Helpful Rain.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 116, 15 April 1940, Page 6

Helpful Rain.

lioavv rain lias fallen throughout Hawke’s Bay intermittently since Friday afternoon, ami farmers are hopeful that it has not arrived too late to bring about badly-needed autumn growth. Ar.zac Day Parade. On Anzac Day Expeditionary Force tioops at Trentiiam will parade tor a special service. General Sir Andrew Russell, who commanded the Ist New Zealand Division, has cons'ented to address the troops. Survey of Timbers. An intensive survey is being made through New Zealand to finely what resources are available ol exotic softwood timbers—mainly pinus radiata (the most popular case timber in the Dominion) and other pines. The mam purpose of the survey is to determine whether exports of casewood timber can be allowed. A Wise. Precaution. A party of 303 school children from North Taranaki, wnose trip was financed by their parents, visited tbe Centennial Exhibition on Saturday. The secretary of tbe party paid out spending money to tbe children on their arrival. which eliminated tbe risk of children losing or spending their poc-ket-money before they arrived. Sequel to Escapade. The two youths who were involved in the conversion of a motorcar at Lev-in after making their escape from the Weraroa Training Farm, last week, appeared before Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., in the Children’s Court today! One was committed to the Borstal Institution at Invercargill and the ea‘-e of the other was adjourned sine die, he being returned to Weraroa. Improved Hussif. The women of New /Zealand arc being invited by the National Patriotic Fund Board to co-operate with tbe 11 provincial patriotic councils throughout the country in assisting to make 21,000 hussifs of a better type than has been issued to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force to date. The new hussif consists of a ldiaki-coloured piece of material, taped and fitted with a pocket in which the soldier can keep and roll up to a convenient size, threa'd, wool, needles, and tbe other mending materials he requires on service.

Game Season Prospects. Game birds, with the exception of quail, appear to he plentiful .for the opening of the season, according to the Hawke’s Bay Acclimatisation Society’s ranger. There are any number of ducks, and pheasants seem to have been breeding well.

Fruit For Soldiers. Fruit which is in first-class order but which is rejected for marketing because of minor flaws is to he sent from Hawke’s Bay to camps at Trcntham, Palmerston North and Levin. The Mayor of Hastings lias arranged lor 210 cases weekly to be scut. Wanganui By-Election. In a small poll Mr TV'. Scarlo (Labour) and Mr A. Bullock (Independent) won the Wanganui municipal byelection held on Saturday to fill two extraordinary vacancies on the City Council, one caused by the enlistment for active service of Lieutenant C. N. Armstrong, and the other by the death of Cr H. Lawrence. Mr A. E. Halligan (Civic League candidate) came third, polling eight fewer votes than Air Bullock. Rare Stamp Display.

Thousands of rare and valuable stamps are exhibited at the Australian Philatelic Exhibition, conducted under the auspices of the Philatelic Society of New Zealand, which is being field in the Dominion Museum, Wellington. The championship cup lias been awarded to J. W. Grant for a comprehensive collection of New Zealand stamps. Tic and Sir 1!.. Heaton Rhodes have also been awarded special certificates of merit for their displays of the “fullface” issues of New Zealand. Population Increase, How the population of New Zealand is expanding is shown in the annual report compiled by the Census and StatisUcs Department for the year ended .March 31, 1939. For the year under review the population of New Zealand proper increased by 20,235 —a figure equal to ] .20 per cent, of the population at the beginning of that year. The increase is the highest since 193031. The total population at the end of March, 1939. was 1.624,714\ of which 825,063 were males and 799,651 were females. Queensland’s Distinction. Queensland had the highest money wage, the highest elfeetive wage, and the lowest cost of Jiving in Australia, and it had added another achievement, by exceeding its enlistment quota, said Air W. Forgan Smith (Labour Premier of Queensland), who is at present in Wellington. Australia’s war effort was proceeding most satisfactorily, he said. Its contribution would be two divisions, and recruiting under the voluntary system had met with a fine response. In addition, Australia would be sending 50,000 air personnel. Government of China. The so-called National Government of China that was recently set up in Nanking with Wang Clung-wei at its head is not really a national government and cannot possibly he, according to a statement made in Dunedin by llev. G. H. McNeiir, who has represented the New Zealand Presbyterian Church in Canton for the past 40 years. “Wang lias not a very big or strong following,” Mr McNeur said. “The people lie gets with him are those who can be bought. The people worth having cannot be bought with Japanese money. Chiang Kai-shek still has the loyalty of the Chinese people.”