General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 226, 25 September 1942, Page 4

General News

Brownout Time. The time for the drawing of blinds in Wanganui to-day is 6.45 p.m. Girls’ College Roll. It was reported at the monthly meeting of the Board of Governors of the Wanganui Girls’ College that the roll numbers 305 pupfls. Of this total 97 are boarders. Heard His Own Broadcast. A New Zealand member of the Air Force, who had his greetings to his wife and friends recorded in Canada, was in a friend’s house in Palmerston North last Sunday week when he heard his own broadcast. When the unit in Canada was recorded he had no idea that he would be returning home before the record. Deceased Members. As a mark of respect ot Private J. Jeromson, 2nd N.Z.E.F., who was killed in action, and Mr. A. Campbell, who died recently, members ot tne Aramoho Boating Ciub stood in silence at the annual meeting. Private Jeromson and Mr. Campbell took an active interest in the club, the latter being a vice-president for many years. Busy Day for Trams Fewer people than usual walked or cycled to work yesterday, with the result that tram and bus services were crowded at peak periods. The rush was due to heavy rain which fell intermittently throughout the day. The St. John’s Hill-Springvale bus was packed on the 8 a.m. and 8.40 trips to th*? city and was unable to pick up more passengers beyond Springvale. Waste Paper Collection. The Wanganui Committee for the Reclamation of Waste Materials despatched 80 bales of waste paper, weighing more than 13 tons, to the Mataura mills on Wednesday for repulping. Four bales of weighing three-quarters of a ton, were also forwarded. When repulped, sacking makes brown paper of a good quality. Boating Chib’s Plant. Following a previous recommendation, the Aramoho Boating Club decided last season that the lime was not opportune to purchase a new skiff, but repairs were made to one already on hand. This information was contained in the annual report, which added that the pontoon had given trouble during the winter. Repairs had been made and extra drums fitted. The staging was being reconditioned. Concern Expressed. Concern was exoressed at the monthly meeting of the Board of Managers of the Wanganui Technical College at the late arrival of pupils who travel by train caused by thei coal dispute. It was stated that several of the pupils are matriculation students and their missing of a morning’s school each day was causing inconvenience. A decision to approach the railway authorities regarding the running of a light service was agreed to. Last Day for Appeals All appeals by reservists called up in the ballot gazetted on September 15 must be posted or delivered to the secretary of the Armed Forces Appeal Board (Wanganui), Mr. A. Garry, by to-day. So far, 200 appeals have been lodged, and about 450 are expected. No dates have yet been fixed for the hearing of these appeals. The No. 2 (Wanganui) Armed Forces Appeal Board will sit in Wanganui next Monday and Tuesday, but will not dea> with appeals for men drawn in the recent ballot. They Went OIL The explosive type of literature in common use to-day as bedside dope was the subject of a conversation overheard in a tram yesterday, when a suburban resident related a boudoir incident of his home. “We were reading in bed last night,” he said, “and 1 happened to ask my wife the name of her book. Looking at the cover, she replied ‘Dangerous Lover,’ what is your book? I had to answer that I had ‘The Gun.’ So we went off into chuckles and then to sleep. 1 have not yet decided whether our literature was dope or dynamite.” Youth Rally. A special combined rally for children will be held in Wanganui on Sunday next, September 27. There will be a Procession of Witness, commencing at Christ Church, Victoria Avenue, at 2.30 p.m., which will be followed by a service at the Majestic Theatre. The speaker will be the Rev. Cecil E. B. Muschamp, chaplain R.N.Z.A.F. Children are requested to gather at their respective churches in the city at 2.15 to take part in th? procession. The :*ally is part of Youth Week, which begins on Sunday next, as part of the Campaign for Christian Order. Quarrelsome People, “We seem to have developed a kind of fifth column among ourselves,” said Mr. Harvey Turner, one of the speakers in the Auckland Town Hall debate on fruit and vegetable marketing, in appealing for more constructive thought and less destructive criticism. On his return to New Zealand after a year in the Middle East he had been appalled to find how much bickering and mutual condemnation there was at home. Even in patriotic affairs, everyone who was trying to do anything had criticism levelled at him. This quarrelsome spirit was very inimical to the war effort. Rats Steal Teeth. A member of the forces stationed at a northern camp one evening, as was his practice, removed his top and bot tom sets of false teeth to ensure the greater comfort of his slumbers. On waking he was horrified to find that the teeth were not in the wanted place alongside his bed. Inquiries failed to reveal their whereabouts, and finally it was concluded that they had been dragged away by rats. In the ensuing search nearly half the hut was pulled to pieces. Sure enough, hidden away in the structure, one set 1 of the dentures was discovered, but where the other set is remains a mystery. Saving in Envelopes. By the use of envelopes return? ’ hv customers paying accounts, big city drapery firm in Christchurcn is economising to such an extent that it rarely has to use a new envelope for outwards mail nowadays. This firm put a rubber stamp on its accounts asking customers to bring in the envelopes when paying accounts, and the manager commented recently that approximately two-thirds of the customers are responding to this appeal to save envelopes. There was also a source of supply in envelopes carrying incoming mail which would be used again by pasting a slip over the original address and typing the new address on that slip. Women at the Bar. Arguing that a woman’s place is in the home, Senator Ahmed Ramsy urged the Egyptian Senate to amend the law governing the legal profession in Egypt in order to prevent women from being called to the Bar, according to the Egyptian Mail (Cairo), January 21, 1942, and quoted by the New Zealand Law Journal. “God,” said the senator, “has given woman the special duty of bringing up children and making a home. Any departure from this is going against the law of the Almighty and against the traditions of man. The fact that women have not been given the ’ vote is a further argument against including them in the legal profession.” The senator's proposal was referred to the Proposals Committee of the other House. About a dozen Egyptian women lawyers are now practising at Um National £&r.

Cost of Defaulters’ Camps. The cost of the upkeep of detention camps for military defaulters has been the subject of much public criticism. It is estimated that there are approximately 700 of these detainees. The amount the army allows for the rationing of a soldier is Is 9d a day. and the cost of rationing the detainees at one of the camps is stated to be slightly higher, owing to transport costs. Taking the army allowance, however, this works out at £6l 5s a day. £428 15s a week, or £22,295 a year. Additional to this is the cost of cartage of foodstuffs, the cost of erection and maintenance of the camps, and the wages bill of the patrolmen and supervisors. If the staff numbers only 40 and averaged £250 a year each, this would make the wage bill £lO,OOO a year. At the best, these camps must cost at least £30,000 a year, taking into account on the credit side the value of the vegetables or other foodstuffs produced in the camps.