London Relief Fund.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 254, 24 September 1940, Page 6

London Relief Fund.

The Bank of New Zealand has given £IOOO to the London relief fund. It is to bo allocated among the 11 provincial councils in proportion to their respective quotas. No Plunket Shield Matches.

The management committee of the ■Wellington Cricket Association, at its first meeting of the season last night, decided that no Plunket Shield matches should be played by ‘Wellington this season.

Municipal Buses Busy. Reporting to the City Council, last evening, the traffic manager (Mr H. J. Smith) stated that 12,225 more passengers were carried on the municipal buses in August than was the case in the corresponding month of last year. The revenue showed a rise of £1.66 2s 6d.

School Children’s Help. School children in Canterbury have done their part in the general effort to secure funds for war purposes. It was reported to the Canterbury Education Board that the amount collected up to September 18 aggregated £3791 17s 7d; £3410 8s 2d of this was subscribed by public schools and £3Bl 9s 5d by private schools.

Power Boards’ Conference. Asked for an expression of opinion as to whether the annual conference of the Electric Power Boards and Supply Authorities’ Association should be held, the Palmerston North City Council has decided to reply that its opinion is that the conference should be held in February, 1941, provided the overseas position is not less favourable than at present. Newspapers For Overseas. Approval was given by the Palmerston North Rotary Club, yesterday, to a suggestion that the membership be divided into six sections, each member of eac'h section to save a newspaper on a day set down for despatch overseas to troops on active service. It was pointed out that when travellers were overseas they enjoyed seeing their local paper nearly as much as receiving family mail. The organisation of the scheme is now to be investigated. Horse Wilfully Shot.

A charge of wilfully shooting a trotting mare valued at £2OO was brought against a 13-year-old boy at a sitting of the Children’s Court at Ashburton on Friday, states the Press. It was said that the boy fired two bullets at the mare, which died of the injuries. The owner said that he would not claim compensation because the payments would fall on the boy’s parents. Admonishing the boy, the Magistrate (Mr H. Morgan, S.M.) said that if he came l>efore the Court again he would be severely dealt with.

Smaller Gas Consumption. Because of the milder weather in August than was the ease in the corresponding month of the previous year, the consumption of gas in Palmerston North fell below lsst year’s figures in that month. The gas manager (Mr J. Learmonth) reported that the output had decreased by 640,000 cubic feet, and the gas made per ton of coal had decreased by 1393 cubic feet. The coal used had been 31 tons less.

Parking In Esplanade. The City Council has decided to allow motor-car parking on the southern side only of the drive through the Esplanade. The chango aims at assisting the passage of traffic through the drive. Irreparable Damage.

Included in four churches in the County of Kent which have suffered damage from raiders in the past fortnight is a Fifteenth Century sanctuary which received a direct hit and is now just a mass of rubble. Wooden effigies of the Crusaders, which are irreplaceable, were destroyed. Centennial Memorial.

The City Council has decided that, provided the subsidy is available from the Internal Affairs Department in respect of the part of the winter garden to be erected at the Esplanade this year as a Centennial memorial, tenders be called for the building of the propagation house and tho boiler house.

“It All Depends On Me.” Words uttered by the Dean of St. Paul’s form the inspiration of a poster displayed in Britain. A copy has been received in Auckland. It is headed, “It all depends on me.” Under this are the words: “If we each and all of us think this, and each and all of us do our utmost, our very utmost, on whatever work we are on, and do it with determination and cheerfulness, then we shall win this war.” Hard Water in Boilers,

Adopting a suggestion by the _ gas manager (Mr J. Learmonth) the lighting committee recommended to the City Council, last night, that a water softener be bought for £55 for installation to treat water being used in the boilers at the gasworks. This recommendation was confirmed. It was stated that the boilers had to be shut down on four occasions to allow scale to be cleaned from them. Special chemical bricks to soften the water had been bought, but this process was slow and expensive. Shearers’ Wages. Advice has been received in Wanganui from Mr H. E. Mosston, Secretary of Labour, Wellington, that the 5 per cent, cost of living bonus, recently made applicable to all wages governed by awards, does not apply to the rates of pay for shearers during the coming season. Shearers’ rates of pay arc arranged each year according to the price of wool arid other relevant factors taken from the season before. City Gas Pressures.

Gas pressures in Linton Street, between College Street and Park Road, had been the subject of complaint, stated the gas manager (Mr J. Learmonth) in the course of his _ report to the City Council, last evening. The main had been found to be in a bad state. Gas mains in five streets would have to be renewed in the near future, as follow: Weston Avenue (20 chains), College Street extension (14 chains), Main Street East (20 chains), Linton Street and Limbrick Street (each 18 chains). Air Force Entrants Keen.

Aspirants for entry to the Royal New Zealand Air Force showed outstanding keenness, commented Mr E. Caradus, director of educational services to the Air Force, when addressing the Palmerston North Rotary Club. As an example, he said that recently a recruit had been rejected by the selection committee which interviewed candidates on account of defective eyesight. Ho then asked the committee if, at his own expense, he went to America and was fitted with special glasses to correct the defect, it would accept him. Quite apart from the cost of the trip, commented the speaker, the special glasses would probably cost about £3O. Loan and Appeal. At the meeting of the Palmerston North City Council, last evening, Cr W. G. Black asked if it had been considered that the Government’s compulsory loan might be announced at the. same time as the GovernorGeneral’s £1,000,000 appeal for patriotic funds was launched, with possible harmful effects on the result of the appeal. The Mayor (Mr A. E. Mansford) said that a meeting of the Provincial Patriotic Council would be held in Wellington to-morrow, and no doubt the matter, would be referred to then. Aero Clubs’ Contribution.

At the Rotary Club’s gathering yesterday, Mr K. G. Chamberlain, secretary of the Middle Districts Aero Club, mentioned that of the club’s active hying members between. 80 and 90 (about 70 per ent.) were on service in some phase of the war. Some were in the Air Force, at home and overseas, others were in the army. Aero clubs in New Zealand, Mr Chamberlain commented, had been of considerable assistance to the war effort. They had provided grounds, their machines had been taken oyer at the beginning of the war for training purposes, and they had contributed a considerable number of pilots, either fully or partly trained. Men Not Under Awards.

A question was asked by Cr J. Hodgens, M.P., at last evening’s meeting of the City Council, as to when the council would consider the position of those employees who had not received an advance in wages or salary because they were not working under an award. The Mayor (Mr A. E. Mansford) said there was to be a meeting of the executive of the Municipal Association in Wellington this week, and it was also understood that there would be a conference of local body representatives, in an endeavour to reach a common understanding as to the action to be taken in this regard. The City Council did not wish to make a decision before these meetings were held, so tbjrt it would not be out of line with action taken elsewhere.