ITEMS OF INTEREST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 32, 10 December 1943, Page 7

ITEMS OF INTEREST

The Man Who Knows Some of tlie difficulties that confront an official war artist were, humorously described by Captain Peter Melntyre when he was addressing Rotarians at Wellington recently. The greatest difficulty, he said, was to get to know beforehand what was going to happen so as to be able to be there on the spot. Colonels, were aloof and it was no use asking them; majors would, not say, and captains did not know. So all one could do was to swallow one's pride and ask one's batman, and it was extraordinary how often lie was right.

How Fires Start There were during the last lire year,, which ended on Mil re h 31. 219 property fires in Wellington, in homes, factories and business places, and in his annual report to the Fire. Board, the Superintendent, Mr C. A. Wool ley, inc'udes the result 0 r ih<> brigade's enquiries into causes. Of the \ established causes electrical faults were well in the lead,, with 33 fires. Of these, 13 followed carelessness in leaving irons and other apparatus switched on,, and another 13 were caused by faulty wiring; overheated motors caused four fires. Cigarette butts held next dishonour, 27 fires.

Producers' Difficulties

The serious position that lias arisen as a result of the coal short-

age and the difficulties of transport of live, stock in Australia was discussed at a conference at the officers of the Transport Regulation Boards, says a Sydney report just

to hand. (letting stock to market and removing restrictions on road transport were main themes of the discussions, and important decisions modifying existing regulations were made. In New Zealand the elements of transport troubles may exist, but

apparently the railways, relying on coal, are insufficient to copc with the needs of Australia.