NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Extended Leave Granted. Units in camp at Te Rapa racecourse, who have been isolated on account of measles, have been granted extended leave this week-end, the isolation order having been lifted. Leave started last evening and the troops have to report back to camp on Monday evening. Crippled Children's EfTort. Three scarves and two balaclavas knitted by crippled children were handed to the committee of the New Plymouth Crippled Children Society yesterday by the hon. instructor, Mrs. T. A. Purcell. Four of the articles had been knitted by hospital patirnts and the other by a boy at Inglewood. Fire in the Fat. When an clectric bath for the cooking of iish and chips became overheated in the Diggers' tearooms, Moturoa, last night about six gallons of fat burst into flame. The proprietor, Mr. W. Williamson, several times tried to smother the fire with wet sacks but finally found it necessary to call the bi'igade. After a faultman had disconnected the apparatus it was carried outside where the fiames were smothered by a foam extinguisher. There was very little damage. Use of Prodncer Gas. Considerable cconomies in the use of petrol have already res'ulted from the installation of produce:- gas plants on service cars operated by the Railway Department between Auckland and Rotorua. Two buses are already using producer gas, and, on the return trip of 320 miles, only 10 gallons of petrol are consumed, compared with the previous amount of 32 gallons. The plants on each service car are loaded at Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua, petrol being used only at the start of the trip and on hills.

Cliiltl Safcty on Roads. With 12 added in the past year, 37 schools in the Auckland province are now included in the road safety service of the Automobile Association (Auckland). There are 190 schoolboy patrols, and, according to the annual report of the association. there has never been an accident outside a school where the patrol system is in force. Safety talks were given to 52.114 children during the year. while safety and educational films were shown to 11.893 pupils at primary, secondary and convent schools. More Radio Licenses. An increase of 23.996 in the number of radio licenses in the Dominion for the year ended August 31 is shown in a Post and Telegraph Department statement. This increase was made in spite of the fact that more than a thousand experimental amateur permits were withdrawn owing to the war. The total for the Dominion is now 351.124. For receiving sets, Wellington still leads, with 123,683, Auckland having 113,601. Canterbury 64,594. and Otago 46.842. There are 1304 free licenses, an increase of 282 for the year.