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Evening Star, Issue 24331, 21 October 1942, Page 2

With its horn jammed and wailing like an air raid warning siren a private ear attracted considerable attention yesterday afternoon as it pulled hastily into the ’ kerb alongside *tho Queen’s Gardens in High street. The of the driver to check the wail met with no success while on the opposite side of the road a group of soldiers in denims made in the way that soldiers have carving comments on the state of affairs, Presently one of the men detached himself from the group and ran ove.r to the car. In a few seconds the militarv hand had reduced the wail to a mournful sighing, which was soon after cut off abruptly. Peace' restored, the soldier recrosscd the road, and as he did so he was treated to a round ol applause and cheers from his comiadcs.

The most contentious piece of legislation brought down by the Government. in this part of the session, the Fair Rents . Amendment Bill, occupied the House of Representatives for the greater part of yesterday. One other measure, the Statutes Amendment Bill, was passed. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Holland) contended that the whole of the section in the Fair Rents Bill dealing with the letting of houses to tenants with children required reconsideration. lie suggested that the original Act should bo extended until one year after the termination of the war. mid that the whole measure be reviewed when tho House reassembled in December. The second reading debate on tho Bill was continued until a moment before the House rose at 10.30 p.m.. thus depriving tho Attorney-General of the opportunity of replying to the points raised, hut he said he would deal with a number of them in the committee stage. After the Bill had passed its second reading, the House adjourned until 2.30 p.m. to-day. Ration books are being issued from the Town Hall during the hours stated in the ‘ Star.’ and not from tho Concert Chamber, as mentioned in the statement.

An English newspaper gives a few examples of R.A.E. slanguage.” When R.A.F. men say; “Three ropey types, all sprogs, pranged a cheoscye kite on bump ami circuit. One bought it; "the other two went for a Burton. The station master took a dim view and tore them off a strip. They’d taken a shagbat woffieer, who was browned off. and the qneen bee was hopping mad/’ They mean: “Throe unpopular individuals. all brand now pilot officers, crashed a Worn-out aircraft while making practice circuits and landings. One was'killed; the other two were severely reprimanded. The station commander disapproved and roundly rated them. They had taken along a somewhat plain W.A.A.F. officer, who was bored, and the W.A.A.F. commandant was very angry.” Five appeals against the decision of the man ,power officer in Wellington directing Italians to take employment with the Department of Agriculture were heard by the Wellington Industrial Man Power Committee. -The man power officer said the department required the men for vegetable growing and there was a shortage of such labour. It had been considered proper to. mobilise aliens for this work, as up till now they had not been called upon to bear personal sacrifices in comparison with those suffered by British subjects. Decision in all cases ..was. reserved . Reference to what ho described as inadequacy of fire-fighting equipment in hospitals and institutions under the control of the Otago Hospital Board, was made by the superintendent, Mr F.‘C. Laidlaw, in the course of his report to the Dunedin Metropolitan Fire Board last night, on the annual inspection of the hospitals and buildings in the board’s district. The report stated that the attention of the Hospital Board had repeatedly been drawn to tho need for the provision of adequate protection for the imna.tes of the various institutions. and, although certain slight improvements had been made, the position was far from satisfactory. News comes from Canada that construction has started on a new £250,000 shipyard to speed the production of convoy ships. This shipyard will be completed this autumn. (shipbuilding is now going on in Canada on both coast lines and in the Great Lakes. By July. 1912. there were 19 major shipyards and 38 smaller boatyards working, compared path 14 major, shipyards and 14 small boatyards in the, first quarter of ,194(L‘ The number of workers employed oh the shipbuilding programme increased in the same period from, 4,000 men to 40,000 men and women. * Chile is joining other countries in the Western Hemisphere in expanding hemp production to meet vital needs for fibres formerly Imported largely from tlie Far East. Chile this year harvested the largest hemp crop in her history, a total of 14,400 long tons —an increase over last year of 74 per cent. Panama and Costa Uka are planting abaca, which formerly was ‘ obtained in the Philippines. The sisal acreage in Haiti lias becil doubled.

.Workshops in. South Africa belonging to gold mining companies have- been converted to war production, and new shops erected. One illustration is that of a bomb-producing machine shop, the foundation for which was cut iu June, 1940. The machine shop is 44ft by 220 ft. It was finished and the machines were running in Juno, 1942, and the first bomb was completed by July 4. The machines needed were made in the workshops of several different mines; the material used included old railway rails, second-hand motor car gear boxes, and various odds and ends. All the lathes with which the shops are equipped were made by mine engineers and mechanics in this way.

The Dunedin Community Sing Committee yesterday forwarded a cheque for £2OO to the local patriotic council for parcels for soldiers. Together with other sums forwarded to the council, this brings the total given by the Community Sing Committee to £4ll Bs. An amount of £2O t ßs lias also been raised for Red Cross purposes and £3O for health camps. The final midday community sing of the season will be on Friday. November 0, and the finid evening sing in the Town Hall ou November 10.

“ 1 still have no intention of going to the work allotted me, and want to say that 1 am at present engaged on essential work—-ill a tea room,” said a young woman when pleading guilty in the Magistrate’s Court at Hamilton to having failed to comply with instructions from the man power officer to take up certain essential work. It was stated in evidence that she had previously written refusing to comply and had lodged an appeal, which had been dismissed by the Man Rower Industrial Committee. Originally she had applied for work with the Army authorities, and still wanted to do that work. The ■ magistrate advised the defendant not to he foolish, recorded a conviction, and adjourned for two weeks the question of imposing any penalty. Notices are now being sent out by the local Army Records Office to a number of men called in the last ballot. Those men, the first to he drafted from that ballot, will proceed to a local base training depot next week, and they will include grade 1 and grade 2 men.

To-day is the 137th anniversary of the Buttle of Trafalgar, one of the greatest British naval victories. • The victory which Lord Nelson gained over the combined Spanish and French fleets off Capo Trafalgar removed the threat of invasion on the part of Napoleon Bonaparte which had been hanging over Britain from the time Napoleon aimed at complete European domination. In his declining days Napoleon is said to have admitted .that it was the British Navy which thwarted his plans, and to-day the Navy is again thwarting the plans ol another who desires the downfall of Britain and the domination of Europe. The Battle of Trafalgar gave Britain n command .of the vl 'as which has >’ot since been really desperately in dispute.

At ih.'io a.in. to-day the Fire Bri gadc was called to a gorse lire at Prospect' Bank, Wakari.

The inauguration of the second Liberty Loan has natuialiy had some effect on payments made into the National War Savings drive, and contributions lately have not been as hign as they were earlier. However, yesterday was an exceptionally good day, the sum of £1.132 Is 4d being paid in, this being £132 Is 4d in excess of the daily quota.

Fn the Police Court this morning before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.. Sydney James Field, a married man. was charged with assault with intent to commit rape on a girl aged 15 years. The offence took place at Abbotsford. He pleaded guilty, and said he did not know what he was doing at the time. He did not know the girl’s age. and was sorry For what he had done. After evidence had been hoard Field was committed to the Supremo Court for sentence. Charged with obscene exposure in Wharf street. Lancelot Daniel Bonghan (Mr C. J. L. White! was remanded in custody until Friday for a medical report.