LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 26 October 1946, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Bands' Festival Oue of the features of the band festival at Palmerston North tomorrow afternoon will be a serpentine march by the twelve brass and three pipe bands, led by the Pahiatua girls' marching teams. Levin's representatives will be the Horowhenua Highland Pipe and Levin Municipal Bands, while among the other visiting bands will be the Wellington Watersiders' Junior, which will give a marching display. The travelling expenses of each band are being paid by the Palmerston North committee.

Air Innovation If present trends are accepted p'enerall air travellers in future may face a,ft instead of for ward. The object is to reduce the risk -of casualties in the event of forced landings on rough ground, by giving the passengers the help of his chairback to withstand a violent jolt. The Viking plane now being prepared for the Royal tour of South Africa will be treated in this way, and the King will sit facing the rear. The plan will also tend to give passengers a better view of the scene below. A Dividend? Speaking at Wadestown, the Labour candidate for Onslow, Mr.. H. E. Combs, said it was rumoured in the streets ,that the National Party had £l,0d0',000 in its fighting fund. He did not believe that, but it would be nearer the mark to divide the figure by 10. Even so, this would represent a fund of £100,000. Labour had nowhere near as much as that. People did not put up the money for the National Party without wanung a dividend out of the results. It was obvious what that dividend was intended to be. Hairfcutting Dearer From Ocuooer 31 nairdressers in the Dominion will charge 1s 9d for men's haircutting. Advice that the Price Tribunal had authorised an increase of 3d on present rates, was received by the President of the Canterbury and Westland Hairdressers' and Tobacconists' Association, Mr. C. A. Lang. The message said that on October 31 a new order covering the change would be issued. On Fridays the price of children's haircutting will be ls 9d instead of ls to 4.30 p.m., and ls 6d aftgrwards as is the case at present. There will be no alteratitfn in shaving or other charges. Setentist's Retirement Next week one of New Zealand's best-known scientists, Mr. R. L. Andrew, will retire from the position of Dominion Analyst. He has served with the Dominion Laboratory for 40 years. After study at the Thames School of Mines (.Mr. Andrew was the son of a miner) he started his career as an analyst' in Christchurch while still a student . under a university scholarship. Speaking of the laboratory's service to the public, Mr. Andrew cited the progress made in the raised standard of purity in milk and the control crf patent medicines as examples of the beneficial work of the analytical branch'of the laboratory. Mr. Andrew has also published valuable data, in collaboration with Dr. R. A. Shore, on the iodine content of New Zealand soil and its relation to goitre in school children. Negligent Driving Case Charged with negligently driving a motor vehicle, thereby causing the death of Jill Pamela Downes, at Whirokino on August 22 last, Patrick Henry Golding, who appeared before Mr. Justice -Cornish and jury at the Supreme Court, Palmerston North, was .found not guilty yesterday. In summing up the case, his Honour, Mr. Justice Cornish, placed considerable stress upon the fact that the accused had been drinking prior to the accident. A man may, he said, have some drinks without feeling any of the effects of intoxication, but at the same time whatever drink he consumed had the result of gradually relaxing the bonds of prudence over him. For that reason it was highly inadvisable fQr anyone to .take a drink of any liquor when driving a motor velkicle. If a man. drinks before driving a car and the accident is attended by abnormal cireumstances, he can expect-no consideration from a jury that he was in a fit condition to driye.