LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waikato Times, Volume 130, Issue 21688, 26 March 1942, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Poppy Day Appeal The Waikato Returned Services’ Association was granted permission by the Hamilton Borough Council last night to hold its annual Poppy Day street collection in Hamilton on Friday, April 24. Day of Prayer The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, the Rt. Rev. John Davie, of Masterton, has issued a request for all Presbyterians in New Zealand to comply with the King’s request for a national day of prayer on Sunday. Hospital Rating Support lor the Te Kuiti Borough Council’s resolution to the Government protesting at the existing method of hospital rating and asking for a more equitable system was voiced at the Hamilton Borough Council meeting last night, when a letter seeking the support of all contributing bodies to the Waikato Hospital Board was requested. Plant Made Available The Minister of National Service, the Hon. R. Semple, has expressed appreciation of the response to the appeal for earth-moving plant. He said it had been wonderful, patriotic and most unselfish. He was specially pleased that owners had made no stipulation as to price. The attitude had been that the machines would be available as soon as needed. Hay on Power Lines Through hay from the tops of stacks being blown on to power lines by a recent gale, interruptions were caused to electricity supplies in the Franklin area. In one instance, at Awhitu Central, a pole caught fire. These facts were reported by the engineer, Mr L. G. Sharp, to the Franklin Power Board. Members commented that in selecting sites for haystacks farmers should have regard to the proximity of power lines. Ratana Disaster Anniversary Four years ago today there occurred the tragic Ratana derailment, the worst rail disaster the Dominion had seen since the Ongarue accident in 1923. Six people were killed and over a dozen injured when the engine of a week-end excursion train, which had departed from Wellington for New Plymouth at 9.40 p.m. the previous night, left the rails at a curve near Ratana, a station about 20 miles south of Wanganui. The carriage immediately attached to the engine followed it and the succeeding cars telescoped. Unwelcome Swimming Companion A party of seven bathers at Paritutu beach, New Plymouth, had its numbers increased to eight for a few very unpleasant moments when a large shark went in toward the shore on the same breaker as one of the swimmers. When he felt a large body brush against his leg, Mr Douglas Newton saw to his great surprise that the unwelcome interloper was a shark about 6ft in length. The attention of the other members ox the party, who had not seen the shark, was attracted by a party of Home Guardsmen working on the hill above the beach. Some of the Home Guardsmen came rushing down to the beach but by the time they arrived the shark had turned sharply and made off out- to the open sea. Silk Stocking Supplies “The loss of supplies of silk stockings to the women of the Dominion is the direct responsibility of the Government,” stated the annual report of the New Zealand Federation of Drapers, Clothers, and Boot Retailers presented by the chairman, Mr W. E. Nichols, in Wellington. Reporting on the regular visits to the Comptroller of Customs, the statement added: “It was repeatedly pointed out to the Minister that delay in the Government arriving at a decision must jeopardise the chances of obtaining supplies from the United Kingdom. This opinion has been borne out in the advice now received from Britain that the manufacture of cotton and art silk socks and stockings for export to any market was prohibited from January 16.”