LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 29 September 1947, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Christmas Recess The Wairarapa Hospital Board has decided to ask the Health Department for permission to close the Pahiatua Hospital for three weeks at Christmas so that the staff could be given leave. It was agreed that there was no alternative to this course if the hospital was to be carried on. \ U.N.A. Committee In the list of officers elected at the first meeting of the Levin branch of the .United Nations Association on Thursday night, thefollowing were omitted : Honorary secretary: Mr. J. Corbishley; hon. treasurer: Mr. J. McDonald; hon. auditor: Mr. J. E. Fullarton; committee member: Mr. N. M, Thomson. Gift of £1000 A donation of £1000 to the Buchanan Old people's: . Home ' at Greytown has been received from Misses C. M. and J. O. Buchanan, of Hawera. A part of the money is to be spent on a motibn picture projector, and for easy chairs for the sun porches. The balanee is to be used for amenities not provided by the board. Farmer Killed When the truck he was driving left the road and went over a slight embankment, Joseph Michael Murphy, farmer, aged 25, of Waker man Street, Pahiatua, lost his life. The mishap occurred between 7 and 8 a.m. on -Saturday on the Tiraumea hill about a mile from Pahiatua. Loose metal is thought to have been the cause of the accident. t Forty-Hour Week New Zealand was suffering from growing pains with the 40-hour week, said the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, during his reply to a deputatio'n from the Dominion Population and Settlement Association which waited on him orl Saturday. He said he did not think 40 hours or any other hours .should be a fetish; If NewvZe^l§hd Jiad a,vbig population there would be no difficulty with the 40-hour week. State Coal Mines The gross output of the State coal mines for the year ended March 31 last was 1,097,273 tons, an increase of 72,336 tons on the previous year, stated the annual report on the oper-ations of State coal mines, which was presented in the House of Representatives. Saies of State coal from State mines amounted last finaneial year to £1,060,510 as compared with -saies the previous year amounting to £992,842. Two Injur^d in Smfash A motor-cyclist and a woman pillion rider were injured when their motor-cycle collided head on with a moving car on the Makara main ■ road at 4.40 p.m. yesterday. The rider- of the cycle was Mr. H. Gaskin, a butcher, aged 18, of Main Road, Makara, who -received shock, contusions to head and iniuries to his legs. The pillion rider was Miss V. Wheeler, a dressmaker, 87 Parkvale Road, Karori, who received -a fra'ctured pelvis, concussion, lacerated wounds to h,er tight leg, shock and fractures to both hands. Town Hall Burnt The Rakaia Town Hall, a we.Uknown mid-Canterbury landmark, was burned to the ground on Friday night. Two shops in- the same building, which were owned by Mrs. A. E. Pye, were also destroyed. At times the flames threatened to spread to the entire township. All that saved Central Rakaia was the iightness of the north-westerly wind. The fire fighters were handicapped by lack of high pressure in the water supply. The blaze from the hall; which was built of wood some 70 years ago, could be seen at Ashburton, 18 ' miles away.