LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 May 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Air Visit to Masterto. Mi- Ellingham flew the Wellington Aero Club's Tiger Moth from Wellington to the Hood Aerodrome yesterday afternoon, later returning. Central School Building. The possibility of the Central School being remodelled during the next Christmas holidays at an estimated cost of £3BOO was mentioned by Mr Nicol at the meeting of householders held in connection with the Central School last night. Spectacular Blaze. There was a spectacular blaze on Opaki Road this morning, when a fivcseater motor car, owned by Mr Glen Riddell, a magazine salesman, was completely destroyed by fire. It is thought that the outbreak was due to a leak in the petrol tank. Crippled Children. All persons who are interested in the welfare of crippled children in the Wairarapa district are invited to attend the second annual meeting of the Wairarapa branch of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society (Inc.), to be held tomorrow afternoon, at 3 o’clock, in the offices of Messrs Dunderdale and Gray, Perry Street, Masterton, Dunedin’s Trams.

“When the City Council bought the tramcars in our city they were considered obsolete in other parts of the world,” declared Mr J. W. Munro, M.P., during an address to Dunedin electors. “The trams were built in America for some town in Rumania,” he said, “but when they were found to be out of date some ‘mugs’ in the Antipodes were found to buy them.” Earlier Pension for Women.

A request that superannuation be granted to all eligible women at the age of 55 was made by the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children, giving evidence before the Special Parliamentary Committee yesterday. The society was represented by Mrs A. M. Hutchinson, J.P., and Mrs Rhoda Bloodworth, J.P. Headmaster's Difficulties. The difficulties of a headmaster who had to teach a class of 54, and at the same time direct the activities of a school, were stressed' at last night’s meeting of householders of the West School by the chairman, Mr F. Shearer, when urging the desirability of the school reaching and being maintained at 6a grade. If that were possible the headmaster would be freed from teaching duties, and would be able to devote most of his time to organisation. Children’s Health Centre.

By the beginning of the next school term, Timaru will have the distinction of being the first place in the South Island and the second in New Zealand to possess a. children’s health centre established by the Schools Medical Service of the Health Department. The director of school hygiene, Dr. Elizabeth Gunn, is now in Timaru, making preliminary arrangements for the establishment of the centre.

“Souveniring” in Australia. The practice of “souveniring” caused a considerable loss of costumes by the New Zealand surf life-saving team during its visit to Australia, according to the report of the manager, Mr H. S. Feast, which was received at a meeting of the Canterbury Surf LifeSaving Association. He said that of 20 woollen and 20 cotton costumes he was able to return only seven of the former and one of the latter. In spite of criticism of the “morbid” appearance of the costumes they were evidently attractive enough to be “souvenired.” Technical Education Survey. With the knowledge and consent of the Minister of Education, Hon. P. Fraser, the New Zealand Council for Educational Research has invited to New Zealand Dr. F. H. Spencer, late senior inspector of the London County Council schools. The purpose of Dr. Spencer’s visit is to make a survey of technical education in New Zealand. Dr. Spencer, who is to arrive in New Zealand to-morrow, is travelling under the auspices of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and has already completed surveys of technical education in South Africa and Australia.

Community Menace. Since August, 1937, a self-constituted committee, representing broadly a cross-section of the community in Wellington, has met at intervals to endeavour to formulate principles and possible remedies to combat the menace of criminal abortion. As an outcome of these meetings a report, embodying these constructive findings, was published on March 26 in the leading papers of thee Dominion. It is now further proposed to hold a conference in Wellington May 27, at which this report will be the order of reference. All those interested in the question are invited to attend a meeting at the W.D.F.U. Rest Room, King Street, tomorrow, at 2.30 p.m. It is hoped there will be a large attendance to discuss this report and appoint delegates to attend the conference in Wellington.