LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20860, 16 October 1937, Page 10

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Architect Appointed Mr Cecil Wood, of Christchurch, has been appointed architect for the Wellington Anglican Cathedral. The estimated cost of the building is £200,000. Nails and White Lead Notice Is given in the Gazette of a decision to extend for one year the existing duties on nails and white lead ground in oil. This further extension has been made pending the conclusion of negotiations entered into by the Minister of Customs during nis visit to the United Kingdom. Amicable Settlement An amicable settlement has been reached in the dispute between the New Zealand Builders’ General Labourers’ Federation and the Hawke’s Bay Builders’ General Labourers’ Union. The matter was discussed this week at a meeting of the national executive of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. Council of Sport All manner of sports were represented at a meeting in Palmerston North last night which unanimously approved the scheme to establish a National Council of Sport, the opinion being expressed that such a body would go great service if it did nothing else than provide playing fields and physical culture equipment at those places where either was needed. Valuable Shrubs Mutilated On Thursday night a number of valuable shrubs and flowering trees were mutilated in the garden of a resident of LeCren Street. A good deal of time and care had been expended by the owner on the plants, which considerably enhanced the appearance of the property. Similar acts have been reported from other localities, and it would seem that these acts of vandalism are the work of irresponsible youths. A Call to Action A conference of Anglican laymen sitting in camera at Auckland yesterday passed a resolution strongly supporting the comment of Archbishop Averill In his presidential address to the synod on the subject of abortion. The conference expressed abhorrence at the practice which was destitute of all noble ideals, and decided to call upon the Government to take immediate and active steps to cope with the evil. A Good Knitter When he was watching children engaged on handiwork at the Pleasant Point District High School yesterday afternoon, the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) remarked that Mr A. F. Moncur, Member for Rotorua was one of the best knitters in New Zealand. He had started by knitting balaclavas during the war. “It is some merit to be a Member of Parliament, but to be the best knitter, that’s more distinction,' the Minister added. Found Dead in Hut Victor Charles Tomasi, aged 56, a Public Works overseer, dropped dead in his hut at Bonny Glen yesterday aftemnon. He was found by the driver of a lorry which was to.take him in to Wanganui. Tomasi was employed on the work of constructing the overhead bridge at Bonny Glen, which is three miles from Marton on the Wanganui Road. Tomasi, who was a married man, resided at Wanganui, and had been employed on the bridge for approximately three months. Strange Lights Off Coast The strange lights seen off the North Auckland coast by shipping masters were explained yesterday by the Superintendent of Marine at Auckland, Captain Wilcox. He said that two geodetic stations established for survey purposes were fairly close to the lighthouses, and although there was little danger of confusion the Marine Department might consider it advisable to warn shipping. The lights were attended at night and would be used to send slow morse signals. Fire Brigade Examinations The results of the associate and full membership examinations of the New Zealand Fire Brigade Officers and Members’ Institute are announced. A. W. A. Crook, of Auckland, headed the associate membership passes with 310 marks out of a possible 320, W. J. McMillan (Wellington) being second with 257 marks. Top place in the full members examination was secured by J. E. K. McConnell (Auckland) with 298 marks out of 300, while next in order were three Wellington candidates: C. E. Edwards 286, T. W. Ker 282 and Drummond 267. The examiners stated that the work of the two top candidates possessed outstanding merit. Board Member Grants a Holiday

“This was to have been a school holiday,” Mr H. F. Christie, chairman of the Pleasant Point District High School Committee, stated during the visit of the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) to the school yesterday afternoon. After he had asked why, the Minister was told that but for his visit the teachers would have attended a refresher course in Tlmaru. Mr Christie: Would you sanction a holiday next Friday? The Minister: I don’t believe in putting the school routine out by visits. I will leave it to the Board member, the committee and the headmaster. Mr G. W. Armitage: As a representative of the Canterbury Education Board, I have pleasure in granting a holiday. The Minister: There you are, you have it. No Room for Secondary Pupils That one of the buses carrying children to the Pleasant Point District. High School had no room for secondary pupils, and they were left to get to school by other means, was a complaint mentioned to the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) yesterday afternoon by Mr T. D. Burnett, M.P. The Opihi bus had been instructed by the Transport Department to carry 23 children, and there were 42 attending the Pleasant Point School from that district. The headmaster (Mr S. C. Gibb) said the difficulty was only temporary, and he did not think it was quite right to say that secondary pupils had been put off. There would probably be two buses in the future, and he had told children attending the secondary department to ride bicycles or use other means of transport in the meantime, if possible. The Minister promised to Investigate the matter.