LOCAL & GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 May 1939, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

B Grade Badminton. At the annual meeting of the Manawatu Badminton Association the secretary was instructed to try and arrange a B grade representative match against Wairarapa. Schools to Break Up This Week. Primary and secondary schools in Wellington 'are to break up for the term holidays at the end of the week. The primary schools close on Friday till May 22, and the colleges re-open a day later. Infectious Diseases. For the week ended yesterday, 15 cases- of infectious disease and one death, from pulmonary tuberculosis were reported to the Wellington office of the Health Department from the central Wellington area. There were seven cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, six of diphtheria and one case each of erysipelas and lead poisoning. Memorial Park Lighting, A meeting of the Memorial Park flood lighting committee was held last night when it was decided to meet the Wairarapa Electric Power Board’s representative and go into the question of the flood lighting of Memorial Park. It was reported that the cake competition had been won by ticket 373 H held by M. Capel, c/o Midland Hotel. Overseas Trade Returns. The overseas trade returns, issued yesterday by the Customs Department, show that exports during March were valued at £7,683,000, compared with £7,366,000 for March, 1938, an increase of £317,000. ’lmports last month were down to £4,356,000, a decrease of £551,000 compared with those for March, 1938, and £250,000 less than those for March, 1937. , “German Paradise.” “The Baltic is' going to be a German paradise in the next war,” said Mr W. R. Lascelles at a meeting of the Canterbury Advertising Club when discussing defence questions. Mr Lascelles said that Denmark would be one of the first countries to be taken, he considered, and that Germany was in a position to reinstitute the North Sea blockade. Gibraltar and Malta. Gibraltar, once the symbol of Britain’s greatness, was now the symbol of her weakness, said Mr W. R. Lascelles in an address on defence in Christchurch. Mr Lascelles, who was discussing the position in the Mediterranean, said that Gibraltar was untenable as a naval base because it was surrounded by enemy territory. Malta was in a similar position.

Shortage of Plasterers. There is a pronounced, shortage of plasterers in Wellington. One contractor states that he was employing eight men where 28 were required. He said presumably the shortage was being experienced all over the country. A good many of the plasterers were employed on Government jobs, many working on the great hangars near Bulls. The shortage had the effect of holding up the work in its final stages.

High Prices for Mushrooms. On these sharp autumn mornings many youths on farms in the country scour the paddocks for mushrooms. They are worth finding, if the retail prices in Wellington shops be any criterion. Good clean mushrooms were being sold at from 2s to 2s 6d a lb. retail last week, with brokens at Is 6d. Yesterday in the city markets clean whites Brought as high as 12s 9d a case, and 6s Ad a half-case, in an eager market.

College Parent’s Association. At a meeting of the committed of the Wairarapa College Parents’ Association final arrangements were made for the bridge and 500 party which is to be held in the Assembly Hall at the college tomorrow night. It was reported that excellent support was forthcoming and that visitors would be present from various parts of the district. It was decided to hold similar card parties during the winter months. Committees have been arranged to deal with the various activities of the Association during the year. Cost of Landing Bull. “I know one case where a man bought a bull of pedigree stock in England for £9O and it cost him, landed in New Zealand. £7BO, all the rest of the expense being in quarantine, freight, and other charges,” said Mr M. Spencer Bower, president of the Cust-West Eyreton branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, when restrictions on the importation of British pedigree stock were referred to at the annual meeting of the branch. Discussion on whether the branch favoured the lifting of restrictions was deferred to'the next meeting. i The King’s Bounty. A recommendation that the King’s Bounty /should be granted to the parents of triplets recently born in Invercargill was received by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, at Auckland yesterday. The amount of the bounty is three guineas and Mr Parry said there were several cases on record of its having been received by New Zealand parents. Before the King’s Bounty can be awarded it is necessary for the parents of the triplets to comply with certain conditions. They must be British subjects, either by birth or naturalisation, the children must be born alive and application for the bounty has lo be made within 12 months of the birth of the children. The applications need to be accompanied by an assurance that the necessary conditions are complied with. Eclipse of Moon Tomorrow. A total lunar eclipse will be visible throughout New Zealand on lhe night of Wednesday and the morning of Thursday, and as the phenomenon will occur with the moon high in the heavens it should be widely observed. The penumbral eclipse, which is the first stage of the phenomenon will begin at 11.53 p.m. tomorrow. The first contact of the real shadow with the moon’s disc will be visible at 12.57 on Thursday morning. Thereafter the amount of obscuration will steadily grow till, at 1.9 a.m.. the total stage will begin. If the earth's shadow happens to be particularly dark the moon may then disappear completely, but if the shadow is reddish the eclipsed moon will appear like a huge copper ball in lhe sky. The total phase of the eclipse will continue for over an hour, ending at 2.12 a.m. The last umbral contact will occur at 4.25 a.m., but the penumbral phase will continue longer, not ending till 5.29 a.m.