LOCAL AND GENERAL

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22478, 13 January 1943, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Armed Forces Board The No. 10A Armed Forces Appeal Board will resume its sitting in Timaru to-morrow when appeals against service in the Armed Forces and applications for release from camp will be heard. Aircraftman Robs W.A.A.F. "It was despicable to steal from a girl,” said Mr F. H. Levien, S.M., in sentencing, at Auckland, Kenneth Mervyn Meyer, aged 22, an aircraftman. to three months’ imprisonment for stealing some money belonging to a girl in the Air Force. Shortage of Nurses In an endeavour to meet the acute shortage of probationer nurses at the West Coast Mental Hospital, the Greymouth manpower officer shortly before Christmas issued direction orders to 12 women to report for duty in the new year. In each instance an appeal has been lodged, either by the woman concerned or by her present employer. Foster-Mother’s Devotion The bantam which was recently hatched by the Cape Eagle owl at the Auckland Zoo has now grown into a handsome young bird, and is being tended with great devotion by its foster-mother. The owl has even forsworn its natural habit of sleeping during the daytime in order to look after its adopted chick. Rabbit Pest Speaking at Oamaru on Saturday evening, the Hon. J. G. Barclay, Minister of Agriculture, announced that, in company with the Hon. P. C. Webb, he would attend a conference to be held in Dunedin next month to discuss ways and means of dealing with the rabbit nuisance, which, he said, had become a national problem. Save the Stamp! The traditional Scots canniness was demonstrated at a meeting of the South Canterbury Piping and Dancing Association last night, when the chairman, Mr S. J. Anderson, suggested that a letter of thanks be sent to the various donors of prizes for the New Year competitions. “Don’t bother sending me a letter,” remarked one donor amidst laughter and applause, “save the twopenny stamp!” Canterbury College Council Seven nominations have been received by the Registrar of Canterbury University College to fill the vacancy as Canterbury school committees’ representative on the Council caused by the death of Mr H. D. Acland. They are Messrs D. D. R. Cresswell, T. N. Gibbs, A. Greenwood, J. Wyn Irwin, T. Nuttall, S. Smith, and F. J. Walklin. Mr Cresswell lives at Governor's Bay, and Mr Smith, who is chairman of the Canterbury Education Board lives at Methven. The other candidates all belong to Christchurch. The election is to be held on February 1. Price of Potatoes Official advice has now been received by Pukekohe merchants that they are to revert to Price Order 116 regarding the price of potatoes. This means that the maximum price to growers is £l4 a ton, and the ceiling price on rail at Pukekohe is £l6 a ton. After paying freight, retailers are entitled to charge 33 1-3 per cent on the landed cost, with a maximum price of 3d per lb. Unless amended, this order will be effective till the end of February. The ceiling price to growers last month was £lB a ton, while the maximum price to retailers into shops was £l7/10/- a ton. Wellington Boy’s Pea-Picking A rich harvest of vegetables is being garnered at the Ruakura State Farm, near Hamilton, where large quantities of foodstuffs are being picked and packed for dispatch to the Navy, Army, and Air Force. Pea-pickers were paid a penny a pound. One of the best tallies was recorded by K. H. Morton, one of five Wellington secondary school boys, who are profitably employing their vacation in earning money. He picked 1401 b in a full day, though his record was probably bettered by Miss E. ROach, a Hamilton girl, who picked 9711 b in less than four hours. Nelson Raspberry Season Though the raspberry picking season in the Nelson district has not yet reached its flush on account of the dry weather, the prospects are for a good average crop. However, there is not sufficient acreage of fruit to supply the demand, and the raspberry marketing committee has found it possible to allocate only two-thirds of the fruit for which application has been made by jam manufacturers. Pickers of this season’s crop receive 12/6 per 1001 b, or lid per lb, which is an increase of id per lb on last year’s payment. A party of 60 Wellington schoolgirls arrived in Nelson to help with the picking. Women for Navy Tire first group of recruits to the Women’s Royal New Zealand Naval Service to be trained in Auckland has now been absorbed into the naval shore services and a second group entered barracks for disciplinary training last week. Members of the first group, 24 women, have been placed mainly as cooks and stewards, but from the incoming group it is hoped to obtain material for more diversified occupations, such as clerical and signalling, said the Auckland superintendent of Wrens (Miss Joyce Duthie). The girls come from all parts of the Dominion and are quartered during training in a boardinghouse near the naval base to which they are to be attached. Status of Women The conference of the Australian Federation of Women Voters resolved to study the possibility of overcoming the situation that wives were economically dependent on husbands, “even to the extent of asking for a tram fare,” reports the “Sydney Morning Herald.” The conference decided to call a national conference to discuss the status of women after the war. A "Women for Canberra” resolution urged that women be included on all national or State commissions, delegations and boards, that positions in the Commonwealth and State civil services should be open to women; and that advancement to higher positions should be equally open to both sexes. Fire at Paint Works While three oil boilers were being brought to the required temperature of 580 degrees Fahrenheit for varnishmaking at thq paint factory of Pinchin, Johnson, and Co. (N.Z.), Ltd., Stone Street, Miramar, on Saturday, an explosion occurred, and immediately the detached building in which the oil was being boiled was enveloped in flames. The Miramar and Constable Street stations each sent one machine, and two engine pumps and a salvage van were sent from Central, but by the time the Central machines arrived the fire was under control, the four leads of hose used by the Miramar and Constable Street engines being sufficient. Building damage was confined to the roof of the building, but the plant and equipment suffered severely.