NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25660, 7 October 1944, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

THE current tea and sugar coupons Nos. 49, 50, 51 and 52 will be valid until October 28. The value of each is 2oz for tea and 12oz for sugar. Butter coupons Nos. 49 and 50, each for Boz, will expire on October 15. Meat coupons No. 48 will expire on October 8, and No. 49 will be negotiable until October 15. Coupon No. 50 will be available from October 9 to October 22. The weekly value of the meat coupons during this period is 2s in the case of adults and Is in the case of children under 10, the value of the H coupon being 9d and of the J coupon 6d. Children under five years, expectant and nursing mothers, and those persons holding priority certificates granted because of sickness, are entitled to three eggs on surrender of coupon No. 50 for the week ending October 15. The current hosiery coupon is XlO3.

Post-war Reconstruction Works At the meeting of the City Council on Monday night, Cr M. Connelly, M.L.C., will move the following motion of which he has given notice:—“ That a conference of representatives of local bodies be convened by the council for the purpose of tabulating major national or local body works for presentation to the National Development Council as being suitable undertakings for post-war reconstruction.” Littlebourne House

Representations have been made to the Finance Committee of the City Council by a deputation from the Otago High Schools’ Board requesting that the area occupied by Littlebourne House be leased to the board as a site for the erection of a hostel for the Otago Boys’ High School. The committee will report to the council at its meeting on Monday night that the deed of gift of this property does not permit the council leasing the area, as proposed, and the school authorities have been advised accordingly. Soil Disintegrator The Reserves Committee of the City Council has accepted the offer of an Auckland firm to supply a disintegrating machine for the sum of £260. delivered at Dunedin. This machine is required for the preparation of topdressing soil, large quantities of which are required, and will obviate the present laborious and costly method of hand sieving. The purchase is subject to an undertaking from the agents to repurchase the machine at cost price should it prove unsuitable under actual working conditions. Wurlitzer Organ for School A Wurlitzer organ originally installed in the Regent Theatre, Auckland, has been acquired for the Hutt Valley High School, which is seeking to encourage music in all forms. An addition has been made to the assembly hall to provide chambers for the organ. While the mechanical equipment is stored at the back of the hall, the console has been placed in the centre of the front of the stage, so that the organist can see what is happening on the platform. Band Concerts

The schedule of band concerts to be given during the summer months has been prepared by the Reserves Committee, and will be submitted to the City Council on Monday night. As in previous years, concerts will be given in the Botanic Gardens, on Sunday afternoons and, in addition, one concert will be given by each band in the Octagon on a Friday evening. In addition to the city bands, provision has been made for the Green Island Band to give two concerts in the Gardens, but no payment will be made by the council for these performances. Art Union Profits The view that the profit on raffles and art unions was not high enough, was expressed in the House of Representatives by Mr A. S. Sutherland (Oppn., Hauraki). The gross sales were £251,000, he said, but the net profit was only £97,000, and he hoped the Minister would look into the expenses. The lottery duty of £25,000, for instance, could go. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry) said that the profits were conserved and watched very carefully and were devoted to helping organisations that were unable to assist themselves. “ Daffodil Day ” Returns The annual'“Daffodil Day” appeal, which was conducted yesterday by the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children, the Plunket Society, resulted in the sum of £1315 being collected, with some small amounts still to. come to hand. This total was made up of contributions from friends of the society and of the proceeds from the sale of flowers and badges. Daffodils were received from all over Otago for sale at the street stalls, and a member of the society said last night that the collection of blooms was the finest that had been seen for some years. Dim-out in Canada The dim-out which has been in operation for the past two years was to, end on October 1 in all parts of Canada, excepting British Columbia. Restrictions which are being removed cover the use of electric power for rural extensions, . street lighting display, sign lighting, window and show case lighting. Power restrictions on industry will also be lifted. The removal of the restrictions, which were primarily imposed to conserve power for war production, will be felt mostly in Ontario and Quebec, where newsprint mills were forced to cut their hours of operation. In British Columbia the unprecedented drought combined with the difficult oil situation, makes the retention of restrictions locally necessary. Municipal Organ Recital The city organist, Dr V. E. Galway, will givq an after-church recital in the Town Hall to-morrow night. An interesting programme will be presented, and a composition by Eaton Failing, “Psyche,” will be performed for the first time at these recitals. Items worthy of special mention are Bach’s Choral Prelude, “We All Believe in One God”; Sonata in F minor, first movement (Rheinberger), and “Crown Imperial” (William Walton). Other interesting compositions to be performed are Pastorale (Guilmant), Adagio (Robin Milford), Moto Perpetuo, and Intermezzo (Edgar Ford). Dr Galway will be assisted by Robert Matthews, pianist, who will play Piano Sonata in B flat, first movement (Mozart). There will be no charge for admission. '

Disabled Servicemen’s League The Dunedin public has long been familiar with the quality of the goods turned out by the Disabled Servicemen’s Re-establishment League, and at the New Zealand Industries Fair, which will open on November 1, it will be given an opportunity of seeing the work actually in production. Owing to the generosity of two local firms, provision will be made for the installation of the necessary machinery, and the public will be able to see how suitcases, clogs, etc., are actually produced. The Dunedin Disabled Servicemen’s Re-establishrient League was the first to be formed in the Dominion, and the training establishments which are being set up'throughout the country for the training of disabled men of this war are based on the lead set by the Dunedin centre. This exhibition therefore should have particular interest for the public at the present time.

Sixty Watches Missing A further instance of cargo pillaging has come to light in connection with a shipment of watches to Dunedin The watches were despatched from Switzerland as long ago as November last, and had just arrived after a tortuous voyage. Their first port of call was Lourenco Marques, in Portuguese East Africa. The cases were examined there, and the contents found to be in order. The next jaunt was one of a few hundred miles up the coast to Beira. After a considerable sojourn there, they travelled in one of the Nelson fighting ships to Sydney, and after a period .in bond in that city arrived in Dunedin this week. The top of one case was nearly off. but. strangely enough, its contents were intact. When the other cases were opened, however, it .was found that 60 watches were missing.. Fortunately thev were of a less expensive type than an earlier consignment, from which 34 valuable watertight wristlet watches had been pillaged between Switzerland and Lisbon.