LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 6 January 1948, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Fatal Accident With Gun A fatal shot wound was received by Mr. William Potter, aged 77, married, of Fernhill, near Napier, 311 Saturday afternoon. Mr. Potter had gone to a shed to obtain a gun to destroy a rat in a fowlrun. He dragged a loaded shotgun muz&le forward and the weapon discharged. The force of the blast struck him on the side of the head. He died six hours later. Preparing For Migrants Abbut 60 draihlayers, plumbers, carpenters, painters, electricians and labourers haye postponed their holiday^ to rush through the work of preparing the fo'rmer artillery huts at Fort Dorset, Seatoun, for the use of a largfe batch of Government sponsored settlers who will be arriving in the Dominion about the end of January. Though no details are yet available concerning the number coming to Wellington, accommodation is being prepared for 200 women and ilO men. End of War With. Italy A state of war between New Zealand and Italy ceased on Christmas Eve and between New Zealand and Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland on the last day of last year. This is announced in a Gazette Extraordinary published last night. The end of the war between New Zealand and thesc countries came with the deposit of the instrument of ratifioation of J the treaty of peace, the treaty with Italy being ratified before the| treaties with the other countries co'ncCrned. ' Aborigine Girl A Nurse ' A half-caste Australian aborigine girl, 22-year-old Sister Nellie Lester, has gained her double nursing certificate, She is the first of her race in South Australia, and probably in the whole country, to gain it. When only three and ahalf Sister Lester was taken to the Uhi'ted Aborigines' Mission Colebrook Home at Quorn, South Australia. She got her first nursing certificate at a , SalVation Army hospiial in Victoiia, and continued her training for fhe double certificate at the McBride- and Queen Victoria hospitals.

Historic Cricket Souvenir Accommodated irpa glass case in the paVilion of the Rangitikei Cricket Association's picturesque grounds at Marton is an historic stump from the famous Lords Cricket Ground, England. It was used in the first Test between England and New Zealand in 1927, and was brought to New Zealand by Mf. T. H. Lowry, captain of the New Zealand tea'm, for Mr. H. F. Arkwright, of "Overton," Marton, whoat that time was president of the New Zealand' Cripket Council. Mr. Arkwright is known as "the father of cricket" in the Rangitikei, andfor many years held the presiA dency of the Rangitikei Cricket Association. He is also a former Rangitikei cricket representative. Best-Seller In Court Case Daphne du Maurier, well-known British novelist, has been defending -herself against a plagiarism charge over her best-selling novel,. Rebecca. During the case, which was held in New Yol'k, it was alleged that incidents and details in Rebecca had been taken from stories written by the late Edw'ina Le Vin Macdohald. Miss du Maurier saiti she had never .read -the stories until after the plagiarism sUit was first filed in 1941, During the hearihg of the case she told Judge John Br^ght that she "laughfed and cried with film characters ahd weht through the things the characters in my bOoks go through/'

Missing Man Locatetl Mr. Sydney Miller, aged 32, a returned serviceman, suffering -from loss of memory, who disappeared .from hist home in Dannevirke on the evening of December 28, was found by the police in a whare at Kumeroa. He was in f air -physical condition. • Mr. Miller had been worklng at Putaruru before the holidays. The. search by the police and civilians covered seVeral hundred miles.