LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 August 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Air Instructional Work. Mr J. V. Reid left the Hood Aerodrome this morning for Dannevirke, where he will carry, out instructional work during the week-end. Donation of Rooks.

The Principal of Wairarapa College. Mr G. G. Hancox. acknowledges with thanks receipt of four handsome volumes from the Wairarapa High School Old Girls’ The books will form a valuable addition to the College library. College Term Holidays. The Wairarapa College day school broke up yesterday for the term holidays. The third term for the evening classes commences on Monday, but these classes will close down next Friday for a fortnight’s holiday. All day and evening classes will resume on Monday. September 12. Hibernian Lodge Jubilee. The local Hibernian Lodge will celebrate its golden jubilee tonight by a dinner, and later by a dance in St. Patrick’s Hall. At the dinner there will be a number of visitors from various parts of the North Island, and the function promises to be a most successful one. Civil Reserve of Pilots. An opportunty for young men to take up aviation is provided by the Civil Reserve of Pilots. Applications are now being called by the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club for a limited number of vacancies. The selected applicants become fully qualified pilots at the conclusion of the training period upon passing the prescribed tests.

Knox Church Membership. . The annual report in connection with Knox Church states:—The year shows a slight decrease in the number on the membership roll. Last year there were 479, and this year 469—a decrease of 10. There has been an abnormally large number of disjunctions—49 —and there was one death. On the other hand, there have been additions totalling 40—22 by profession of faith and 18 by certificate. National Memorial.

Speaking to members of the Early Settlers and Historical Association in Wellington yesterday, the president, Mr F. P. Wilson, said that as a means of enabling .the association to play its part in the centennial celebrations, it nad been decided to investigate the possibilities of erecting a memorial to mark the place where the pioneers landed at Petone. The association also intended to ask the city council to beautify the Sydney Street Cemetery, and was prepared to render every assistance in this work. The secretary, Mr W. Toomath, said it was proposed to make the memorial a national one, to become to New Zealanders what Pilgrims’ Rock at Massachusetts Bay was to the Americans. Auckland Robbery.

Arrangements have now been made for the extradition from Australia to Auckland of Arthur Stickings, otherwise known as Peter Fisher,- aged 31, who was arrested at Sydney last weekend charged with robbing Frank Pickering of-£219 95., the property of the Atta Taxi Company, Ltd., at Auckland on August 8. One of .the Auckland detectives ■ who made inquiries after the hold-up, Detective Wilson, will leave for Sydney by the Wanganella today to conduct Stickings back to Auckland. It is not yet certain when he will return. Another man who has been arrested on an allegation of being connected with the robbery, Harold Last Gray, ship's fireman, has been remanded from Christchurch to Auckland. He will appear in the Magistrate’s Court on Monday. May Day Rumour Denied.

“There is .a rumour that New Zealand’s delegates to the International Labour Conference at Geneva have been asked to ascertain the prospects of having May Day made a universal holiday,” said Mr S. G. Smith (Opposition, New Plymouth), during consideration of, the Estimates in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Smith said he had heard it stated that in future agreements between the Minister of Public Works and the New Zealand Workers’ Union an effort would be made to have May Day included as a statutory holiday. It had been suggested that the matter was being held in abeyance until some agreement had been reached at Geneva. The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon M. J. Savage, said it was the first he had heard of it. Delegates were not sent to Geneva with instructions about May Day.

Woman Fatally Burned. How a flannelette dressing-gown caught fire when it came in contact with an electric heater in a bedroom was told at an inquest held in Wellington yesterday concerning Lucy Jane Meherry, aged 78. widow, who died in the Wellington Hospital on August 12 from toxemia, caused by extensive burns. The coroner, Mr E. Gilbertson, returned a verdict of accidental deatn. Evidence disclosed that Mrs Meherry had been ill with influenza for a month and confined to her bed. On August 10 she was recovering and decided to get up. She wore a flannelette dress-ing-gown, and, when stepping out of bed, the garment came into contact with an electric heater and caught fire. When a son came to her assistance the dressing-gown was in flames. She was conveyed to the hospital by the free ambulance, and, according to medical evidence, was treated for burns. She began to show improvement, but toxemia set in and death occurred. Tramways Dispute.

Tension has prevailed this week among the members of the Wellington Tramway Employees’ Union following a meeting held last Sunday evening. In a letter to the city council the union intimated that, failing an indication by the tramways committee that it would meet the representatives of the men upon certain matters in dispute, tactics would be adopted which would be detrimental to the smooth running of the city’s bus and tram services. The period of the ultimatum was to expire on Monday. From inquiries made among the men it is understood that the tactics proposed would be on the lines of the “go slow” policy adopted in Wellington in September, 1918. The Mayor (Mr T. C. A. Hislop) stated that the union had been advised that the committee would meet representatives of the men at its next meeting. A report on the matters in dispute was meantime being studied by members of the committee. The complaint of the union on this occasion is stated to rest not so much on the points in dispute as on the alleged unwillingness of the tramways committee to meet the representatives of the men. Against this the records show that the parties have met at least seven times since the present agreement began to operate.

The Wrong Number. Diplomacy and quick thinking are the attributes of at least one Hokitika resident. At the time the Grand National Hurdles was being run at Christchurch police raided premises at Hokitika suspected of being used for bookmaking. While the police were there the telephone rang, an officer answering the call, and saying, “Police here.” A puzzled but astute voice at the other end replied: “Sorry, wrong number.”

A Cosmopolitan Cat Claims to be a true cosmopolitan can be made by Peter, the cat on the Land’s End, the South African yacht of Captain H. Jeffery, which visited Whangarei on a two-year cruise. He called at St Helena, Ascension Island, the West Indies, Panama, Tahiti, and many South Pacific Islands, having joined the yacht at Port Elizabeth. He has been at sea 12 months now, and has learned to make the most of his surroundings, finding the rigging a happy play-ground, and enjoying dashing from end to end of the long booms. Flying-fish take the place of birds in providing the adventure in Peter’s life, and he is said to be the cleverest on board at catching them. He sits up at night when in the trades, and gets his own fresh fish as they are dashed aboard.

Modern Wheelbarrow. Since the wheelbarrow was the subject of an intensive strafe by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon R. Semple), it has been in some disfavour. Some are still in use, however, and one belonging to the Christchurch City Council might be sufficiently mechanised to escape the Minister’s condemnation. The barrow which is at present in use has no wheel. Instead, it has a miniature caterpillar tread, which is apparently designed for easy running over rough ground. On the footpaths, however, it makes a noise more like its war-like ancestor, the tank. Imported Goods.

Steps are being taken by the United Kingdom Manufacturers’ Association to urge upon the Government the need for all imported goods being stamped with the name of the country of origin. When this information was given a,t a meeting of the general committee of the Auckland Manufacturers’ Association, Mr F. Ambler said that many goods were being admitted into the country that were not so branded. The president (Mr H. V. Shove): "Quite a lot of New Zealand-made goods are branded 'British-made'." Mr Ambler “That is misleading; but it is done because of the prejudice that still exists in the minds of some people against New Zealand goods.” The committee decided to suggest to the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation that it should support the United Kingdom Manufacturers’ Association in the matter.