Local & General

Chronicle (Levin), 4 October 1948, Page 4

Local & General

Jewish New Year The Jewish ISfow Year began last. evening, ushermg in the yegr.,5709., Services were neld in synagogues today and will cOntinue tomorrow. The New Year is. observe'd by JeWs as a soleihn festival and a holiday. Record Litter ' A world record Was establishe'd by a white sow ovmed by Messrs. Montgomerie and Bell, of Ardmore, Auckland,' when it raised a litter of 15 under the New Zealand Pig Breeders' official classification scheme. The litter, whlch had a total weight of 964 lbs., was described as phenomenal by Mr. B. Peirson, superintendent of the Pig Industry. Falliiig Rocks in Gorge Though the banks above the road in the Manawatu Gorge have been thoroughly combed for loose boul'ders by men of the Palmerston Nort'h branch of the Ministry of Works, during the last fortnight, -at Ieast two rocks came down over the wetekend.' A bus, which was proceeding through the Gorge on Saturday, narrowly escaped damage when a rock c&me dnwn from the bank above. The driver stopped his vehicle and waS able to drive past the rock which had been stopped by the road. Another larger rock landed in the road on Saturday and caused trafflc to slow down. Insect Clouds Clouds of unidentified brown insects 'have been encountered by the flying-boat Australia on her last two crossings of the Tasman. Sydney-bound on Thursday, she flew into such swarms of the insects at 2000 ft. about 100 miles from the Australian coast that for several minutes the windscreeh was completely obscured. When the Australia was 200 miles from Sydney on Saturday on her retum, flight she penetrated another cloud of insects. ' Captain C. J. Le COuteur opened a cockpit window and tried to catch some of them for identification, but was unsuccessful, and there was no trace of them when the plane reached Auckland. Insuection of Children Christchurch is in the fortunate positioh of being one of the few places in NeW Zealand Where the Gepartment of 'Health has sufflcidnt field medical officers to carry Out medical examinations of primary school children. Most other districts are .suffering from a staff shortUge, and little progress is being made) toward overtaklng arrears of medical examinations, but in Christchurch the Work is well up to schedule, and sOme work has bden possible among kindergarten children and pre-school age children, with the co-operation of the Plunket Society. The aim of the department is to have an annual inspection at large. primary Schools, and an inspCction every three ' years at the smaller schools. ' f v