LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 January 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Busy Waterfront. The Wellington waterfront continues very busy and there was again a shortage of labour today.

Successful Dancing Pupils. At the Gladstone Sports on Saturday the pupils of Miss Kathleen Burke were successful in gaining three firsts and four second prizes in highland dancing events.

Motor Car Stripped. Bought three days previously, a sedan motor-car was stripped of many expensive parts after being stolen at Auckland on Saturday night and abandoned two miles away. The front seat, the battery, the carburettor, distributor cap, the spark plugs and the tail light were among parts removed from the car. It was not a new car and was valued at £l3O by its owner, Mr Charles Belton, formerly a police constable who came from Gisborne less than a fortnight ago to live in Auckland. The car was removed from the street outside Mr Belton’s residence. After searching the neighbouring district for a time Mr Belton located tne car himself.

Six Years in Hospital. In hospital for six years. That is the record of Mr Norman Sattler, whose home is at Waitui, near Inglewood, and who is known to hundreds of one-time patients of the New Plymouth Hospital, and to many others as the originator of the New Plymouth Hospital Ex-Patients’ Association. Mr Sattler was recently discharged from the hospital after what the matron, Miss B. A. Campbell, believes to be the longest stay in the hospital’s history. The greatest period any other patient has stayed, it is believed, is four and a half years. Tourist Traffic Abroad.

Tourist traffic from New Zealand to the Continent and England this year showed an increase of 70 per cent on that of last year, said Mr J. F. Beck3tt, of the Christchurch office of Thomas Cook and Son. The bookings to the Continent were higher than at any time previously, and a number of persons had also booked for a trip to California, including a visit to San Francisco. The New Zealand and some Australian offices of his company had booked a total of 271 persons for i conducted tour on the Continent from February to April this year, and the itinerary would include Austria and Czechoslovakia, as well as other countries.

Germans in the Dark. A visitor to London in "black week,” when the European crisis was at its height, Mr P. F. Mann described in an interview in Christchurch the degree to which the Germans were kept in the dark at the time when Hitler was contemplating marching on Czechoslovakia and the peace of the world seemed to hang by a thread. Several business acquaintances, he said, had tried to settle urgent business with agents in Germany over the telephone. In most cases Germans had expressed surprise and asked their English friends to come over to see them if the matter was so urgent. They were amazed when the Englishmen ridiculed the idea and informed them of the gravity of the situation.

Gifts to Sedgley Home. The matron of Sedgley Home acknowledges with grateful thanks the following gifts:—Luncheon sausage, Mr Long; ice cream, Mr C. C. Cook; Xmas cakes, Mrs McMillan, Mrs C. J. Bennett, Mr Wallis; fruit, Mrs Wardell, Mrs Kingdon; sweets, Mrs R. K.. Jackson, Misses Rutherford, Mr Rutherford; shortbread, Mrs C. W. Rutherford; cornflour, Mrs D. A. Cameron, Mrs A. C. Major; jam, Mr Page. Miss Cooper, Mrs C. J. Bennett; cake, Mrs Trimble; dates, Mr Page; honey, Mrs C. J. Bennett; ammonia, bath cleaner, window cleaner and dripping, Mrs W. Andrew; Christmas donations to boys, Mrs E. Horne, Mrs L. Moore, Anon; Christmas dinner, Rotary Club; Magic Cave, W.F.C.A.

Attempt to Eliminate Counter Lunch. An organised effort to eliminate counter lunch and curtail “shouting” in hotels throughout New Zealand was made by the Licensed Victuallers’ Association last week. Simultaneous meetings of provincial associations were held in the main centres on Thursday. The Canterbury association decided to eliminate hot counter lunch from next Wednesday, February 1, but patrons of Christchurch hotels will still be able to “have one on the nouse.” A determined effort to curtail "shouting” was made, but failed. Further consideration is to be given to the suggestion of curtailing “shouting.” Cheese and biscuits, with greens in season, will continue to be served. Hot ■counter lunch —fried fish, saveloys, roast rabbit —will, in most city hotels, be seen no more.

Radio-receiving Licences. A further satisfactory increase' in he number of radio-receiving licences n operation in the Dominion is reflected in the figures showing the position as at December 31, states the Postmaster-General (the lion F. Jones). At that date the number of licences in force was 312,750, an increase of 34,700. or 12 per cent above he number in force at the end of 1937. New Zealand ranks.very high in the list of countries showing the largest lumber of broadcast receivers in proportion to population, an international table compiled from particulars as at .he end of 1937 placing New Zealand n fourth place with 17.42 licences to 100 inhabitants. It is likely, however, .hat the Dominion how occupies a higher place, as today its density of receiving licences is 19.4 per cent or 33 for every 100 households. Exchange Overseas. That some persons who wished to go abroad for a trip were finding it very hard to got Australian notes was a view expressed by Mr J. F. Beckett, of the Christchurch office of Thomas Cook and Son. However, this difficulty could be overcome by a person obtaining traveller’s cheques in English money, paying the exchange, and getting the latter back when he arrived in Australia. This system could only be used for travel purposes, he said. The benefit to travellers of the frozen credit system which operated in seme countries was also mentioned by Mr Be.ckett. Under the ordinary rates of exchange, £1 in English currency was worth 92 lire in Italy, and slightly more than 20 marks in Germany, but a tourist could obtain 98 lire and 22 marks for his English £l. thus effecting a saving of about 10 per cent. This system was so regulated that the tourist could obtain enough local currency for his requirements only about once a week.