LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waikato Times, Volume 130, Issue 21654, 14 February 1942, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Road Services Resumed From Monday there will be a resumption of the New Zealand Railway road services between Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua, which were curtailed owing to petrol restrictions. A through daily service will also be operated to Opotiki, Gisborne, Wairakei and Napier. Details are advertised. Home Guard Strength

The Cambridge Battalion of the Home Guard continues to make most encouraging progress, and of late there has been a considerable increase in the strength. A new company has been formed of Tamahere men and the new Bruntwood platoon, under the command of Lieutenant F. H. Hardy, D.C.M.

Unexpected Visitor A diversion was caused in the Public Works Depaitment’s Hamilton sub-station at about 10 o’clock last night when a fairly large bird was seen to be flying about in the switch room. The surprising discovery of the man on duty who caught the feathered visitor was that it proved to be a tui. Fair Weather

Although the sky became overcast and rain appeared imminent late yesterday afternoon, there were only one or two light showers and this morning was fine and sunny. The barometer is steady at 30.10in. and generally fair weather may be expected over the week-end. The maximum temperature yesterday was 81 degrees, and the minimum last night 55 degrees.

More Students Required Having found it necessary to admit additional students to the Training College, the Auckland Education Board has relaxed the requirement that a pass in the university entrance examination should have been gained in the year prior to the application. Applications under this amendment have been invited from students who passed the entrance examination held in November-December, 1941. Train Service Resumes

The Auckland-New Plymouth express will run tomorrow eight for the first time since large slips occurred on the line between Okahukura and Stratford. Trains will leave Frankton for New Plymouth at 10.30 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, arriving at 7.10 a.m. on the following day. The return expresses will leave the Taranaki terminus at 7.10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, arriving here at 3.48 the following morning. The railcar service between Marton and New Plymouth for passengers from the north concluded yesterday. Local Bodies and Vegetables For the second year in succession the balance-sheet of the Invercargill City Council has been received from the Audit Office with the comment that there is no authority in law for the council to engage in vegetable growing and the council’s expenditure on the project was unlawful. The town clerk, Mr W. F. Sturman, said it was a peculiar position that the council could make' a cash grant to the forces, but it was unlawful to grow vegetables for the forces. It was decided to ask the Municipal Association to take steps to have vegetable growing by local bodies in war time validated by legislation. “Miserable Procedure”

“It seems a miserable procedure to adopt. No doubt the creditor was hoping the defendant would not come to Court, and so would have judgment entered against her,” observed Mr W; H. Freeman, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, Hamiton, yesterday whfen a judgment summons claim against a woman debtor was being pressed. Counsel for the plaintiff agreed that it was not a usual practice in Hamilton, but he thought it was fairly common in Auckland, whence he had been instructed. The claim was for judgment against a married woman, who shewed vhe Court she had no realisable assets.

Ergot In Taranaki “It appears to us that it is a very poor response to an urgent national appeal,” was the comment of a representative of the Taranaki Grain, Seed and Produce Merchants’ Association, sponsors of the Government appeal for ergot, when reporting that only 311 b. 9oz. had been received from the province. “An indication that the public has not taken the matter very seriously is shown by the fact that while practically the whole of the contributions .so far have been made up of ounce lots, two Wellington children who were spending a holiday at Hawera collected 12 ounces off a very small area,” the spokesman remarked. Another case of an exceptional effort is that of an elderly Manaia district resident who in a fortnight collected over a pound of ergot in first-class condtion.

Road Sign Removal Highway signposts rected by the Automobile Association (Auckland) are not to be removed unless a war emergency develops, or unless instructions for their removal are received from the Government. The secretary, Mr G. W. Hutchison, said that the association had been advised that immediate removal of the signs was not necessary, and that the military authorities had informed the association at the outbreak of war that present signs should be maintained. There were 35,000 or 40,000 signs in the area, but only a proportion would need to be removed if an emergehey arose, and the association’s staff could attend to them promptly, provided the necessary petrol was available. The association at present had no petrol for sign posting.