LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 May 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Home for rndigents. Mrs A. E. Mansford, Mayoress of Palmerston North, has been elected president of a committee which is organising a North Island campaign for establishing in Rotorua a large convalescent home for indigent women and children. It is hoped to raise £30,000 for this purpose. Centennial Publicity. The attention of the metropolitan executive of the Auckland provincial centennial executive to the published statement that the Government Publicity Department's initial centennial brochure of 50,000 copies invited overseas tourists to come to Wellington for 1939-40, was drawn by the publicity sub-committee at a meeting of the executive on Friday. It was decided that steps should be taken to see that equal emphasis, in publicity of this nature, should be placed on the whole of the Dominion and its attractions. Navy Discontent. A term in the brig and the loss of deferred pay will be the penalty imposed on Australian naval ratings who are detected talking to the press. They have recently been threatened with drastic punishment, and recently instructions to the above effect were issued by Rear-Admiral Lane-Poole. The instructions were twice read to the entire personnel of the Australian Fleet. Lower decks were cleared, and the men addressed on the quarterdecks by commanders of each ship. Ratings were., told that too many grievances were being ventilated in the newspapers. Anonymous criticisms were undermining public confidence in the Navy. There was a proper official channel for lower deck complaints. Naval ratings later told a reporter from one Sydney newspaper that much of the Navy discontent was due to a form of secret service operating throughout the fleet. There were spies on every ship, who carried tales of minor misdemeanours and grumblings to the ears of the officers.

Electric Trains. With the Minister of Railways, Hon D. G. Sullivan, and the Minister of Labour, Hon H. T. Armstrong, among the passengers, the first power coach and trailer of the multiple-unit fourmotor electric trains which will operate on the Wellington-Johnsonville suburban service made a further trial trip to Johnsonville and back yesterday morning. The train travelled to Johnsonville in 15J minutes. Under normal conditions, and stopping at all stations, multiple-units will complete the outward journey in 19 minutes; considerably faster than 29 minutes, the average time taken by steam trains. Fast and regular services will be maintained between Wellington and Johnsonville. During peak periods in the morning and late afternoon, trains will run at less than 12minute intervals. The proposed timetable provides also for multiple-units being formed into one train to cope with rush traffic during busy periods. The power-coach will accommodate 60 passengers, with 19 standing, and the trailer will seat 72 passengers, with standing-room for 29. Two-multiple units coupled as one train (two powercoaches and two trailers) will carry 360 passengers during peak periods, which is more than the maximum combined capacity of steam trains and buses.