NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 66, 22 March 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Traffic Control on Beaches When the matter of control of traffic on the Foxton ocean beach was discussed at a meeting of the M.A.A. executive last night, it was reported that control was in the hands of the Marino Department but control of the Foxton river beach was vested in the Harbour Board. It was decided to write to both bodies in an endeavour to get something done. Health Stamps Campaign Results of the recent health stamp campaign were announced by the Minister of Health, Mr. Nordmeyer. He said that the campaign for the sales of these stamps covered a period of five months up to the end of February, and that sales reached the record figure of £59,904. That meant that the health camp funds, which the campaign was designed to benefit, would be £20,000 bettor off. Wandering Stock on Roads That county councils had no power to prosecute for stock wandering on State highways, was reported to a meeting of the Automobile Association (M’tu) last evening. It was decided to write the Main Highways Board asking for official information as to the correctness of the report. Mr. D. Collis stated that the county councils were endeavouring to get the Impounding Act amended as it was full of loopholes. Havoc on Roads Three weeks of heavy rain with intermittent periods of sunshine have wrought havoc ou the roads leading from Napier to Wairoa and Taupo. No sooner had a spoil of fine weather given an opportunity for repairing the dam age than another week of rainy weather, culminating in a thunderstorm on Saturday evening and a deluge ou Sunday, wiped out the repairs and caused destruction ou a similar scale. Jockey’s Suspension Increased The suspension of six months imposed on the jockey L. H. Clifford by the judicial committee of the Stratford Racing Club after the New Year meeting was increased to two years by the Taranaki District Committee when the suspension was reviewed yesterday. Clifford rode Llaudiife in the Eltham Highweight ou January 1 aud was subsequently found guilty of foul riding by holding Balblair’s reins near the finishing post. Bodies Recovered The bodies of Mrs. C. A. Herd and Mrs. C. M. Sargeaut, drowned in the Duller River on March 14 when their car plunged 80 feet from the Gorge road to the river, were recovered yesterday. Marine Department surveyors on Carter's beach, Westport, sighted an object though a theodolite and this was later identified as the body of Mrs. Herd. Mrs. Sargeant’s body was found lust evening on the beach at Kongaliu, near Karamca. An inquest will be held to-morrow. Technical School Swimming The Technical School swimming sports were held last week. In view of the fact that the municipal -baths had only just become available, the programme was considerably curtailed compared with a normal year. The championship aggregate results were:— Senior: Girls, N. Rogers I, B. Thomson 2; boys, E. Ashcroft and B. Byrnes 1, G. Stuart 3. Junior: Girls, M. Jensen 1, T. Trask 2, N. Stuart 3; boys, H. Fry I, E. O’Brien 2. The club result was: Arawa, 59pts. 1; Rangitane, 49pts. 2; Ngapuhi, 41pts. 3; Tainui, 30pts 4. The 220yds. races for the two Hands Cups resulted: Girls, M. Jensen 1, N. Stuart 2, N. Rogers 3; boys, 11. Fry 1, B. Byrnes 2, E. Ashcroft 3. School Committee Finance Recently the Wanganui Education Board reminded the Education Department of the need for a further sum I being placed on the estimates for the (incidental expenses of school committees. The Department has replied stating that it was unable to say whether or not any increase will bo provided, but the board’s request would be given every consideration. Mr. J. C. Batt commented that while the Education vote was growing bigger every year, the school committees seemed to be getting into greater difficulties. Many schools couldn’t afford a full-time caretaker. The chairman (Mr. E. F. Hemingway) said the country was only now’ catching up on the cuts in the educational vote made during the depression. Camp Sites at Foxton Beach The Automobile Association (M’tu) is still pressing the Foxton Harbour Board for improved camping and picnicking facilities at Manawatu Heads. The sum of £3O was donated to the Harbour Board some time ago to help secure conveniences but at a meeting of the M.A.A. executive last night, the president (Mr. W. H. Brown) reported that not all that had been asked for had been provided. After discussing the needs at the beach still further, the executive decided that when the Harbour Board had carried out other needed improvements, another £SO would be devoted to provide two stoves, two 20gal. coppers and signposting. Tho M.A.A. camp site committee will meet the Harbour Board at the beach and place its proposals before the board. Eliminating Misfits The hope that the time might arrive when the number of decisions by young people under the age of 38 to terminate employment in one industry and commence with another might be considerably reduced was expressed by the district vocational guidance officer, Mr. A. R. Kirk, in a report to a recent meeting of the Auckland general advisory council. It was felt, said Mr. Kirk, that if the vocational organisation could operate over a still wider field the number of misfits should bo considerably reduced. Many of those still applying for transfers from one job to another had made no previous contact with the vocational guidance centre, and it was quite obvious from the easo histories they presented that guidance at an earlier date would have saved them their present difficulties. Warning to Parents “This is an accident which might happen in any home writh young children, and I want to emphasise the necessity for parents never to let up in their efforts to prevent children from going near electric stoves or other apparatus connected with a flex,’’ said Mr. Luxford, fcf.M., at Auckland, when concluding an inquest into the death of a child aged one and a-half years. Evidence w T as given that the child was found unconscious on the kitchen floor of his home near the electric stove. An electric plug, writhout flex attached, which had been inserted iu the hotwater point on the range was partially pulled out, and there were slight electric burns ou the fingers of the child. Returning a verdict of death by accidental electrocution, Mr. Luxford suggested that parents might make some guard against this sort of accident where children showed any propensity to play with electrical apparatus. It was not the complete pulling-out of a plug which was the danger, he said, but the partial extraction, where live prongs might be bared to a child’s touch.