In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23947, 13 October 1939, Page 8

In Town And Out

Twins to Please the Minister

Not only the Invercargill City Council and the men employed under the No. 13 scheme in growing vegetables and produce on city reserves have answered the appeal by the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin; for increased production. A dairy herd in the Woodlands district has made a generous response by producing six pairs of twins so far, and it is reported that there is every prospect of more. This, it is considered, is approaching a record for .Southland,, if it is not already one.

No Discharges at Bluff “No boats from the United Kingdom or Canada will discharge at Bluff in the future,” said Mr H. L. Mair at yesterday’s meeting of the council of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce. Mr Mair added that it would be necessary to take delivery of goods at one of the main ports in the North Island and arrange to have them transhipped south. This, he said, was a war measure. Writ for Damages

The Southland Boxing Association and the Invercargill City Council have jointly been served by H. B. Black, carpenter, with a writ for the sum or £917 for damages for injuries to his foot received when the staging in the Civic Theatre collapsed during the progress of a boxing match on May 31, 1939. The case will be heard at the next sitting of the Supreme Court in Invercargill. Mr G. C. Cruickshank will appear for the plaintiff and Messrs R. T. Meredith and J. Robertson will appear for the Boxing Association and the City Council respectively.

Services Rewarded “Please find enclosed 412 hawks feet, 16 owls heads and one shag’s beak. Would you kindly send me a fishing licence,” read a letter received last I night by the Southland Acclimatization Society from a Hedgehope angler. Members agreed that the writer had performed good service and had earned a complimentary licence. It was decided to send him one. Employment Not Affected That the enlistments in the special military force had not materially affected the employment position in Southland was an opinion expressed by Mr R. A. Fernandez, chief placement officer of the Social Security Department, yesterday. The unemployment figures for Southland had been reduced during the last few weeks, but that could be put down to the absorption of labour in seasonal work, and Scheme No. 4B employment, he said. His department had not noticed any difference in the figures because of recruiting. There were about 150 registered unemployed persons in Southland at present. Borstal Escapee Captured A comparatively short period of freedom was enjoyed by the inmate of the Borstal Institution who escaped late on Tuesday night. He was arrested at Clyde, Central Otago by Constable A. Harris. The motor-car which was reported to be missing from Invercargill, was found in his possession. He will appear in the Magistrate’s Court at Invercargill. Commemorative Covers The six special commemorative covers and descriptive pamphlets being issued in conjunction with the centennial stamps, will be available at the larger permanent post offices during the first week in December. Collectors in New Zealand are asked to obtain their requirements of stamps at local post offices on the day of issue and to post their covers there. Effect of War on Debts A statement that consideration would be given to whether a debtor was unable to meet his debts by circumstances arising out of the war was made by Mr R. C. Abernethy, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning. Referring to proceedings for debt, Mr Abernethy said it was proposed to institute a uniform system covering the procedure to be followed under . the Court’s Emergency Powers Regulations 1939. It was expected that the methods would be fixed for all courts in ’the Dominion. In the meantime, he said, a judgment creditor would have to file an affidavit in support of his summons which would have to be served on the debtor and the time fixed for the hearing. At the hearing it would be decided whether the debtor was unable to meet the debt by circumstances arising directly or indirectly out of the war.

Effective Eel Pots

The effectiveness of the eel-pots which were set in Southland fishing rivers was emphasized by members of the council of the Southland Acclimatization Society last night. Reports of greatly decreased catches this year compared with those of last year were made; one member said that where 1000 eels had been trapped last year only 200 had been caught this year, evidence that the menace to trout was being kept well in check. Reason for No Air Raids

Why have there been no raids by German aircraft over London and Paris? Mr D. Endell Wanklyn, of Christchurch, who left Great Britain two days before war was declared on Germany, believes that the answer to this much-discussed question is to be found in Germany’s wholesome respect for the Allied anti-aircraft defences and for the Allied power of retaliatibn (reports The Press, Christchurch). “The completeness and the efficiency of Britain’s anti-aircraft preparations are simply amazing,” Mr Wanklyn told a reporter. The new anti-aircraft guns, with their aircraft detectors and height-estimating instruments, had been put to some rather extraordinary tests, and they had more than justified the highest hopes placed in them. Human error had almost been eliminated from gunlaying, and gun crews could be trained in their operation in a week. The balloon barrage was also a formidable defence for certain localities. British power of retaliation in the event of German air raids had been demonstrated convincingly by the experimental flights of the new giant bombers. With their cruising range of more than 3000 miles and their bomb load of two tons, they were a potent means of retaliation in the event of “frightfulness.” Mr Wanklyn said that some spectacular long-range flights carried out by these giant machines were believed to have caused consternation in Germany. Fishing Competition Limits

The Southland Acclimatization Society at its meeting last night decided to limit the privileges extended to angling clubs in club competitions. The following resolution was adopted:— “That no club be granted permission to exceed the limit of 15 fish in competitions on more than two occasions, and that it be recommended that the size of the fish be not less than 12 inches.”