NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26170, 5 June 1946, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Overseas Mail Last week 151 bags of mail from overseas were received for distribution in Dunedin, and advice has been received that another mail containing 714 bags will arrive to-morrow.

Crown Range Road Closed The Automobile Association (Otago) has received advice that the Crown Range road, between Queenstown and Wanaka, has been closed for the winter months. Infectious Diseases

For the week ended yesterday the Health Department received notification of one case of poliomyelitis, two cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, and one case of scarlet fever. Work at Talboys Home

Tenders have been called for alterations to the ward block at the Talboys Home in order to provide additional accommodation tor a greater number of women patients. The walls and corridor in the existing building are faced with brickwork, and it is proposed to finish them in plaster and thus bring this section of the building in line with modern hospital finish. *' Matriculation ”

“Matriculation, or the gaining of the University entrance certificate, has traditionally come to mean something it was never intended to mean—a leaving certificate from the high schools,” said the senior inspector of schools in Otago, Mr R. W. D. Maxwell, in an address to delegates from school committees last night. “ Employers should ask applicants for positions if they have the school certificate, and in what subjects they have passed,” he added, in explaining that the certificate was gained by passing four subjects of a choice of 32, with compulsory English. A Gracious Action

Borough and county councils are usually noted, rightly or wrongly, for their caution in the spending of money. This traditional conservatism was not maintained, however, at a meeting cf the West Harbour Borough Council last night. A bill,, for some helmets, which should have been sent to the Ravensbourne Fire Brigade, had been sent by mistake to the Borough Council. As the local fire brigade was a purely voluntary one, with no subsidy from the council, the council decided to foot the bill. The brigade will, therefore, receive the helmets free. Maori’s New Name

After being known on the New Zealand coast for more chan a generation, the former interisland steamer Maori has been given the new name of Hwalein. The Chinese buyers recently cabled asking that the ship be given this name, since she was to leave New Zealand under the Chinese flag. Accordingly the name Hwalein has been painted on the ships’ bows. The Hwalein, which is lying at the Dock wharf in Wellington, will carry neither crew, passengers nor cargo when she leaves for Sydney to-morrow. She is to be towed there by the Koolein, a ship belonging to the same company.

Betting Record For the second successive King's Birthday, a betting record for the Dominion was established at Ellerslie on Monday, the second day of the Auckland Racing Club’s winter meeting, when a crowd of 43,000 'wagered £263.706. The previous New Zealand totalisator record for one day was created at Ellerslie on the King’s Birthday last year, when £252,099 was passed into the machine by 37,500 people. The record before that was also made at Ellerslie, when 45.000 Deople gathered to see the Auckland Cup on December 26 1944, and £250,932 was handled. Maori Bible

The joint committee of churchmen and laymen which is to draft the revision of the Maori Bible has begun its sessions in Gisborne. The main objective is to produce a version in the Maori language presenting the Scriptures in a form easily assimilable by the Native race without altering the substance. spirit or sanGtity of the Book’s message. The original Maori Bible was translated from English to the Ngapuhi tongue, one of seven major dialects of the race, and this caused a difficulty which the committee hopes to remove by conversion of the Word into pure Maori First Church Memorial

A project which is being undertaken by the Deacons’ Court of First Church to raise £IO,OOO to build a Youth Memorial Hall, was referred to at the monthly meeting of the Presbytery last night. In a discussion on the facilities available for youth work, Mr W. H. Adams said that F.irst Church would honour the memory of the men and women of the congregation who gave their lives in the service of their country by a memorial which would not only perpetuate their deeds of service but would also serve the work of the church. It was considered, he added, that such a memorial was eminently suitable.

Food for Britain Campaign The return of coupons for the Dunedin postal district in connection with tfie Food for Britain Campaign is steadily falling. The figures for the week ended on Monday were: Meat, 10,518 coupons to the value of £l3l 9s 6d; butter, 330 coupons (1651 b); sugar, 24 coupons (181 b); tea, 38 coupons (111 b). The total figures to date are: Meat. 118,903 coupons to the value ’of £1491 5s 9d; butter. 6928 coupons (34641 b); sugar, 833 coupons (6251 b); tea. 1720 coupons (2151 b). Although the return of coupons showed a steady decrease, it is interesting to note that during the past two weeks 8000 parcels in 805 mail bags have been despatched to private addresses in the United Kingdom.

Tribute to Teachers A tribute to the members of the teaching profession in New Zealand was paid by the senior inspector of schools in Otago, Mr R. W. D, Maxwell, in an address to members of school committees last night. “I do not think there is any finer body in the Dominion than the members of the profession,” he said. “They have very high ideals, and the means to carry them out. There has been a good deal of criticism of the education system, but there is always criticism where there is change.” The boys and girls coming from the schools in New Zealand were the equal of any others, he added. The New Zealand soldier of this war had held his own with those of the other nations, and in his opinion that was to the credit of the teachers of New Zealand.

Shortage of Wrapping Paper A world-wide shortage of wrapping paper is being felt severely in New Zealand and Australia. Although the New Zealand mills at Mataura are producing more wrapping paper than ever before, transport, both by rail and sea, has become so difficult that it is not possible to distribute the paper. Stocks of finished paper are accumulating at Mataura to such an extent that storage has become a problem. It is hoped (says the Christchurch Press) that with the running of additional coastal vessels the present shortage will be alleviated to a certain extent. Rail transport, however, is likely to remain a problem until more railway wagons are available. Quality of Petrol Since the war ended there has been a tremendous drop in the volume of 100 octane petrol that was required to meet the needs of the Allied services. At the peak of the demand the daily production of aviation fuel in the United States was * about 22,000,000 gallons. The resulting decrease in the requirements of the services has shifted the emphasis from aviation spirit to motor fuel. The full effect of the change-over, however, has not yet made any apparent improvement in the quality of petrol for use in automobiles in Britain, the United States, or New Zealand. In view, however, of the huge volume of high-grade blending stocks that, during the war years, were diverted from motor fuel to the production of 100 octane aviation spirit and the reconversion to the refining of a higher quality petrol than had been available to motor owners during the latter years of the war, it is reasonable to expect that a gradual improvement in quality will follow the stabilisation of reconverted refineries.