The Putaruru Press OFFICE: OXFORD PLACE. Telephone 28. Post Office Box 44. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1950. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume XXVII, Issue 1362, 19 January 1950, Page 4

The Putaruru Press OFFICE: OXFORD PLACE. Telephone 28. Post Office Box 44. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1950. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Putaruru marching girls’ team, “Green Arrows,” won the general appearance cup at the Bay of Plenty championships on Saturday. This Sunday, the girls, who are still raising funds for their trip to the Auckland championships, will give a display in Glenshea Park. Mr K. S. Cox, “The Crossing,” Lichfield, reports that the total rainfall for December was 4.84 inches, there being 15 wet days, with the heaviest fall of .92 of an inch on the 14th. There were two thunderstorms and one light frost. Total rainfall for the year 1949 was 52.83 inches, two inches below average. Agricultural and pastoral . statistics this year will be collected personally by the police. It will be remembered that for some years past these particulars- have been collected by schedule. Farmers would greatly assist the police and themselves by calling at the police station and supplying the required information. Lassoed by the end of a rope which was thrown over a loaded truck, Mrs D. J. Retford, of Nelson, was pulled off her bicycle as she was passing the vehicle in the street on Saturday. The driver of the truck was standing on the footpath, and threw the rope over the load on the vehicle. The end swung round Mrs Retford’s neck and she was thrown to the ground. She was admitted to the Nelson hospital with a scalp wound, but her general condition later was reported to be satisfactory. , ‘TO. Advice has been received at the Putaruru branch of the Bank of New Zealand of the appointment on promotion of Mr G. C. .Hitchcock as manager of the Newton, Auckland, branch. Mr Hitchcock has been manager of the Putaruru branch since May 1, 1944, and will leave to take up his new appointment towards the end of February. He will be succeeded by Mr E. E. Zohrab. at present manager at Raetihi. Mr Hitchcock was for some years attached to the Matamata branch of the bank. The Dominion laboratory of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is investigating failures in the construction of concrete dams recently 'reported in .the United States. A statement issued by the information bureau of the department says the failures have occurred when certain aggregates of volcanic origin have been used. Chemical and physical tests to find whether aggregates of similar origin , found in New Zealand are likely to have the same unsatisfactory properties are being carried out. 9 The British financial crisis is almost certain to continue, unless 15, million persons leave Britain, according to a statement by. the Population Reference Bureau, quoted in the New York Herald Tribune. The bureau is an organisation established to study and distribute population data. Britain cannot healthfully support these 15 million “surplus” -people, continues the bureau’s statement, and if they emigrated to Conada and Australia, it would help world peace and prosperity. Such a policy of emigration, > added the statement, is in keeping with British policy. Unless the deficiency is remedied within six months licensees of private hospitals without adequate fire escapes for use in case of emergency are liable to have their licences revoked. This warning was issued by the Minister of Health (Mr Watts), who said that there were still some hospitals that did not comply with the minimum standard of safety. The Health Department had been alive to the necessity for adequate provision, and though active measures had been taken to ensure the safety of patients in private hospitals by the provision of proper fire escapes, there were still some hospitals that did not comply with the minimum standard of safety, he added.