Local & General

Chronicle (Levin), 2 August 1948, Page 4

Local & General

Ohau Card Evening The weekly card evenings held at Ohau are still proving popular. The winners of last week's competitions were: — Ladies: Mrs. Walker, Men: Mr. J. G. Horn, Senr. All the prizes were donated by Mr: A. Hill. Winter's Severest Frost Last night Levin and district experienced its sever.est frost of the winter, no less than eight degrees being recorded, There was a heavy fall of snow on the Tararuas on Saturday and they are now more thickly coated than at any other time this winter. Sugar Ship Moved ^ The sugar ship Broompark, which arrivedy from Cairns"' on June 22, and. .has: been held up by the waterfront dispute, moved out into the ptream this. morning to make roo.m , at ' Chelsea for the Beios, .which, arrives ^rom Cairns tomorrow. The Broompark still has 6500 tons pf sugar aboard. Gyster-eating Cbntests August 6 has been fixed for the date of the Sbtithland and New Zealand oys'tef championships in Invercargill, opening and eating. Several events Aviil be deeided in addition to the opening championship. The programrne includes the women's championship, • eating champipnship and sprint, old buffers and blindfold events. Vital Statistics Vita-1 statistics recorded at Levin for the month' of July show a fall in the birthrale and the number of marriages when compared with the figures for the same month in 1947. There has been a small rise in the number of deaths. The following are the figures, those for July, 1947, being given in parentheses: — Deaths, 4 (3); births, 14 (17); marriages, 4 (6). Wedding Telegrams "Should 'risque' telegrams to a bride and groom be read at wedding breakfasts?" The Napier branch of the National Council of Churches says "no." A decision was reached at the annual meeting to urge the National Council to give consideration to approaching the Post and Telegraph Department seeking to have the transmission of undesirable telegrams prohibited. Speakers at the meeting agreed that ministers could help by asking that indecent telegrams be not read at wedding breakfasts. . _ Engineering Feat An unusual type of engineering repair work was undertaken by a Fairlie fihn. A traction engine had developed cracks in the steel plate in the crown of the fire box and it was thought that it would be necessary to turn the engine on its side to scarf and.weld the plate. The work was carried out with the engine on its wheels. and presented a difflcult task of overhead welding and fitting in a small space, but it was acdomplished satisfactorily, and new crown stays were'fitted. This is the first known occasion that work of this kind has been done out of a boilermaker's shop. The work has attracted considerable interest in the district. Wool Labelling Warning A warning against hasty action in seeking wool'labellmg legislation is given by the New Zealand Wool Board in its annual report, though it emphasisqs the need for some action. "The board is fully alive," the report says, "to the importance of adequately protecting the pubflc in its buying of fabrics, piece goods or garments to ensure that the raw material used in manuf acturing is correctly described as to its wool content. Uniformity of legislation with other countries is desirable, and delay in reaching a decision has been due to the desire to co-ordinate our views with those of other countries cpncerped. The board is continuing to use every means to reach a satisfactory solution, but precipitqte action could well result 'in harm being done."