In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23512, 19 May 1938, Page 6

In Town And Out

New City Council , Several professions and occupations are represented in the new City Council which .was installed yesterday. There are two solicitors, two public accountants, a retired telegraph engineer, a registrar of the Supreme Court, a retired railways traffic manager, a law clerk, a merchant, a retired master plumber and two company managers. Rain Falls At Monowai A good downpour of rain lasting for two hours fell at Monowai yesterday afternoon, but the sky became clear again and last night there appeared to be no immediate prospect of more rain. The city and suburbs had an uninterrupted supply of electric power last night. Perverse Material The difficulty of fashioning a finished product from flesh and blood was mentioned by Mr W. G. Aldridge, a former principal of the Southland Technical College, at the annual dinner of the Old Students’ Association last night. “School mastering is a profession of sorts,” Mr Aldridge said, “which consists of trying to build something that is flesh and blood, and as those of you who have brought up families know, flesh and blood is a most perverse material, even if it comes from the best sources.” Work on New Post Office

The first stage in the building of the new Post Office for Invercargill has now been completed with the laying down of the basement where the heating apparatus is to be installed. The concreting of the ground floor has also been completed, and the finishing work now remains to be done. The building will be faced with art stone and samples of this are being prepared in Invercargill for approval. This stone, which is manufactured from different coloured aggregates and cements, is being used in all parts of the world today in preference to plaster which cracks and becomes “drummy” after 10 years of exposure. The stone will be used in the vestibule as well as outside the building. When this is approved and accepted the contractors (W. McLennan, Ltd.) will make preparations for the laying of the foundation stone.

Fighting Dental Caries i Although a proposal to carry out dietary experiments for the purpose of checking dental caries was opposed by two members of the Wellington Education Board yesterday, permission was given to the Smith Family to' conduct an experiment at the Mount Cook school by a majority of the members of the board. The experiment will be conducted over a period _of six months and will consist of providing a meal for 30 children once a day on school days. The meals to be provided will be based on a system evolved by an American dental surgeon to supply essential minerals to check decay in teeth.—Press Association.

Shortage of Teachers During the next two terms the Auckland Education Board will face the most acute shortage of teachers yet experienced. The board has called applications for more than 50 positions without much result and it was stated at yesterday’s meeting that about 100 would be required to fill relieving positions in the country. It was also stated that the closing down of the teachers’ training colleges during the depression period had left a serious gap and girls were now disinclined to take up teaching, preferring commercial positions, and they were also disinclined to leave their homes for the country. As a result many positions were being filled by married women teachers, many of whom had previously retired.- —Press Association. 35 New Aeroplanes

The purchase of 35 new aeroplanes for advanced training and for defence was announced by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, in a speech at Dargaville on Tuesday evening. Thirty of the machines, Vickers Wellington bombers of the latest design, will probably be flown to New Zealand as soon as the stations now being prepared throughout the country are ready to receive them. These machines, 'with their full equipment, have been purchased at a total cost of £750,000. Five Airspeed Oxford aeroplanes medium bombers—are also, on order, and the first two of them are expected to arrive in New Zealand very shortly. These will be used for the training of personnel, and for the carrying out of survey work. Mutton Bird In Christchurch

A young mutton bird, the annual migration of which is now in progress, flew into a telegraph pole in St. Albans, Christchurch, recently, and is now to be added to the collection of birds at the Canterbury Museum. The bird was dazed when it hit the pole and was seized by persons who saw it fall. It was handed to the taxidermist at the museum, Mr P. J. O’Brien, who is engaged in restoring the head, which was slightly damaged in the fall. < Coal Resources Suitably equipped accommodation has been provided at the Dominion Laboratory for the carrying out of chemical and related work required in connection with the general survey of New Zealand’s coal resources which is planned by the Government. Information is being obtained about the better utilization of New Zealand coal, and data is being prepared should the commercial hydrogenation of coal be considered.