LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 71, 16 December 1937, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

A Keen Parent. Oue parent present at the Palmerston North Technical High School prize giving last evening, cycled 22 miles for the occasion. ' ' With such spirit amongst the parents we have no need to fear the future," commented the chairman, Mr M. H. Oram. Historical Essays. The annual historical essay competition at the Hastings High School has been won this year by Flora Davidson for an essay dealing with the Food of the Maori. Second place went to Mary Mackersey for her essay on the "Coming of the Maori." The winner of thlfe essay receives the Historical Society 's prize of books and is awarded also the Bishop. of Aotearoa's Shield. New Biology Block. The foundation-stone of the new biology block at Auckland University College, which is being erected at a cost witliout equipment of about £37,000 was laid by the Minister of Education, the Hno. P. Fraser, on Tuesday. It will relieve the serious eongestion that has existed for some years in the science departments of the ^ollege. Reaction to War in China. . The absence of customers from shops kept by Japanese was the only indication visitors to Singapore had of any reaction in the district to the war be tween China and Japan, according to Mr F. S. Taylor, a Christchurch man who recently visited the Federated Malay States. One British firm of cigarette manufacturers had lost about 50 per cent. of its customers because someone had put a rumour round Singapore that its product was really made in Japan. Value of British Passport. The value to travellers of a British passport was effectively denionstrated to Mr F. S. Taylor, a Christchurch man who recently toured hte Continent by motor car. On the frontiers of seven Continental countries his passport carried him past the Customs officials without having to open his suitcase — wnire he saw many other cars, from foreign I countries, and a numher of charabancs searched with absolute tho rough ncss. The only question he had been asked was at the frontier of Holland, where he was asked if he had any cigarcttc-s with him. Death of Patient. The unusual iinding that death was due to head injuries and septicaeinia resulting from a patient having accidentally fallen oft' a hospital trolley on to the floor was returned by the Coroner, Mr E. Gilbertson, after an inquest at Wellington into the circurristances surrounding the death of Francis Richard Cannon, a clerlc, aged 6S, Evidence showed that the patient was brought to the hospital suffering from the effects of a stroke on the morning of November 29. While awaiting attention, he fell from the trolley and :eceived a»head injury, from the effects of which he died on the evening of December 2. Size of Hospitals. "Generai hospitals, to maintain elflcient service, should not be able to accomniodate more than 600 beds," said Mr Cecil P. G. Wakeley, a visiting London surgeon, who is to conduct fellowship examinations for the Royal College of Surgeons of England at Dunedin shortly, and who arrived at Wellington on the Awatea. "Anything larger than that becomes unwieldy for generai hospitals, Jaut it is better to have a hospital exceeding that size than two or more dotted about." He said the average London hospital rarely contained more than 650 beds. St. Tbomas's had about 650, Sc. Mary's 600 and Guy's 650. Toll of the Young. "While we rejoice that employment for youths is now plentiful, we cannot help feeling regret that so many boys leave school at an early age," remarked the Eev. Father J. Dowling, S.M., rector of St. Patrick's College, Silverstream, at the annual prize-giv-ing cereinony. "The only cheap labour available at the present time is tne labour of the young, the employers know well how to take toll of it. Far too many boys are leaving the secondary schools in their first or second year. Many of these are working at high pressure during the day and are then attending classes at some night school. The sooner this is remedied by the raising of the school-leaving age the better it will be for those young people. ' ' "More Eeal Freedom." "On my way home I reflected that there is more real freedom in N6w Zealand than in any of the countries 1 had visited," remarked Mr Joseph Green, of Riversdale, Southland, on his return home recently. Mr Green has just returned from an extended tour of the United States, Great Britain and Europe. After visiting many coautries, he had been convinced that few people in the world understood tha meaning of the term freedom as it was interpreted in New Zealand. "Of course, I had not heard much about what was going on in New Zealand at that time, but I will say that even yet there is more personal liberty here than anywhere. New Zealand is a pretty good place in spite of tax collectors and politicians."