LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 January 1944, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Rain in Auckland. Refreshing showers fell in Auckland on Wednesday night, but much more rain is needed to relieve the position. | Fishing Conditions. The Wellington Acclimatisation Society reports 'that the main rivers throughout the district are in good fishing order, but, because of the continued dry weather, some of the smaller streams are carrying very little water, and are not recommended to anglers at ■’ present. Anniversary Day Holiday. As far as is known, the Anniversary Day holiday, which falls this year on Saturday, January 22, will be observed on that day. This information was given today by the Masterton office of the Labour Department. Interhouse Dance Tomorrow. The first dance of the New Year will be held by the Wairarapa Interhouse Association in the Masonic Hall tomorrow night. The After Beat Dance Band will provide the music for the evening, and novelty dances will be a feature of the ocacsion. Surprise for Japanese. A squadron of Japanese dive-bomb-ers recently had an unpleasant surprise when they attacked a small ship ofl the coast of New Guinea. It looked like an easy target, and after stalking it for some time the bombers came out of the sun, peeled off, and attacked. They ran into a blaze of anti-aircraft fire and five aircraft were shot down in the first and last dive the Japanese attempted. The reason was that the ship .was carrying an army anti-air-craft battery, with its guns set up on deck. Operations at Freezing Works. Killing operations at the New Zealand Refrigerating Company’s works at Imlay reached their peak this week, and about 7000 fat lambs are being put through daily. The lambs are coming forward in sufficient numbers to keep the works going at full pressure, and are described as being in very good condition. Appeals made for more production of export meat have induced farmers to increase the weight of their stock. The opinion was expressed yesterday that the lambs so far to hand were better in quality than they were last year, Though the weather had been very dry during the past few weeks, the season began well, and good lambing percentages were recorded. War Damage Premium. Regulations giving effect to the recently announced reduction in the amount of premium necessary to be paid under the War Damage Act were gazetted last night. The amount of tlie reduction is exactly the same as that announced by the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, some time ago. One new clause alters the amount of premium to be paid by mortgagees, the clause reading as follows:—* The proportion of the war damage premium or premiums payable by the mortgagee under any mortgage shall not exceed the amount of interest payable under the mortgage for the preceding year.” Another clause grants to tenants and others bound under contract with a mortgagor the same rights of recovery as held by the mortgagor.