In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23887, 4 August 1939, Page 8

In Town And Out

The Queen’s Birthday Today her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, will celebrate her thirty-ninth birthday. The Queen was born on August 4, 1900, and was married on April 26, 1923. War Declared 25 Years Ago Twenty-five years ago today, at 11 p.m., Great Britain declared war on Germany. The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand on June 29, 1914, had been seized upon by both Germany and Austria as a possible reason for war against Serbia, and in a few short weeks, the major nations of the world entered into what became the greatest war in the world’s history. On August 2, Germany delivered an ultimatum to Belgium demanding permission within 12 hours for German troops to be moved through the country and at 6.45 p.m. on August 3, Germany declared war on France. Early on August 4 the British Government presented an ultimatum to Germany requiring her to pledge her respect of Belgium’s neutrality by midnight and the reply of the German Chancellor was that Belgian neutrality had already been violated by German forces. War between Britain and Germany began on August 4 at 11 p.m. Cost of Bombers’ Flight The flight of Vickers Wellington bombers to New Zealand is estimated to cost the Air Department £20,000. This is one of the interesting points on defence subjects disclosed in the Estimates presented to the House of Representatives on Tuesday night. Another is that £60,000 is proposed to be spent on landing grounds, aeradio and meteorological facilities in the Pacific Island dependencies of the Dominion.

Inspection by Board Members of the Bluff Board carried out a tour of inspection of the various harbour works at Bluff yesterday. In the morning, a visit was paid to the west end reclamation area and from there the board proceeded to Bluff Hill, where the new reservoir is under construction. The wharf was then visited and after the meeting of the board in the afternoon, an inspection of the workshops was made and members were given a demonstration of a new type of electric plane.

Racing Club’s Gifts A decision to give 50 guineas to the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association was made at the monthly meeting of the committee of the Riverton Racing Club. It was stipulated that the money was to be allocated for prizes in the jumping events and in the thoroughbred classes. It was also decided to give five guineas to the prize fund of the Eastern Southland Hunt Club and one guinea to the Invercargill branch of the Birchwood Hunt Club, to be allocated to the Hunt Club’s prize fund.

Exaggerated Broadcast A greatly exaggerated report of the Kew Hospital fire was broadcast from the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s Sydney station 2BL on Tuesday night. The account was given during the station’s news session and was heard by several Southland listeners who have expressed considerable indignation at the extent to which the version was coloured by imagination. It was stated over the air that the patients had to be carried out of the blazing building and through deep snow. Actually, the patients were not taken outside at all until they were taken from the nurses’ home to waiting ambulances and lorries standing at the doorway and the last of the light snowfall in Invercargill last week had disappeared days before the fire. Conditions were very cold at the time of the fire because of a very sharp frost, but the patients were taken along the closed corridor from the hospital to the nurses’ home and not into the open air.

Bands To Parade ■ The Southland Battalion Band will be the official band at the Ranfurly Shield match between Otago and Southland tomorrow and in addition the Drum, Trumpet and Bugle Band of the Southland Boys’ High School, the Battalion Boys’ Band and two bands from Dunedin—the Kaikorai Band and the Waverley Band—will parade. The bands will march in a procession from the Post Office to the park, and will occupy special areas at the ground. The official band will be in. the inner ring on the east side of the players’ gate where the two Dunedin bands will also be accommodated. The Drum, Trumpet and Bugle Band and the Battalion Boys’ Band will be seated in the inner ring enclosure in front of the west stand. Only the local bands will play on the park, but the visiting bands will play on the march from the Post Office to the football ground. On Sunday morning there will be a church parade to the Civic Theatre, when the bands will march from the Great War memorial at 10.30, In the afternoon there will be a combined bands’ display at the show grounds, led by the Drum, Trumpet and Bugle Band of the Boys’ High School.