soldiers for a considerable time, but the establishment of the Burwood clinic will place it on a centralised administrative basis. Housing Construction

The New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation intends to make every effort to ensure that the bulk of the material which will ultimately be used in the construction of the 16,000 houses under the scheme announced recently in Christchurch by the Minister of Supply, Mr D. G. Sullivan, will be manufactured in New Zealand. The Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association, which has received this information, has also been informed that the federation office is in close touch with the Rehabilitation Council, the Housing Department, and the Ministry of Supply on the question. The secretary of the Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association, Mr F. L. Hitchens, said yesterday that the association hoped that it would shortly receive the graphs which were being produced by the Housing Department to show the quantity of the various materials required for the housing scheme and the quantity of each material already produced in New Zealand.

* The name of E. M. Scott, Palmerston, who was 1100 in order of merit, was omitted from the list of successful candidates in the public service entrance examination published yesterday. The order of merit of .T. P. Bodkin, Alexandra, was 967 instead of 1810.