LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21160, 9 July 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sydney’s New Dock Preliminary work on the £3,000,000 graving dock for Sydney harbour began yesterday. Interest in Home Defence Since the outbreak of war the Cambridge Returned Soldiers’ Association has displayed an active interest in all matters concerning the general war effort. Home Defence has lately been occupying the association’s attention, and steps are being taken to form a company of the National Military Reserve. Street Posting Boxes The last night clearance of street posting boxes in the Wellington metropolitan area will be made on Friday. After that, in order to conserve petrol and manpower, clearances will be reduced to one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Military Chief At Hopu Hopu The Chief of the General Staff, Major-General J. E. Duigan, visited Hopu Hopu military camp yesterday. He saw members of the territorial units in training, including officers and non-commissioned officers of the 7th Medium Battery, Hamilton, and also members of the special railway units. The Chief was accompanied by the Officer Commanding the Northern Military District, Colonel N. W. McD. Weir. School Prizes in Wartime The principle of awarding parchment certificates in place of prizes during wartime has been adopted by the Nelson College Board of Governors. Members considered it will be just as great an honour for a student to receive the parchment. The money usually allocated for the purchase of books will be handed to some war fund. The same principle will apply to the special prizes donated annually by citizens. Work at East School The Hamilton East School Committee has been advised by the Education Department to accept the tender of Messrs W. B. Young, Limited to complete the work of reconstruction at the school by erecting the necessary fences around the grounds. The new buildings have been completed for some time and the grounds have also been put in order. The work in connection with the erection of the fences will cost over £IOO. Offending Motorists During an inspection of motor vehicles carried out during June by the Traffic Inspector of the Waikato County, Mr G. G. Winter, 15 per cent, of the motorists stopped were either without new drivers’ licenses or without current warrants of fitness. A report on the inspection was submitted to the Waikato County Council when it met today. More than 120 names of motorists were taken by the inspector and offenders will be brought before the court in the near future. Evacuee Children The Waikato County Council decided today to co-operate fully with the Hamilton F# rough Council in organising the reception of the evacuee children from Great Britain who come to the Waikato. It was I stated at the council meeting that many people in the county had already expressed willingness to care for children. Mr R. G. Young said the number would have been far greater, however, had the Government accepted the offer of the Imperial Government to contribute toward the expense of maintaining the children. Fears Safety Unfounded Advice was received from the Hamilton Police this morning that Mr M. J. Galvin, Inspector of Reserves, North Island, who was reported to the police to be missing last week, was in Auckland. It is understood that Mr Galvin, who has a wide territory to cover, was on routine inspection duty and was in the back country away from most means of communication. He did not know that fears were entertained for his safety, owing to the dangerous nature of back roads he has to negotiate, and he returned home as usual after his inspections. Cargo On Italian Steamer Advice has been received by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce that the Italian steamer Remo, on which were goods for several Canterbury firms, has been released by the Prize Court and will continue its journey from Fremantle to Melbourne under the control of the Commonwealth Customs Department. It is expected that the Remo will leave Fremantle in about a week. As the vessel was seized there the oi iginal freight contract terminated at that port, and therefore consignees will have to bear the freight from Fremantle to Melbourne and transhipment charges and freight to New Zealand. South China Relief Thanks have been expressed by the treasurer of the International Red 1 Cross in Canton, Mr A. J. Bird, for I tne aum oi ouuO ivongkong dollars i forwarded from New Zealand through < the South China Mission of tne ; Presbyterian Church for the relief of ! distress. Mr Bird says that the feed- | mg centres provide a daily meal ol , about five ounces of rice soup to j nearly 11,000 persons, and from ! March to December last over 2,600,- : 000 such meals were served. Com- i menting on tne present position, a 1 veteran New Zealand missionary, the Rev. H. Davies, writes that the distress in and about Canton is becoming accentuated every day as rice supplies decrease and prices continue to soar.