In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23735, 6 February 1939, Page 8

In Town And Out

Births in City There were 90 births in Invercargill during January of this year and this number is believed to be a record for any one month. The previous highest total was in January 1928, when there were 86 births.

Bequests to Hospitals By the will of Mr David Latimer, a former sergeant of police who died in 1926, residue of his estate which was subject to a life interest for his widow was distributed recently by the Public Trustee to the Public Hospitals in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, the amount in each case being approximately £l4OO. Mrs Latimer died in Auckland last December. —Press Association.

Freezing Workers’ Dispute It was explained on Saturday by the secretary of the South Island Freezing Companies’ Association that the freezing workers’ agreement made at Wellington was on the basis of the present award, with a few minor amendments, and not as previously announced, a general wage increase.—Christchurch Press Association.

Conference Postponed The biennial conference of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, which was to have been opened in Wellington by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) today, has been postponed for a week because of the damage to the society’s building by the disastrous fire in Aitken street. Mr J. L. Crighton, of Waipahi, who will represent the Maintenance Department, will be the only Southland delegate at the conference.

Woman Angler’s Success A black marlin within seven pounds of the world’s record for a woman angler was caught on Friday by Mrs E. Swift, of Chicago, when fishing off Cape Brett. The fish, weighing 8161bs, was hooked at 2 p.m. and was not landed till 10 p.m. The record is held by Miss Carrie Finn, the authoress.—Press Association. .

Physical Fitness In New Zealand “New Zealand, from the point of view of vital statistics, has always been, and still is, one of the healthiest countries in the world. Captain Cook placed it on record that the Maoris enjoyed perfect and uninterrupted health. In the realm of sport, the position we hold in the world today, having regard to our small population, is one of which we may well be proud, but neither a Lovelock nor an All Black team necessarily indicates a nation of athletes, and signs are not lacking that we shall soon have to face the fact that we are in grave danger of losing our inheritance, and of lowering our standards of physical welfare by neglecting the laws of nature,” declared the Hon. James McLeod, president of the Reserves Committee and Park Superintendents’ Association, at the annual conference at New Plymouth last week. Mr McLeod addressed the conference on the policy of a reserves department with special reference to physical fitness and health.