In the News

Southland Times, 16 October 1942, Page 4

In the News

Anonymous Benefactor The Southland Hospital has a liberal benefactor who has given £2OO a year for seven years to the funds of the hospital. He was a well-known citizen, but such is his desire to preserve strict anonymity that he does not wish even members of the Hospital Board to know his name. These facts were mentioned by Mr W. M. Norman at the meeting of the Southland Hospital Board yesterday. Mr A. M. Williams, the secretary, said that this year this benefactor had sent along a cheque for £2OO, but did not sign his name to the cheque. It had to be returned to him for signature. One year he brought £2OO in notes to the Hospital Board office. He would not allow the receipt to be made out in his name. The receipt was made out to “Stranger.” The man said he had never been a patient in a hospital and his £2OO a year was his “little insurance against that.” Home Guard Officers In the House of Representatives yesterday, Mr J. A. Roy (Nat., Clutha) gave notice to ask the Minister of Defence whether he would order that Home Guard officers over 30 should remain in the Home Guard until it could be arranged for them to enter the Officers’ Cadet Training Unit, where they would have an opportunity to qualify for commissions in the Army. At present, he said, such officers, regardless of their qualifications, if called for military service were sent into the ranks with no opportunity of securing a commission.—P.A. Did Not Materialize The reason why the boundary lines of Victoria Avenue as it approaches the railway crossing outside the gates of the show grounds take an outward sweep to form a large oval was explained by Mr T. Pryde to members of the Southland Hospital Board when they paid a visit of inspection to Queen Victoria Hospital yesterday. Mr Pryde said that it had originally been intended to run a tram line down to the show grounds, and in order to form a loop so that the trams would not need to reverse, the City Council secured a piece of land from the Prisons Department and a piece from the Hospital Board. The council had promised to give the board a piece of land from city property on the other side of the hospital grounds, but had never done so. All that the council had done was .to erect the galvanized iron fence which still stood. Mr Pryde referred to the matter at a meeting of the board earlier in the day. He considered it should be looked into as the board might require this land at some, future date. The secretary, Mr A. M. Williams, was instructed to search the records to ascertain the exact position. Saluting off Duty The Minister of Defence was asked by Mr J. A. Lee in the House of Representatives yesterday if he would abolish saluting by soldiers when off duty. This had been done in Australia, he said, and was even being considered in England.—P.A. House to Sit Tomorrow The Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, proposed in the House of Representatives yesterday that the House should sit on Saturday and Monday so that the present part of the session could be brought to an end next Thursday. It was agreed that the House should sit from 230 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. tomorrow and Monday and from 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Saturday, and that a short meeting should be held early in December.—FA..