NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 62, 16 March 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Flood Damage £11,250 The recent flood damage to roads and bridges in the Hawke’s Bay county has been estimated at about £11,250, ac i cording to a comprehensive survey | made by the county engineer, Mr. R. Puffctt, and reported on to a meeting of the council. Prisoner Escapes Tffe police are looking for John Charles Baylcy, aged 30, who escape! from custody while in Palmerston North yesterday. His description is as follows: —Height sft. BJins., fresh com- |« plexiou, light brown hair, medium < build, is wearing a faded airforce blue < sports coat, light grey trousers and 1 black shoes. He has no hat. Fencing Posts Scarce j The extensive demand for silver pine . posts from the West Coast was illus- . trated in evidence before the Armed , Forces Appeal Board at Greymouth, j when a witness produced orders from , various parts of the Dominion. One letter stated that 20,000 to 30,000 posts ot a certain type were required for Gis j borne, while another stated that not one , 10ft. stock yard post was to be.obtain- j ed in Poverty Bay. , Travelling Scholarships The council of the New Zealand < Society of Accountants has decided J to award two travelling scholarships i each of the value of £2OO, obtainable 1 by members who have served in the • armed forces. Two similar scholarships will be granted by the Institute of Incorporated Accountants. The two bodies ] are in collaboration about the condi ! tions for the scholarships, which will be awarded after the war. No Meat One Day a Week While New Zealanders have just been ; introduced to meat rationing, South i African housewives have been experimenting for some months with meatless \ breakfasts and meatless Wednesdays. ; There were insuperable obstacles in the i way of a national meat rationing plan ; due to the differing needs of the white and native populations, so the meatless i day and meatless breakfasts were intro- : duced to meet the situation. This in- : formation is contained in a letter from a Cape Town resident. Many Applicants An unexpected sidelight on the manpower situation was revealed by an Auckland firm which advertised for an unskilled labourer able to drive a light van. The firm received no fewer than . 37 replies. First reactions were that ; manpower shortages could not be as severe as thought, but the opinion has since been expressed that as the Ameri can demand for drivers is slackening off some who have been working foi them are now seeking to transfer to situations of their own choice before being “roped in” by the manpower authorities. Thunder and Deluge While Palmerston North has experi enced light beneficial showers of late, yesterday marked the real breaking oi the dry period when a thunderstorm followed by a veritable deluge, though of short duration, thoroughly drenched the earth. The thunder and lightning was iu the nature of a barrage while it lasted, being almost incessant. The rain, which contained some hail, quickly turned depressions into miniature lakes and in some instances, was so heavy that the gutterings of business premises were unable to cope with the quantity and the water found its way inside. Further rain fell during the night. Coates Memorial Fund The North Auckland Electric-Power Board considered a letter from Mr. W. Main, secretary of Mr. T. O. Webb’s electoral committee, stating that a fund was being established in recognition of j the services to the Dominion, and the Kaipara electorate in particular, of the late Itt. Hon. J. G. Coates, it proposed to raise at least £2OOO and the money collected would, after consideration with Mrs. Coats, be handed over to her to be spent in such manner as would enable her future well-being to be provided for. Members of the board ex pressed the opinion that Mr. Coates had done yeoman work for the country in a life-time of service. The board decided to donate £IOO to the fund. Home Guard’s Influence Members of the Home Guard in many parts of Auckland have received an open letter from Colonel M. Aldred, formerly dis.triet commander of the Home Guard, expressing appreciation of the cooperation he had received from all ranks and reviewing activities since the guard was first formed. In eonI elusion Colonel Aldred says: “Our time has not been wasted because the Home Guard has been a great uplift in that it has brought together men of | widely different occupations and beliefs —political and otherwise—who have , worked and eursed together. Many who , were bad mixers before their H.G. , days have been drawn out of their , shells and are all the better for it.” . He adds that it would bo a pity if the organisation died out altogether. 1 Chatham Islands Event In lonely Chatham Islands, most disj tant inhabited outpost of the British { Empire, residents met recently to welcome home the first of their own rcturn- , nig soldiers, Sergeant Leonard MeCJurg, D.C.M., who volunteered for ser- | vice at the outbreak of war and fought s with the New Zealand Division in the | Middle East. The gathering took the | form of a picnic in the Owenga School ; grounds, with, a reception in the buildi ing. As there are no bakers or butcher ? shops in the islands the responsibility \> of provisioning devolved on the resi- - denis themselves. Every housewife was > busy baking bread and cakes and the ’ chairman of the school committee, Mr. 3 J. H. Prendeville, who organised the event, donated a fat bullock to be killed and distributed to all local families.