LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 January 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Centennial Exhibition. The attendance at the Centennial Exhibition reached 19,777 yesterday. The total is now 800,820, with a daily average of 16,343. Business Sign Crashes. A large sheep truck struck a sign hanging over the footpath outside a local bookseller's shop this morning causing the sign, which was a fairly big one, to crash down on -the Queen Street footpath. Fortunately no one was passing at the time. The sign was later restored to its original position. Seal Campaign.

The office of the National Patriotic Fund Board in Wellington opened yesterday after the holidays, and it received four large bags of mail from the Post Office containing on a rough estimate approximately 16,000 replies from subscribers in all parts of the Dominion to the seal campaign inaugurated by the board to raise money to provide comforts for the armed forces and mercantile marine. Fine Rifle Shooting.

A display of good rifle shooting' was given on the Putiki range at the North Island championship meeting.' F. J. Soler (Marton) and D. Roots (Patea). both well-known marksmen, in the Marybank aggregate, tied with a score of 98. They proceeded to shoot off, and each scored the possible in a sequence of 10 shots. Looking keenly at each other on the mound, the pair decided that the rifles had done enough. “Let’s toss for it,” they said. The toss gave the win to Soler. Means to Foil Thieves.

Novel means are frequently adopted by motorists in efforts to foil car thieves, but honours in this respect must surely go to two young tourists who were visiting Napier last week. Their car, a popular model of an ancient vintage, is liberally adorned with quotations terse and witty. On the door next to the driver are pasted two photographs, presumably those of the owners of the vehicle, together with the inscription: “If the driver is not one of these, then this car has been stolen!” Hardy Hiker.

Naked except for bathing trunks, the hardiest of the clan of hikers from Christchurch footed it over the Otira Gorge from Otira to Arthur's Pass. His reason for adopting this unusual garb was a heavy downpour of rain. He had set out to “do the gorge,” and do it he would, sunshine or rain. Wrapping his clothing up in a waterproof, he strode up the mountain side in his trunks to the amazement of the onlookers. His clothing was dry when he reached the pass, and that it where he scored over some others, who came in with their clothing drenched. Holiday Tragedies.

Twenty lives were lost through accidents in "the Christmas and New Year holiday period from Friday. December 22. till Tuesday. This is above the corresponding figure. 16. recorded last year, but is better than the total two years ago. when 22 accidental deaths occurred. As always the two main causes of holiday tragedy are drowning and motor collisions. 'Phis time nine lives were lost by drowning and 10 by various motor accidents. There was one case of an elderly man falling off his bicycle in Christchurch and dying as a result of his injuries. Race Owner's Donation.

. When Beau Vite won the Great Northern Derby at Ellerslie he was responsible for a handsome donation being made to the Auckland Provincial Patriotic Fund. At the conclusion of the race the owner of Beau Vite, Mr R. Stewart, of Wellington, informed the Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, who is also chairman of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic Fund Council, that he desired to make a donation to the fund, remarking that it was well on occasions such as this to be mindful of the m'ore serious matters affecting the life of the nation. Mr Stewart indicated that he would contribute £5O to the fund.

Racing Car For Exhibition. The most formidable piece of machinery ever constructed for speed on land. Captain George Eyston’s re-cord-breaking seven-ton racing car Thunderbolt has been shipped to Auckland on its way to be displayed at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition in Wellington. Packed in London -in a large case, with removable parts in another case, the Thunderbolt arrived in a British steamer from New York and was carried by the harbour board’s floating crane Mahua from lhe ship to Central Wharf, Auckland, where it was landed. The Thunderbolt, will bclater railed to Wellington and assembled for exhibition. Toll of the Motor Car. The lowest tally of road fatalities recorded in New Zealand for 18 years marked the Christmas and New Year holiday period. The number of deaths was nine. as. compared witii 15 last year, while the average for the preceding eight years was 20. In a statement released at Christchurch yesterday, the Minister of Transport, Mr Semple, complimented motorists on this record, which he regarded as evidence that lhe safety campaign, in which the majority of motorists were co-operating with the Government was taking effect. The record established this year was more noteworthy because traffic had been the heaviest known on the roads in the Dominion for many years, this being the result of the long weekends which fell at Christmas time and again at New Year.

National Patriotic Fund. Donations received recently by the National Patriotic Fund Board in Wellington swell considerably the funds previously acknowledged, the total for general patriotic purposes being now nearly £7OOO. These donations arc separate and apart and in addition to the contributions received by die board through the patriotic seal campaign. The list includes some substantial contributions from provincial patriotic councils, business firms, and individuals. The Governor-Gen-eral, Lord Galway, has forwarded a donation of £250. the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand. Ltd., has sent a cheque for £lOOO. the National Bank of Mew Zealand. Ltd., a cheque for £250. several business firms have given £lOO each, and Sir Harry Batterbee. High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in New Zealand has given £25. A notable contribution is that by the Todd family. Wellington. Mr and Mrs Charles Todd have given £lOOO. and eight other members of their family have given between them £l3OO. making a total contribution of £ 2300.