NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24405, 17 September 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Tl/'E have received a letter signed by several of the boarders at “ Eventide,” the Salvation Army Home, Caversham, refuting a statement made in the City Police Court on Saturday last by a woman who had escaped from the institution. There is, they say, a varied menu and good, wholesome food, and devotions of about 15 minutes’ duration are held only twice daily. Public Health Return*

The Dunedin Hospital reported yesterday that there were no cases of infectious diseases in the institution. At Logan Park Hospital one case of scarlet fever was admitted during the past week, and three are now in the hospital.

A Schoolboy Howler The presence of “the inspector” ir the schoolroom, even in these days of enlightened youth, causes a certain amount of trepidation among school children, and it was probably this nervousness which caused the perpetration of a typical “howler” last week. To test a boy’s ingenuity, the inspector asked him to compose an arithmetical problem. This was the boy’s effort: “Mr Brown, who died in 1937, was born in 1890. How old was he when he was born? ” And even the inspector could not conceal a smile.

Children from Britain

Following advice from the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr W. E. Parry, that British children would definitely be arriving in New Zealand under the official Government scheme, the Mayor, Mr A. H. Allen, said yesterday that the Dunedin Committee would be pleased to receive further applications from people in the city and province who were willing to offer children homes for the duration of the war. Applications could be sent either to the Mayor or to the town clerk.

Payment for Fruit The basis of payment which operated in the first year of the State control of fruit marketing is likely to be altered next season, said Mr D. S. McLeod, a Hastings member of a deputation of fruitgrowers which met the Minister of Marketing (Mr W. Nash) recently. Mr McLeod said Mr Nash had expressed the opinion that it was not right that growers with incomes of £IOOO or more should X’eceive any assistance at the expense of the taxpayers. The Minister was quite definite that some new basis would have to be found to assist the industry in the coming season. It simply meant, Mi McLeod said, that every grower would not be assisted during the coming season.

Marine Visitors

Variously known as cowfish, grampus or Rise’s dolphin, the mammals which were disporting themselves in the harbour at the week-end, again made a leisurely cruise around the Upper Harbour yesterday. These creatures, like the porpoises which at a distance they closely resemble, are also of a highly gregarious nature, travelling in schools and usually showing but small fear of ships or even of swimmers. Yesterday morning they appeared just off the steamer basin and spent some time near the Birch street wharf and later they indulged in some acrobatics near the wharves at Ravensbourne and. whenever they were close inshore, they attracted wide attention as they are rare visitors in such sheltered and populated waters. The distinctive noise of their periodical “soundings” was clearly audible from a distance.

Tobacco Appreciated Appreciation of New Zealand tobacco compared with brands obtainable in England, is expressed in a letter received by the secretary of the Canterbury Patriotic Fund (Mr H. S. Feast) from two soldiers thanking him for the gift parcel which they shared at their camp in England. The writers were Privates J. Sands and C. Denny, of B Company, sth Field Ambulance, N.Z.E.F. They declared that the parcel was very acceptable, and the issue was received with special gratitude since it came when funds were low, and when some of the men had run out of funds and tobacco. The tobacco was most popular, as it was the most expensive in England, the cheapest brand selling at Is an ounce since the second Budget was brought down, and even at that price the weed was really “ terrible to smoke.” New Zealand leaf was much superior to the cheapest tobacco sold in England, where really good tobacco cost at least Is 7d an ounce.

An Official War Artist A suggestion that an official war artist should be appointed to accompany the New Zealand troops overseas, as was done in the last war, was made by Mr S. Edwards at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington. The Government, Mr Edwards said, had already sent press and radio representatives overseas, and it seemed a pity that the activities of the troops overseas should not be captured by a New Zealand artist. The New Zealand Soldier “Any modest success I have been able to gain as a soldier is because I had the good luck to realise at the beginning of the Great War that if I wanted anything done, the New Zealand soldier, the man in the rear rank, was a man of more than average common sense,” said Major-general R. Young, officer commanding the Home Guard, when speaking at the Wellington Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association’s annual smoke concert. “If I wanted a thing done and could get down to him,” the general added, “he would see me through and the thing would be done." Transit of Mercury An event of interest to astronomers will occur on November 12, when there will be a transit of Mercury. On that day the planet in its orbit round the sun will attain a position exactly between the earth and the solar disc. A telescope is necessary to view this phenomenon. Given favourable conditions, the tiny disc of Mercury will be seen as a diminutive black dot on the solar surface, the transit taking several hours. An address by Mr G. S. Smith on the subject “Transits of Mercury and Venus ” will be given at a meeting of the Astronomical Society at the Museum to-night. Not Chief Magistrate “I am not the Chief Magistrate of the city, though in the last 10 years so many people have called me that that I feel moved to rebel,” said the Mayor of Wellington (Mr T. C. A. HisJop), speaking at the Association Day smoke concert of the Wellington Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen’s Association. Mr Hislop had been given that title when being introduced by the president, Mr E. E. Brooking. “In England,” Mr Hislop said, “ mayors are called chief magistrates because they happen to be magistrates. I have no such powers here at all. lam just the mayor.” Dr Spooner Outdone The chairman of a war council which meets every morning on the front seat of an inward-bound suburban tramcar was in particularly good form yesterday, and his hearty approval of the feats of the Royal Air Force was endorsed unanimously by his fellow councillors in a discussion that lasted for nearly a section. Then, in an address not untinged by profanity, the chairman launched into a wholehearted condemnation of the Nazis. “ I consider,” he said, “ that the bucking of Bombingham Palace was one of the most dastardly •” So far he got when his remarks were interrupted by a shout of laughter and it was not until he conducted a hasty mental review of what he had said that he realised he had-perpetrated a spoonerism of the first magnitude. .

