General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 1 September 1942, Page 4

General News

Vital Statistics j The following are the vital statistics for Nelson for August with the figures for August. 1941, it parentheses; Births 35 (27): deaths 34 (19); marriages 13 (15). Producer Needs Stable Prices “The Government is working on a plan to stabilise all wages and costs, and that. I think, will be a big factor in all our future negotiations.” said the Minister for Agriculture and Marketing. Mr Barclay, addressing the electoral committee of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board in Wellington. “The more stable we can keep our internal economy at present, the better will be our position at the end of the war. If we allowed prices to soar and then flop back we would not add to our strength. The only men who would benefit would be the speculator and those in between the producer and the consumer.” A Potato Ration “It has been suggested that new potatoes should be rationed.” said Mr ; Arthur Turner at Auckland, in his acl - I dress to members of the People's Uni - versity. “Well, I worked the ration | out—the known quantity of new polaj toes against the population of Auckland. The ration would be one-tenth of an ounce of a new potato per person per day. Next I hunted lor a potato of that size. The best I could do was ; to find one approximately a quarter- | ounce." and. amid laughter, he produced one the size of a pea. Farming on Racecourse One of the most successful features of the Waikato Racing Club's opera- ' lions during the last year has been its I farming activities. Large numbers of cattle and sheep are grazed and fat- ! toned on its racecourse at Te Rapa, and the buying and selling of stock resulted in a net profit of £1342 to the club for the year. At the annual meeting of the club thanks and congratulations were extended to the president. ! Mr F. R. Seddon, who was largely rei sponsible for the result achieved. Electrical Workers’ Award The Canterbury _ Westland - Marl- | borough-Nelson electrical workers’ [dispute was heard in Conciliation Council last week at Christchurch and settlement was reached in terms of the present award, which was made in 1938. The only alterations were to the holiday clause (providing for payment on statutory holidays) and the bicycle allowance, which was increas--1 ed by 2d a week. Drives for Disabled Soldiers Tiie Canterbury Automobile Association has this year put aside £SOO towards the purchase of a motor car, in which disabled returned soldiers receiving hospital treatment in Christchurch after the war will be taken for drives round the city and suburbs, according to a statement made at the annual meeting of the Grey mouth branch of the Canterbury Automobile Association. at Greymouth, by the President of the parent body, Mr C. G. Curtis. He added that 840 members of the association were in the armed forces. The Code of Honour Proof that even the best people can i i weaken at times was provided at a meeting of the Auckland Grammar Scho l board of governors by the i chairman. Mr J. Stanton, during a discussion in which the stealing of boys’ property was mentioned. A member stated that there was a code of honour among boys and it was not likely that the property was removed by others in the school. Mr Stanton expressed doubt on this point. “1 recently left a bunch of keys in the robing room at the Supreme Court, where nobody goes but lawyers.” he said, “and they disappeared.” He had since advertised for them, but they had not yet been regained. Apprenticeship System “The rapid and successful training of labour for a great variety of purposes, and for a great variety of precision products, has probably finally shattered the apprenticeship system.” said Mr E. Hitchcock in an address to the annual conference of the New Zealand Vocational Guidance Association in Christchurch. "It has always been an anomaly that any training for.life work should have been expressed as a period of time, as is exemplified in an apprenticeship. Temperament, capacity, adaptability. and degree of skill all influence the period needed by an apprentice to become proficient in the work for which he is training. If that was always true, the effect of war upon industry has greatly emphasised the extent to which it is true now. Therefore, we are I being forced to acknowledge that desired proficiency cannot be measured by the time served.” Issue of Battledress Men in battledress are likely to present a smarter appearance soon, says the "Otago Daily Times.” as a second set is to be issued to men of all ranks other than officers. Except for a set of denims, the men have been compelled to wear their one issue of battledress continuously. Members of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps are also receiving an extra uniform, and later they will also have two sets of battledress. In addition, a new field service cap is replacing the soft one now being worn. Birds’ rouble Nests The strange “double nests” of thrushes are discussed in the current issue of "Forest and Bird” in which it is affirmed that a second nest is built on top of one which has for some reason been abandoned. The writer says. “These so-called ‘double nests’ have given rise to the rather romantic theory that the thrush is a social bird and that two different pairs of birds are nesting together. The mistake lies in endowing the bird witn the attribute of being sociable or gregarious; but when nesting, or at any other time, the song-thrush is neither. All birds are individualists, although many species are gregarious, just like a crowd of humans in the street on a late shop- j ping night, each bent on his own af~ } fairs—gregarious, but not sociable.” j

Cat’s Change of Domicile How a cat will find its way back to a home where it has been domiciled for | 1 some time, however far the distance j and length of time the journey will 1 take, has often been told. An Eltham cat. however, reversed the order. It was left at its old home when its ownei moved to a new part of the town, fully a mile away. To the owner's surprise it turned up at the new home three weeks later. Demeanour of Soldiers The Assistant-Provost Marshal lor the Southern Military District. Major G. 11. Anderson, when visiting Dunedin last weke. said that immediate action would be taken by the local provost section for offences relating to the demeanour of soldier* in public, and there would be an all-round tightening-up of the mili tary regulations, lie said that several instances had been brought under the notice of the authorities of privates quence, being mistaken for officers. This was regarded as a serious offence, and. where detected, would be severely dealt with. Soldiers found with hands in their pockets, with battledress disai ranged, and with caps missing would be charged before a military court. Big Totalizator Increases At the two trotting meetings held on Saturday one at Auckland and the other at Addington—£l49,7o9 was invested on the totalise tor, an increase of £50,788 on the amount handled at the corresponding meetings last year. At Addington C 76.041 10s was invested, and !at Auckland £73.067 10s. Investments at the meeting held by the Taranaki and Egmont-Wanganui Hunt Chibs also increased. The amount invested was £24.910 10s, an increase of £1993 10s. Tea and Sugar Coupons The Rationing Controller, Mr .J. E. Thomas, announced last night that the surrender-value of tea and sugar coupons for September remained unchanged. Tea coupons (numbers 13 to 16 inclusive) represented two ounces a coupon; and sugar coupons (numbers 19 to 22 inclusive) represented 12 ounces a coupon.