IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 22159, 30 October 1933, Page 6

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY First Grade Petrol Reduced. From to-day the retail price of first grade petrol will be reduced by one penny. This brings it down to the price of second grade petrol, namely 1/10. Fire Alarm at Mataura. The Mataura Volunteer Fire Brigade received a call at 7.45 p.m. on Friday evening to a chimney fire in the Bridge Hotel. The brigade was very promptly on the scene and quickly had the flames extinguished.—Correspondent.

Fire at Gore. A fire in a wash-house was responsible for a call received by the Gore Fire Brigade to the maternity home of Nurse Wallace, of Albany street, shortly after 11 a.m. yesterday. Although the fire had a good hold when the brigade arrived the flames were soon under control and the damage was confined to the wash-house.

Hastings Also Suffers. That Otago and Southland were not the only parts of the Dominion to suffer from the frosts of Labour Day week-end is evident from a letter received from Hastings by a local resident. The frost was so severe at Hastings that taps were frozen. Tomatoes, potatoes and many other early plants suffered severely from the unseasonable visitation.

Help for the Gore Band. A request from the Gore Brass Band for financial assistance towards the costs of attending the contest at Invercargill on Saturday next met with a good response at the meeting of the committee of the Gore Agricultural and Pastoral Association on Saturday. A donation of £3 3/- was voted by the committee and a collection taken up in the meeting produced the satisfactory sum of £3 5/-.

Fire at Gore Abattoirs. An outbreak of fire which occurred on Friday night gutted the boiler house at the Gore Abattoirs, doing damage estimated at about £3O. The building was left apparently safe on Friday evening, but the results of the fire were found when the works inspector commenced his duties on Saturday morning. The building was of brick, but the roof was destroyed and two tons of coal stored in the place were used more quickly than it was intended.

Week-end Anniversaries. A number of important anniversaries fell on Saturday and Sunday. On October 28, 1728, Captain Cook was born. One hundred and seven years later the Maori chiefs of New Zealand declared their independence. On October 28, 1922. the Italian Fascists effected a coup and formed a Government with Mussolini as Prime Minister. Yesterday’s anniversaries included the beheading of Sir Walter Raleigh (1618), the birth of Keats (1795), the death of John Robert Godley (1861) and the wreck of the Wairarapa, with the loss of 126 lives (1894). * ♦ ♦ ♦

Victims of a Depression; A motor-cycle striking a depression in the road was the cause of two men being admitted to the Southland Hospital during the week-end. The driver of the machine, Leslie Vincent Boivin, a single man residing at 181 Tyne street, was admitted at 10 p.m. on Saturday suffering from internal injuries. The pillion rider, William Lyons, a married man 43 years of age residing at 12 Eye street, did not go to hospital till yesterday. He, too, was suffering from internal injuries. The condition of both men was reported as satisfactory last evening.

An Agricultural Library. Shortly before his death Mr Duncan Gilchrist, of Waikaka Valley, was elected a life member of the Gore Agricultural and Pastoral Association and in appreciation of the action of the committee he expressed his desire to hand over to the association his entire and extensive library of agricultural books. These books, numbering 84 volumes, have been handed over to the association and at a meeting of the committee on Saturday appreciation was expressed of Mr Gilchrist’s gift. A committee was appointed to arrange for the care of the books, many of which are both rare and valuable.

Losing Her Balance and her Train. As people were leaving the station last evening just after the departure of the express they saw dashing down Leven street a car on the running board of which stood a girl. Before the car stopped she jumped off but she was evidently not skilled in the art of leaving a moving vehicle for she turned a graceful somersault on the bitumen. Onlookers feared she might be hurt but she picked herself up and dashed for the station platform, only to be disappointed with the news that the train was on its way. She rejoined her escort and the two were last seen considering whether they would make a heroic endeavour to catch the express at Woodlands. ,

Winton Municipal Buildings. Lengthy business “in committee’’ in connection with the municipal buildings project, have been features of recent meetings of the Winton Borough Council and again on Friday evening the council dealt with the proposal in closed meeting. It is understood that the plans are now completed (writes our Winton correspondent) and may be made public very shortly. _ When the council resumed open meeting on Friday evening the Mayor, Mr Thomas Walker, remarked. “We want a certain amount of publicity. I think it would be a good idea not to keep things secret when we get the financial aspect fixed up. We will then be able to give something to the papers.”

Lesers Yet Gainers. The manager of the Majestic Theatre spent a considerable portion of Saturday afternoon scanning the sky, for winging its way south was a plane bearing the film “The Big Cage, which one thousand children were eagerly anticipating in the comfort of the theatre. Gazettes, cartoons and comedies were thrown on the screen as stop-gaps, but still there was no sign of the Moth, for adverse winds were retarding it. When the children had been kept entertained for two hours with the improvised programme the manager had to abandon hope of showing “The Big Cage” that afternoon. But all present were really the gainers, for the children received a pass to a special matinee to be held this afternoon and adults a pass to the screening this evening or Tuesday evening.