In the News

Southland Times, Issue 25538, 5 December 1944, Page 4

In the News

Triplets Born With five children already, Mrs F. C. Meikle, Christchurch, gave birth last week to triplets—a girl and two boys. The mother and her three babies are doing well. The daughter, Jennifer, weighs 51b lljoz, Anthony 61b 10.1 oz, and John 61b. Dearth of Potatoes

Potatoes were practically unprocurable at the Auckland markets on Friday when the December schedule of prices came into operation. It was explained that the change over from the November prices meant a drop of £6 a ton to the growers, who now had no incentive to dig their potatoes as early as possible, but would leave them in the ground until they were more mature. At present many parts of New Zealand are drawing n.ew potatoes from supplies grown in the Auckland district. Girls Complimented

“The girls manpowered into the Sil—verstream hospital are doing a good job,” said the chairman, Mr H. F. Toogood, at a meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board. He said he wished to pay a special tribute to them for the way they had undertaken a wartime job and settled down to it just as soldiers would do. They had come from all classes of the community, including office workers. There were not enough of them yet, but the board was satisfied that the staffing requirements at Silverstream would be filled.

Austerity Eased The easing of the austerity regulations as applied to men’s suits is becoming apparent (says The Dominion, Wellington). Once more suits are appearing with pocket flaps, trousers with cuffs, and coat sleeves with those useless little slits at the cuff, sometimes adorned with a couple of buttons. Also, more pockets are being allowed than a year ago; so that it may be said that men’s suits are back to normal —in all but price. Probably the cost of mens tailor-made suits has increased as much as that of any form of wearing apparel. Good Fishing Baskets

To take home a basket of eight brown trout weighing 701 b was the experience of three Gore district anglers who were fishing on the Oreti river on Saturday. They were Messrs W. Archer, J. J. Ferris and W. McKenzie. The biggest fish caught by Mr Archer weighed 14Jlb and the smallest in the basket weighed 81b. The biggest fish measured 29 inches in length and was eight inches and a-half in depth. The other fish ranged in weight from 91b to lOJlb. The bait used was the floating worm. Mr James McKee added to his recent performances by taking 13 fish weighing 53|lb from the Waikaia river. 'Hie biggest weighed 6|lb. Unseasonable Weather

Invercargill is not the only town in New Zealand where the people are beginning to despair of seeing the bright sunshine of summer. Sports fixtures in Christchurch and Wellington were postponed and rain halted play in the cricket competitions at Dunedin on Saturday. It was the second postponement in three weeks in Christchurch. Summer is still hiding round the comer in Wellington. Already some high temperatures have been experienced in parts of the South Island and also in the Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay districts, but Wellington, with its varying moods, keeps its people guessing. Annual Stock Wastage

That New Zealand’s annual stock wastage through disease is about eight per cent, is an estimate made in the bulletin, “Veterinary Science in New Zealand,” issued by Massey Agricultural College. The report, in urging the establishment of a veterinary school in New Zealand, states that part of that wastage and reduction in efficiency could be prevented by the provision of an adequate veterinary service. Surveys carried out by the New Zealand Dairy Board’s Herd Recording Department indicated that there was an annual wastage in recorded herds, due to disease, of approximately 7.7 per cent. Since that applied to the better herds in the country, the chances were that the wastage was not less than eight per cent., or about 150,000 cows. That visible loss was increased by a fall in the production of cow's retained in herds and affected to a slight extent by disease. The estimated annual wastage of sheep was about eight per cent., or approximately 2,500,000 head. The incidence of disease and wastage among pigs and poultry was relatively high, and exercised an important influence.