In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24681, 28 February 1942, Page 4

In the News

Mr Webb at Fiji A rumour that the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, was dumped into the sea during a visit to Fiji late last year, has been denied by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, according to the Labour paper, The Standard. It states that Mr Fraser said that just before Christmas he decided to go to Fiji to visit the forces there, and to inspect certain defence works. He was accompanied by Mr Webb, Mr A. Cook, general secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, and staff officers. “Certain rumours indicating that a hostile reception was given to some of the members of the party, including one very silly statement, have since been circulated,” Mr Fraser is quoted as saying. “I desire to state definitely that there is not one word of truth in the assertion that hostility was shown by any section of the New Zealanders in Fiji. On the contrary, we were all welcomed most cordially by all sections of the people in Fiji, and- particularly by the men in our own forces.” Leap Year Birthdays Ninety years old on Sunday, Mr E. W. Alison will, nevertheless, have celebrated only 21 birthdays, for he is among the few persons in Auckland whose lives are marked by the oddity of having been born on February 29 in a leap year. As leap year occurs one year in four, it might appear that Mr Alison should have had 22 birthdays, but the full century makes an exception to the rule of dividing the numbers of a year by four, in that, to qualify as a leap year, the full century must be divisible by 400. Therefore 1900 included no February 29, and Mr Alison and his comrades in misfortune went without birthdays for eight years over the turn of the century. Among those comrades in misfortune are Messrs Walter Pavitt, of Remuera, 74 this year, and L. T. Minogue, of North Shore, 46. These three belebrate their rare birthdays at a luncheon each leap year. The Morning’s Milk The absence of full milk bottles in place of the empties (with coupon) which had been left in the usual place overnight aroused momentary concern amongst some Wellington householders on Wednesday. They did not go without their supply, however. The filled bottles, it was found, had been deposited on lawns or pathways near the frontage of the properties. This action followed a notification from the Milk Department that milk bottles were required to be placed more conveniently for the roundsmen. Large Meteorite Described as resembling a huge ball of fire, a meteorite swept over Porewa district, Marton, recently in the direction of the coast.. It left a long trail which could be seen from Wanganui for some seconds. Two people at Castlecliff said that a brilliant flash was followed by a long trailer of smoke right down to the sea. They concluded that if it were not a plane crash, it must have been a meteorite of extraordinary size. Auckland Postwomen

Four postwomen are now attached to the Chief Post Office at Auckland and two more will start on »' are stationed at Devonport, two at Papatoetoe and one will be starting shortly at Ellerslie. As the staff of postmen is depleted by army demands more women will be engaged. Arrangements are being made to equip the women with uniforms as soon as possible, although some delay may be caused by the large number of uniforms being made for the armed forces. Lighting Cut Off ' Thirty premises at which there were flagrant breaches of the regulations during the recent black-out trial at Timaru will have their electricity supply cut off, according to a decision made at a meeting of the Reduced Lighting Committee. Mr P. B. Foote (acting-Mayor of Timaru) declared that the trial was the worst yet held in the borough. He moved that prosecutions should be laid in all future breaches. “There will be more effect if the Court deals with six cases than if the committee deals with 300,” he said. The cutting off of lights alone had failed to have the effect the committee wanted. An amendment moved by Mr R. D. Veitch (Borough Lighting Controller) that a month’s trial be given to cutting off all the lights in offending premises was carried. School Shelters Contracts have been let and work is to begin immediately on the building of five school air-raid shelters in the Wellington area. Some of them will be of pipe and others of concrete. Sites have been pegged out in a number of cases. Shelters approved so far are for the Miramar South, Miramar Central, Petone Central, Randwick and Gracefield schools. Plans are being submitted by the Education Board to the Public Works Department as quickly as possible for others. Ergot Collections

At the beginning of the school holidays Dunedin children were instructed in the value of ergot, a kind of fungus which grows on grasses and which is used in hospitals to stop the flow of blood. They were urged to look for it and to bring it back to school for cleaning. At the Dunedin Technical High School this week work was begun on a large quantity of marram grass that was gathered on the beaches near Portobello. This grass is yielding a very fine quality of ergot, and after one hour); work 18 children had filled a pound jar. Aims in Education

“We want to see milk supplied in every school, we want free dental treatment for all children, we ■ want more thorough and frequent medical inspection—and we should have had this already, had it not been for the war—and we want to see swimming taught everywhere,” said the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, Minister of Education, when he outlined some of the Government’s aims at the opening of the new block of the Waltham School; Christchurch. He stated that the new buildings allowed more sunlight and colour into schoolrooms, and this helped to make school a much happier place than in the old days. “The Government wants to see children grow up, strong in mind and body,” he said, “and so much is being done for their health as well as for their training in scholastic subjects.” Finance and Farming

Finance was a big factor in the programme of farmers, said Mr I. L. M. Coop at a meeting held in Christchurch to discuss growing more wheat. Farmers could not afford to pay competitive wages with factory owners who were allowed by the Price Tribunal to pass on extra costs. While that was so there would always be a shortage of labour. Treatment of War Wounds

Care was much more necessary than speed in the transport of persons injured by enemy attack, said Dr H. Smith, Medical Officer of Health, Wellington, in an address to E.P.S. personnel at Khandallah on war wounds. He dealt with the effect of shell and bomb wounds, and the treatment for haemorrhage, shock and burns. Rough handling or shaking of an injured person greatly increased shock, said Dr Smith. Of paramount importance were the stopping of severe bleeding and the treatment of shock. Doctors would put most of the casualties into a resuscitation room and would not operate immediately in many cases.