Local and General News

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21449, 13 September 1939, Page 6

Local and General News

Employees Who Serve Many Auckland employers are giving employees every facility to undertake defence duties. The head office of one large concern with offices throughout the Dominion has addressed the following message to its Auckland branch, which has many employees:— “Grant free permission for members of warehouse or selling staffs to perform any military service and i assure all who may be required for full-time service that their positions will be kept open for them.’’ Fatal Accident A pupil of the Timaru Girls’ High School. Eunice Alice Hay, second daughter of Mr and Mrs J. M. Hay, Spur Road. Washdyke, was found unconscious on Kelland’s Hill yesterday afternoon, and later succumbed to her injuries. It appears that the girl fell from her bicycle while returning home from school. The accident is believed to have happened shortly after 4 o’clock, and it was not until about half an hour later that the girl was found lying on the roadway by Mr J. Mullins. Huge Windows The biggest plate-glass windows ever constructed in New Zealand will be an architectural feature of the Australian Pavilion at the Centennial Exhibition. The plate glass over the main doorway has an area of 1125 square feet. This is exceeded, however, in ( the facade of the composite window at the north ! end of the building. The glass in this structure totals : 2520 square feet. Insde the facade a spiral staircase leading from the main floor to the cultural exhibit : can be seen from the outside of the building. Old Soldier’s Advice A group of young Wanganui territorials, eager to 1 go into camp if the need arose, waited on an old ’ soldier who had many old soldiers’ tricks and 1 knowledge of how to prosper in the army—obtain eggs, have plenty of spare cash, dispose of various valuable articles by methods of chance and other ( such accomplishments. “We have heard lectures on tactical exercises, gas drill, machine-gun drill, good behaviour and all the rest of it,” the spokesman said, “but we have come to you for an old soldier’s advice a successful soldier should have. Until wC hear that we are not fully trained.” Y.M.C.A. ’ War Service Committee The Board of Directors of the Timaru Y.M.C.A. considered the question of the formation of a War Service Committee to support the efforts of the National Committee in Wellington. It was unanimously agreed that such a committee should be set up, and that Timaru should not lie behind other towns in the Dominion in making its contribution to enable the services to the troops as controlled by the National War Service Committee to be carried out. It was decided to call a public meeting for the electon of this committee, the meeting to be held at the Y.M.C.A. rooms on Tuesday next at 8 p.m. when all men and women who are interested in serving the needs of the soldiers are invited to be present. Variation in Wool Quality Though New Zealand sheep flocks could produce some remarkable wool, a striking fact was its variation, said Mr R. Waters, who is in charge of the wdoltesting department at Massey College—a department that has extended its ramifications throughout the Dominion. “If we could only make our wool more even, we would get better prices for it,” he said. That could only be brought about by the use of better rams —if better rams were used, there would be better half bred flocks. High-class dress materials were now being produced from wool, and some beautiful felts were being made, but high-class material was required for this improved fabric. If New Zealand did hot provide the raw material, she would be overlooked Old-Fashioned “Speed” A question which has become a rarity in court proceedings, that of the pace of a horse, was discussed in argument before Mr Justice Fair in the Supreme Court at Auckland. It concerned the time occupied by a horse drawing a hawker’s cart in crossing a portion of a street intersection. “Any cavalryman will tell you that a horse at a steady trotting pace does six miles an hour.” declared Mr A. G. Quartley to the court. “You must remember that it was the end of the day; and the horse was probably anticipating an evening meal,” remarked his Honour with a smile. He added that he found it hard to believe that a trotting horse did not proceed faster than six miles an hour. Mr Quartley agreed to accept eight miles an hour as the pace of the horse for the purposes of argument in the case under review. General HCrtzog Though General Hertzog, who last week resigned from the position of Prime Minister of South Africa, is of German and Dutch descent, his principal Christian names, James and Barry, are British. He was named after Dr. James Barry, a famous surgeon who died Inspector-general of the British Army Medical Department. This remarkable personage was actually a woman, though that fact was unknown to Barry’s most intimate associates until the noted surgeon’s death. Boni in 1795. Barry, who is said tc have been the granddatighter of a Scottish earl, entered the Army Medical Service as a Hospital assistant in 1813. and became assistant surgeon two years later, a surgeon-major in 1827. Deputy Inspector-general in 1851, and Inspector-general in 1858. A year later she *;as placed on half-pay. She died in 1865. Hostels for Students “In acknowledgment of the important part whirl] University and Training College students play in the life of Dunedin, it would be fitting for the city generally to take a greater interest in the boarding conditions of the hundreds of young people who required to spend some years of their lives in our midst.” said the Deputy Mayor (Mr D. C. Cameroh) on Monday, when speaking at the opening of the new Training College. “Would it be too much tb‘ suggest to the citizens of a university town that they seriously consider the erection of mdre hbstels?’ There was need tor more hostel accommodation particularly for men, the speaker continued, and the provision of two modern hostels for men and women, where accommodation would be available at a reasonable rate, would be concrete evidence of the citizens’ appreciation of the position which Dunedin held as a university town “This proposal is put forward in all seriousness,” Mr Cameron added, "for the suitable boarding of our students is a serious matter.”