Communication with Amoy.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 May 1938, Page 6

Communication with Amoy.

The Masterton Post Office has received advice from Shanghai that all communication with Amoy is inter; rupted at present. Fatal Fall. Failing to rally after admission to hospital on Wednesday, suffering from concussion and a broken arm, Gwyneth Margaret Price, aged 12, Kerikeri Road, Whangarei, died on Thursday evening. The child was swinging on a rata vine and fell. A verdict of accidental death was returned by the coroner at an inquest held at Whangarei yesterday.

Employment of Boys. The employment of boys under 16 on milk runs before 7 o’clock in the morning was the subject of several prosecutions of milk vendors in the Dunedin Magistrate’s Court yesterday, the magistrate, Mr H. W. Bundle, agreeing with the contention of the defence that there was difficulty in getting suitable labour, but adding that this did not justify the employment of boys under age. Fines of 30s were imposed in each of four cases. Coastal Defence.

There has been a good response to the Defence Department’s call for recruits to undertake special training in coastal defence. Since the inception of the scheme last August 500 men have been trained with very satisfactory results. The third batch of young men as special reservists is now in training. It numbers 200 men. They will carry out three months’ training, after which they will be passed to the reserve for three years, during which they’ will be called up for ten days’ training each year. Outstanding features of the training in coastal defences have been the splendid physique of the recruits and their enthusiasm. Youth’s Triumph.

Although he protested that he was only 12 years of age, a youth was unable to gain admittance to a Napier theatre on a recent afternoon at halfprice, and as he wanted to see the film he reluctantly purchased an adult’s ticket. A few afternoons later the boy again presented himself at the door of the theatre with a half-ticket, and was immediately recognised by the attendant. As the same argument showed signs of occurring again, the boy triumphantly produced his birth certificate from his pocket and showed it to the attendant. Apologies followed, and the boy was admitted on a child’s ticket.

Losses of Pheasants. After a discussion on the shortage of pheasants, the need for more extensive breeding, and the preservation of birds, the annual meeting of the Hobson Acclimatisation Society decided that it be a recommendation to the incoming council that notices be issued to pro-perty-owners prohibiting all shooting, at the discretion of the council. Because of losses of pheasants caused by weasels and stoats. Mr J. E. Elliott said that efforts were being made to offer a prize of £5 at agricultural shows for the largest collection of weasel and stoat tails, all of which would be bought from children at 2s 6d each. In addition to this: competition, 2s 6d would be paid for tails at any time during the season. Devastating Effect! An unusual reference to a prominent Takapuna public man was made by Mr 11. M. Buisson, one of the candidates contesting a seat on the Takapuna Borough Council on a Citizens’ ticket, at a meeting at Bayswater. "I ask you which you believe will handle the borough affairs with efficiently—a body of men who have handled their own affairs successfully and are therefore capable of handling yours, or a sophisticated rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity and gifted with an egotistical imagination mat can at all times command a series of interminable and inconsistent arguments to malign his opponents and to glorify himself." After this impassioned peroration, spoken all in one breath, the candidate came up for air. In a weak moment he admitted that the quotation was borrowed. It is rarely that the words of a famous Prime Minister are used with such telling and devastating effect. It was at least three minutes before the laughter had died down and the candidate was able to proceed with his address.