In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24161, 25 June 1940, Page 6

In the News

Daylight Steamer Service

The steamer express service between Lyttelton and Wellington will make daylight trips on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week, leaving each port at 8.15 a.m. The Maori is to make the daylight sailing from Wellington on Saturday. Work On Waterfront To expedite the completion of work on an overseas vessel, the waterside workers at Bluff worked 12 hours on Sunday. Additional overtime was also worked at night. Garden Notes ■ This week’s garden notes are printed this morning instead of on Wednesday. In future they will be printed on Tuesdays. A Message From The Sea A bottle containing a message and two letters for despatch to Christchurch and Timaru respectively was picked up on the beach at Manawatu Heads a few days ago by Mr R. Boothby. The message was signed Pte. Higgs and Cpl. Smith, of the 23rd Rifle Battalion, and stated that it was being thrown overboard as they were leaving Farewell ■ Spit behind, and asked that the accompanying letters should be posted. This was done, and Mr Boothby has since received a grateful acknowledgement from the mother of one of the men. Defect In Electric Power An intermittent surge which causes electric lights to flicker and fade has been occupying the attention of officials of the city electricity department during the last few days. Tests and inspections so far made have failed to reveal any defect in the circuits affected. Consumers are requested to acquaint the department of similar occurrences—time and length of the disturbance —so that the defect, if any, can be traced.

Preserving Public Morale “Colonel Rowllings, officer commanding the Southern District, recently stressed the duty of the association in maintaining public morale,” said Lieu-tenant-Colonel T. L. Gibbs, president, speaking at the annual reunion of the Stratford branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. “There is news nearly every day of what the “fifth column” is doing in our midst. We can all help to raise the morale of the people and discredit news that comes from foreign radio stations,” he added.

Testing Elderly Drivers Reference to the testing of applicants for drivers’ licences of persons 70 years old and over was made in the report of the traffic inspector of the Heathcote County Council (Mr A. J. Tait) to a meeting of the council last week. The inspector states: “With the renewing of licences and the retesting of people of 70 years of age and over, I have had a fairly busy time. Of the number of elderly drivers retested only a few appear to be showing a slowness in their reaction to the unexpected. One or two to whom I gave the benefit of the doubt this year were warned that they were approaching the time when they would find it difficult to pass the test. Of all those retested, however, only one had ever been involved in an accident, and they are proud of their record. A few of the applicants objected to having to. go to the expense of producing a medical certificate. Lost Ball When the spare ball in a Rugby match at Napier last Saturday was kicked on to the grandstand roof it became lodged there. A hurried consultation between two union officials resulted in the decision to procure another ball and, by striking it against the under portion of the roof, they endeavoured to dislodge the first ball. By some mischance the second ball also came to rest on the roof and the position was twice as bad. In the finish, a pole vaulting lance was brought to light from the interior of the new stand and the two balls were knocked down.