In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23650, 27 October 1938, Page 6

In Town And Out

Banana Shortage in City Wholesale marts in the city have been bare of supplies of bananas since last week-end and retailers have had difficulty in supplying the demand. The next shipment is due to arrive on the market today, and any. in ripe condition will be quickly distributed. Sales of bananas have been much heavier this year and there have been frequent shortages between shipments. Motoring in Kawarau Gorge

During the Labour Day week-end it was reported that many motorists had considerable difficulty and discomfort when negotiating the Kawarau gorge. The reconstruction work in progress there became very soft after rain and a decided outfall in the road surface gave driving an element of danger. The Automobile Association (Southland) has confirmed this report, and has issued a general warning to motorists that if the weather has been wet it would be advisable to make an inquiry in the locality before making the trip. - Birth of Bizet

This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Bizet, the French composer, usually known as Georges Bizet. He was born near Paris and was tha son of a teacher of singing. Bizet studied at the Conservatoire under Halevy, whose daughter he married. Of his several operas the only complete success was Carmen, which was produced at the Opera Comique in 1875 and in London in 1878. He died on June 3, 1875. Thackeray in America

“The President of the United States of America and many of the senators were present at one of the lectures given'in America by Thackeray,” said Mr Frank Pearse in an address to the Radiant Health Club last night “Unfortunately, Thackeray had a very poor speaking voice and could hardly be heard at times. When the address finished one of the senators said to another: ‘Even if we have not heard him, we have seen the British lion!”

City Mission Work There were other needs besides bread and butter in the homes of the people said the Rev. J. A. Thomson at the annual meeting last evening of the Presbyterian Social Service Association. He was supporting the contention of the chairman (the Rev. W. J. Robertson) that a deaconess should be appointed by the association to carry out city mission work. The deaconess, he said, could assist in the problems of home life—the bringing up of children and so on—and she could organize mothers’ meetings. The main difficulty was that of finance, but this would have to be overcome.

Sunrise Service Reference to the Easter sunrise service held in the Hollywood Bowl in America was made in an address to the Radiant Health Club last night by Mr Frank Pearse, of London. “It is the most spectacular sunrise service in the world,” he said. “It has the backing of film magnates and stars cf Hollywood and there is -an average attendance of 30,000 people. .The service ends with a recitation, and this year Mary Pickford, the film star, gave the recitation.”

Dredging Work Delayed Heavy reef formation encountered by the Bluff Harbour Board’s dredge, Murihiku, in the work of deepening and improving 'the approach to the ferry wharf has prevented this, special work being completed according to schedule. The board at its meeting last night approved a suggestion by the engineer (Mr D. E. S. Mason) to send the dredge for annual overhaul next week and to provide other special work later until the blasting of the rock formation is completed.

Right Foods t The value of eating the right foods was emphasized by Mr Frank Pearse, of London, in his address to the Radiant Health Club last night. “If people have the right foods then they will have pure blood streams, and if they have pure blood streams they will be absolutely immune from diseases. However, eating the right foods requires will power and it is very costly in the winter,” added Mr Pearse.

Increased Imports The steady increase in imports through the port of Bluff during the last four years was recorded in the report of the secretary (Mr R. N. Porter) at the monthly meeting of the Bluff Harbour Board last night. The figures in tons for the different years were:—l93s, 34,234; 1936, 41,512; 1937, 47,417; 1938, 54,338. Seven Fires in October

The Invercargill fire brigade attended seven calls to fires during the month of October, three to fires in dwellings and four- to chimney fires, said the superintendent of the brigade in his report to the board yesterday. Narrow Escape from Drowning

When a home-made canvas boat in which they were sailing on the Manukau harbour was badly holed and foundered, three boys, aged about 16, sons of residents of Onehunga, had narrow escapes from drowning. They were rescued after they had been in the water a long time, and had drifted a considerable distance, by Mr A. Gillman, of Onehunga, who went _to their assistance in a dinghy. Hearing cries from the harbour about 10.30 p.m., Mr Gillman ran to the water’s edge with a pair of oars, and set out in the first dinghy he could find, which was unfortunately one of the smallest boats on the harbour. Guided by the cries, he located the three boys clinging to their partly-submerged boat, which had been badly ripped as it passed the slips in. Taylor’s Bay, before being carried up the harbour by the tide. Mr Gillman assisted two of the boys on to a punt, which was fortunately moored nearby, and took the third, who was suffering from severe cramp, ashore in the dinghy. The other boys were then brought to the shore. All were in a weak condition, but were revived with warm blankets, and were able to return home. Roads that Mesmerize

That the new German State highways were horrible roads on which to drive was the orinion expressed by Mr P. Good, the deputy-director of the British Standards Institute, when talking to the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute of Engineers, says The Press. The German, autobahnen were objectionable because their extreme uniformity, flatness, and straightness seemed to mesmerize the driver. He himself had found on one occasion that quite unconsciously he was driving full out and heading straight for the back of another car. It seemed to him that it was quite by chance that he appreciated that an ac-i.'mt would result if he held to his course. Many Germans, he said, had had similar experiences, and the accident rate on these roads was very high. Not a few had refused to drive on them, and the authorities had decided that in future all State highways would retain some of their natural features in grades and curves. The present roads, he added, were excellent for heavy military traffic, travelling about 12 miles an hour.