“ No Room for Moaners ” A call to all citizens to assist the Government in its war effort is contained in the annual report of the Auckland Provincial Employers’ Association. It stales that the Government was now fully alive to its responsibilities and was doing everything in its power to help Britain win the war Every citizen could and must assist by carrying out efficiently and expeditiously whatever work it was his duty to perform, and by doing his best with the labour and materials available. “ This association,” it adds, “ has a large membership and collectively the members have a powerful influence in' all branches of trade and industry throughout the province. Let every member make it his duty to suppress every pessimist, every unfriendly and destructive critic of the war policy of the Government and our leaders, and all those who grumble about the mistakes of the past and the sacrifices they are called upon to make now. There is no room for pessimists and moaners in times of emergency; they can spoil the morale of an army and the efficiency of an industry. Efficiency in industry will be increased greatly if leaders of industry encourage a cheerful and optimistic outlook and discourage all criticism which is not friendly and constructive.” Air Training at Whenuapai

Whenuapai aerodrome, near Auckland, will shortly become available as a training centre of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It is intended to use the aerodrome as an elementary flying school, states the Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones) and the training to be given will be similar to that at Bell Block aerodrome, New Plymouth. “ The use of Whenuapai,” the Minister continued, “ constitutes a very important addition to New Zealand’s air training facilities, for it will be able to train 80 pupils, and when in full operation before the end of the year will be using approximately 50 training aircraft. , These will be the well-known Tiger Moth type, which are so generally used for training purposes throughout the Empire. Prior to entering Whenuapai the pupils will receive a month’s ground training at Weraroa. Following their elementary flying training at Whenuapai, many of them will go on to Canada for completion of the course, while a proportion will be able to receive their advanced training in New Zealand and proceed direct to the United Kingdom. Whenuapai is already being used as a base for the valuable air reconnaissance work which is being carried on daily by our Air Force. The establishment will comprise 64 officers and 416 other ranks, which, with the 80 pupil pilots, will make a total of 560 members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force stationed at Whenuapai.”

Not Malcontents

A desire to give an emphatic denial to the suggestion that the men engaged in the construction of the Waiouru Military Camp are malcontents was expressed yesterday by a Dunedin man who is working there. There were, he said, about 70 men from Dunedin engaged in the operations, and the complete stafT numbered several hundreds. The grievances which the men had expressed had their basis in the fact that both the food and the sanitation arrangements were bad, and that the men had to lose working time for reasons which they attributed to faulty organisation and which the employers said arose fx-om difficulties in procuring materials. The demand made by the men for an additional payment of 3d an hour had been based on conditions in the camp which required the men to purchase additional clothing for protection against the weather, and to supplexnent their ordinary food supply. That demand had since been dropped. The Dunedin man suggested that the curi'ent wage for carpenters of £8 Is 3d for a 60-hour week and £1 8s less for labourers was not unduly high. His main point was, however, that the men were cheerfully doing a wartime job to the best of their ability. For his own. part, he had used his endeavours to obtain conditions equal to those in other camps in which he had worked, but the suggestion that the men were any more prone to complain than those working in other places could not be justified.

A Prompt Response

A Press Association telegram from Wellington slates that in answer to an appeal by the Mayor. Mr T. C. A. Hislop, to subscribe £3OOO as the city’s quota of the New Zealand contribution to the Lord Mayor of London’s Fund for the relief of bombing victims a sum exceeding that amount was assured before 5 o'clock last evening.

New Zealand Naval Forces A scheme for the entry of young New Zealanders as officers in. the executive, engineering and accountant bi'anches of the New Zealand Naval Forces was inaugui'atecl on June 10 last by the Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones), who said that two candidates would be required this year. Very few applicants qualified for consideration, however, and no candidate was accepted as cadet or cadet (E.), only one candidate being accepted as probationary paymaster sub-lieuten-ant. It has, therefore, been decided to accept further applications for this year’s entry up till September 30. Applications should be addressed to the Naval Secretary, Naval Office, Wellington.

Coffee for breakfast. Order from your grocer a tin of "Bourbon,” the coffee of quality. Instructions in every tin. Prepared by Durie’s, Coffee Specialists, 32 Octagon. Dunedin.— Advt.