In the News

Southland Times, Issue 25835, 21 November 1945, Page 4

In the News

Bus Service Begins The Railways bus service between Dunedin and Invercargill was begun yesterday. The buses will run each Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They will leave Dunedin at 8.30 a.m. and arrive at Invercargill at 1.30 p.m. Leaving Invercargill at 2.30 p.m., buses for Dunedin will arrive there at 7.30 pm. Forest of Grass! The growth of grass on the flanks of some of the suburban streets of Invercargill in recent weeks has been unusually rapid. Some of it is so thick and tall that one taxi-driver declared yesterday that in Duke street he could not see a house number “through the forest of grass” from the roadline. Cruiser Gambia Officers and men of H.M.N.Z.S. Gambia, which recently returned to New Zealand from Japan, have received word that the ship is, no longer a unit of the British Pacific Fleet. She will leave early in 1946 for a refit in England, and in the meantime, the men have an extra week’s leave. Power Pole Burned Bluff was without electric power for five hours yesterday—from 2.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.—and during .that period no work could be done at the Ocean Beach freezing works and other industrial premises. The cause of the power failure was the burning of a pole at Greenhills. Some gorse had caught fire and the flames spread to the pole before they were extinguished. Esteemed Teacher The esteem in which Mr J. M. Boyne, who has resigned from the teaching staff of the Gore High School, is held by pupils is reflected in the fact that he has been regularly visited by boys and girls at the Dunedin Hospital where he has been a patient for the last 12 monthes. Mr Boyne has been a member of the staff for the last 24 years. In the words of one pupil, he is revered throughout the school. R.S.A. Badges ' Because of the present shortage of R.S.A. membership badges no further re-issues will be approved in the meantime. This advice was contained in a letter from the Dominion executive of the R.S.A. received at a meeting of the executive of the Invercargill R.S.A. last night. Members agreed that the letter should be received without comment. They considered that it was reasonable that if there was a shortage new members should receive preference.

Government Congratulated A resolution congratulating the Government on the passing of the Electoral Amendment Bill and also on the proposed legislation for taking over the Bank of New Zealand for the purpose of making it a State bank, was carried unanimously at a largely attended general meeting of the Southland and Otago branch of the New Zealand Dairy Workers’ Union. The opinion was expressed that the taking over of the Bank of New Zealand by the State was long Overdue. Fresh Strawberries

Southland’s climate has been very much maligned in recent weeks, but if the detractors could see some of the strawberries grown in Invercargill they would perhaps reflect upon their outbursts. Strawberries grown by Mr J. O. Brown, Robertson street are at present ripe and luscious. They are wellgrown and perfectly coloured and show no signs of having been battered by unseasonal weather. Their reaction to nature suggests that the weather has not been a deterrent to vegetable and fruit growth. Work at Rugby Park

Terraces for the benefit of Rugby and sports spectators are at present being constructed on each side of the main stand at* Rugby Park. The work is being carried out by Mr W. Allison, of Drummond, with the aid of modem earth-moving equipment, including a diesel crawler tractor with hydraulic angle-attachment and a five-yard hydraulically controlled wheel scoop. Thousands of yards of earth have been dug, carried, dumped and levelled with this equipment. The final result will be an excellent terrace for spectators. The work has almost been completed. Travel Difficulties

While it cannot be said that a rush for holiday travel has set in, there have been instances of shortages of accommodation on some of the express trains in the South Island. One Wellington business man who sought to visit Invercargill not only had to wait almost three months to get a birth on the ferry steamer from Wellington to Lyttelton, but he was unable to get a seat on the first through express when .he arrived at Christchurch. Rather than fail to keep an engagement he boarded the train and stood all the way to Timaru before he got a seat. There were many standing passengers in some carriages. Girls’ Sit-Down Strike

A sit-down strike was held for a full day last week by girls in a Christchurch clothing factory. The girls’ action followed the refusal of the employer to dismiss or discipline one’ girl whose attitude, as a fast worker, was resented by her fellow employees. The strike was not complete, as some girls worked, pleading that they could not afford to lose a day’s wages. The dispute was resolved late in the afternoon by the girl apologizing, and her workmates giving an assurance that they would accept her as a fellow-worker. The ending was a happy one, when the employer agreed to pay the strikers their full day’s wages, and to pay those who had worked a bonus equivalent to a day’s wages. House Ransacked

The home of Mr H. S. # Bowden, 130 Anzac Parade, Wanganui, was entered recently and stripped of practically all personal clothing, household linen, sheets and blankets to the value of about £2OO. Mr and Mrs Bowden were on holiday in Christchurch with their two children at the time. Mr Bowden returned from overseas service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force about six weeks ago, and was taking part of his discharge leave in the South Island. Mr Bowden said that all the family was left with in the way of personal clothing was what they had with them on their holiday. A good part of the household linen and blankets was irreplaceable, although it was partly covered by insurance. Gore High School The plans and drawings of the new Gore High School as it will appear when completed were distributed to members of the Board of Governors at its meeting yesterday afternoon. Provision is made in the plans, in addition to airy welllit classrooms, for a teachers’ room and common • room, an assembly hall and stage to seat 550 persons, dressing rooms, geography, dressmaking, cookery, dining, commercial, sick, prefects, general science, crafts and art rooms, a biology department, a librarian’s office, a projection or dark room, a library, stores, kitchens, pantry, boys’ and girls’ lavatories and'showers, boys’ and girls’ lockers and coat rooms, male and female teachers’ cloak rooms and other, amenities. “This has fulfilled a lot of our hopes for years past,” said the acting chairman, Mr S. Rice. “We are delighted to see such progress has been made.” •