LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 October 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sharp Earthquake. A sharp shock of earthquake was felt in Masterton and other parts of the Wairarapa about 2 o’clock this morning. It was very severe at Mauriceville. Frost in Masterton. Those gardeners who grow tomatoes, beans, pumpkins and marrows in the open should remember the damage that is likely to be done to their crops by frosts which are not yet over, 5.6 degrees having been registered in Masterton this morning. Cycle Time Trial.

By covering 231 3-10 miles in 12 hours, O. Disley (Port Nicholson Club), the North Island road champion, won the Poneke Amateur Cycling Club’s 12-hour time trial at Miramar on Saturday. The event was the first of its kind ever to be conducted in New Zealand. A field of 18 riders set out at 5.30 a.m. on a course around Miramar Peninsula to cover the greatest distance possible in the 12 hours.

“The Civilising of Industry.” “May not standardisation, when viewed from the social and ethical point of view, be carried too far —be carried to what a writer of last century termed a damnable, soul-destroy-ing uniformity?” This was a question asked of Mr P. Good, deputy-director of the British Standards Institute, at a meeting of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute of Engineers. In reply, Mr Good said that standardisation was the civilising of industry. “Standardisation,” he said, "has taken the war out of business by providing an equitable standard of comparison with decent price conditions.” Tramways Dispute.

A decision to hand over the dispute arising out of the new award to the Wellington Trades Council to act in conjunction with the assessors for the Tramways Union in a further effort to reach a settlement satisfactory to the men, was arrived at by a mass meeting of Wellington tramwaymen held in the Trades Hall yesterday. The meeting heard a report by union officials on the negotiations with the City Council, following the issue of the award, for an increase in the minimum rates fixed by the court, and also gave consideration to the council’s decision not to interfere with these, but to grant retrospective pay as from April 27.

Supply of Teachers. , The Minister of Education, the Hon P. Fraser, laid the foundation-stone of the new training college at Dunedin on Saturday morning. The Minister said that the problem of an adequate supply of teachers was somewhat complicated by the recent economic improvement. In 1936 a calculation was made as to the number of teachers needed to meet the influx of five-year-olds, and 1 it was thought that by 1938-39 there would be no difficulty whatever. Calculations, however, were upset by the number of marriages of women teachers. Marriages were not possible during the depression. In the first six months of this year, for example, the marriage rate among women teachers showed a 100 per cent increase on the figures for the first six months of last year. He was delighted to know this even, if it did create a problem. It followed that this year the number of students had to be considerably- increased There were 360 in Dunedin and about 1600 in the four colleges. Even more would be required. Mock Election Campaign.

Candidates in a mock Parliamentary election campaign, staged in a Gisborne hall, were chosen from the personnel of the Christian Endeavour Society, and staged bright and fanciful oratorical efforts. The large gathering of “electors” heard amusing speeches from the four “candidates,” Mrs H. Halliwell, representing “Women s Right,” Mr B. Waugh, “Independent Labour,” Miss E. Hardy, “Spinsters Party,” and Mr L. Slade, “Nationalist. Many interjections from the audience were heard, and cries of “Where’s your policy?” “The sky’s the limit and “Shame!” were frequently heard. Rash election promises also enlivened the speeches, one candidate undertaking to pave the streets of Gisborne with gold, and another promising to introduce a law prohibiting measles, and to make its action retrospective A “Social Obscurity” scheme was also advocated. At the close of the speeches a ballot gave an overwhelming victory to the “Independent Labour” candidate.

Highest Crane.The loftiest crane yet to be operated in New Zealand is placing the steel stanchions and girders in position foi the new Chief Post Office in Hereford Street, ' Christchurch, states the “Press” When its jib is hoisted as high as possible, the crane has a height of 182 feet. Viewed from any angle, the crane jib, because of the slenderness, appears to reach a g^ e£ uer height than the peak of the Cathedral. Actually, it is 30 feet lower. The crane is now the dominating skymark on the western side of Colombo Street in the city proper. Perched on the point of a triangular staging 80 feet above the street level, the crane is not only the highest to be worked, but is the most modern in New Zealand. The staging for the crane employed on the construction of the State Fire Office in Wellington was 86 feet above the ground, but the job was 30 feet shorter than the Christchurch jib. Health Stamp Campaign.

In the three weeks that the Health Stamp campaign has been running in New Zealand this year, a total oi £2015 Is 8d has been raised by stamp sales and donations. This result has been very encouraging to the voluntary workers associated with the scheme. Stamp sales in the various postal districts for the three weeks have produced a total credit of £1,620 15s 9d for the health camps. The best district figure is that of the Wellington district, in which there is a credit to health camps from the three weeks sales of £3lB 18s 3d. The proof of the need for health camps is to be found in the reports from the committees, a number of which were prevented by limited finance last year from taking all the available children who would have benefited in health and spirits, from the restful, healthy conditions of the camp. This year an early indication of substantial public support will enable the programmes to be extended. Voluntary effort is the keynote of the health campaign work both in connection with the health stamp appeal and the operation of the camps, and there is no lack of generous workers who find joy in caring for children who show such a good response to the camp treatment.