In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24162, 26 June 1940, Page 6

In the News

Transport Services Although the steamer expresses between Lyttelton and Wellington will make daylight trips this week, no change is being made in the train schedule. Passengers arriving from the North Island will have to spend a night in Christchurch before proceeding south. Those who have booked passages from Lyttelton by tomorrow’s steamer can avoid spending the night in Christchurch by travelling to Dunedin by the express this afternoon and catching a special train which will leave Dunedin for Lyttelton at 11.20 tonight. This train has been provided for the members of the Railway Company, 56 of whom will leave Invercargill this afternoon, but ordinary passengers may travel on it.

Building Society Cheque Books The Southland Building Society has voluntarily agreed to stop, from August 1, the issue of cheque books to its savings bank depositors. One probable effect of this decision, it is stated, will be to increase the number of current accounts held by the trading banks. Freezing Season

The Makarewa and Ocean Beach freezing works have now closed for the season with record killings, but killing is still proceeding at Mataura because some Eastern Southland farmers have still got lambs on turnips. The works will remain open until Friday after which they will close for the season, Greeks’ Patriotic Effort

The proprietor of the Britannia Cafe, Esk street, Mr P. Chulis, has generously offered to give the full takings of his cafe on Friday to the Patriotic Fund. This day has been set aside by the New Zealand Greek communities for an effort to assist the patriotic movement. Friday promises to be a busy day for this cafe, as on that day a big effort will be made in the city by the stock and station agents, who gave the motor-car which is being raffled. Borstal Escapee Clifford Fox, the inmate of the Borstal Institution who.' escaped from custody 10 days ago, is still at laige. Bottle Drive With the returns of five of the smaller schools yet to come in, the sum already raised by the bottle drive in which 11 primary schools in Invercargill are paiticipating, is £99/7/Bi. The proceedLs will be devoted to the patriotic fund The Invercargill Head Masters’Association which is organizing the drive, aimed to get £lOO, but it is expected that ■this amount will be exceeded by at least £3O. The association makes the request that householders who have, bottles ,of any description and who wish to give them for the benefit of the patriotic fund, should first get them ready and then telephone the nearest school. They will then be collected. The drive which is now in its second week, ends on Friday.

Gore Pilot’s Successes A letter dated May 26 received from Flying Officer R. R. P. Fisher, by his parents, Mr and Mrs Robert Fisher, of Gore, refers to the fighting in France in which he has been engaged. The force, he stated, had been working from dawn till dusk and was very fatigued. He had secured his first German, a Heinkel, a few days previously, and then brought down a second aeroplane, a Junkers 87. He was later responsible for a third machine. Other squadrons, he stated, were having tremendous successes, and all hoped that the Germans were beginning to fear the Royal Air Force. The letter was written a few days before Flying Officer Fisher was reported missing. He has since been reported safe in hospital in England.

Army Princess Leads The latest figures show that the Army Princess (Miss Helen Hargest) holds a good lead in the Queen Carnival. The Air Force candidate (Miss Ethel Neame) is second, but there is very little difference between her and the - Navy Princess (Miss Phillippa Hodge). When the women’s committee meets tomorrow it is expected that it will make a recommendation about the closing date of the carnival and this will be forwarded to the carnival committee. The closing date was originally fixed at July 31.

Moral Rearmament Would the mere winning of the war restore to humanity all the things which had been temporarily lost by man, was u question which the Rev. W. H. Greenslade asked in an address on the need for moral rearmament in youth at the luncheon of the Invercargill Rotary Club yesterday. It was essential that humanity should build into its future whatever its material aspect, the old Christian values, he said. The great need of the world at the present time was to drive down moral struts and stays beneath the structure. Youth should be encouraged to have respect for the Christian truths which had made the nation great. He was supported in his appeal by the Rev. Hugh Graham and the Rev. A. Kernohan. Patriotic Meeting A district patriotic committee was formed at Oteramika on Monday when a well-attended social evening was held. About £lO was collected at the door and £l5 in the hall. An address was given by the chairman of the executive of the Southland Provincial Patriotic Council (Mr W. Grieve). Under the leadership of Messrs C. Trim and' P. Linton Hodge, the Returned Soldiers’ concert party presented an enjoyable programme. A community sing was also held. Comforts Fund For Troops The National Patriotic Fund Board has sent a cablegram to Brigadier J. Hargest, officer commanding the 2nd Echelon of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, which is now in the United Kingdom, advising him that the board had cabled £5OOO sterling to the High Commissioner for New Zealand in Britain (Mr W. J. Jordan) for a comforts fund for the troops. The cablegram asked Brigadier Hargest to communicate his requirements. A similar contingency fund was established by the board for the benefit of the Ist Echelon in Egypt. Apart from the money the board has cabled to the High Commissioner, the board saw to it that the 2nd Echelon was well equipped with comforts for the voyage and for the troops on arrival at their destination.