LOCAL & GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 June 1939, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

Frost in Masterton. Another severe frost was experienced in Masterton this morning, 7.8 degrees being registered. Intoxicated Motorist Fined. At the S.M. Court at Auckland yesterday a contractor, Joseph William McCarroll, was fined £25 and his licence was suspended for a year- for having been intoxicated while in charge of a motor-car on the Great North Road on the night of June 17. Reduction in Rates.

With wide agreement in the view that the retention of men in useful employment was preferable to greater rate reduction, members of the Auckland City Council at a special meeting today unanimously approved the recommendation of the mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, that the city rates for the year 1939-40 should be reduced in the aggregate from 4s sld to 4s 4;|d in the £, a decrease of Id. Notice of Motion.

That one third of the profits each year be set aside in a special reserve account to be called the Extension Promotion Account, and that this account be used to subsidise the capital cost of lines to consumers beyond existing lines as may be determined from time to time by the Board” was a motion given notice of by Mr S. Dalgleish at the monthly meeting of the Wairarapa Electric Power Board yesterday. The motion will be considered at the next meeting of the board.

Harrier Training Run.The Masterton Harrier Chib will hold a training run on Saturday afternoon, leaving the Park Oval at 2.30 o'clock. With a hard contest to take place at Wanganui next weekend, members of the club are urged to avail themselves of every opportunity to' train. The trail will probably be over the golf links hills, but will depend upon the trail layers. Members who participated in last week’s training run should avail themselves of another chance to get into form. Church Debt Limitation.

A proposal by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church to limit the power of congregations to incur debt beyond £lOO, was approved by the Auckland Presbytery. The proposal is that no such debt may be incurred without the consent having first been obtained of the congregation, of the Presbytery and of a permanent Centenary Fund Committee to be established in Wellington. It was reported to Presbytery that the boards of managers of 19 congregations had approved of the proposal, and only one so far had disapproved. Trees for Exhibition Grounds.

Masterton is to have the distinction of providing a substantial number of the trees which are to be planted in the Centennial Exhibition grounds in Wellington, a large consignment havingbeen forwarded to Wellington yesterday by Messrs A. Robinson and Son. The trees are on an average-eight feet high ' and of the variety known as Abies Douglasii, which are so sturdjthat they can be transplanted without fear of dying. Masterton has already established a profitable trade in supplying tree overseas, Messrs Robinson and Son having forwarded to Melbourne recently. a large order which arrived in perfect condition.

Fijian Football Team. A Fijian Rugby football team may yet tour the Dominion this year. A tour had been arranged a few weeks ago, but it had to be cancelled because the Fijian Government refused permission for the players to leave the country. The following cablegram has now been received by the New Zealand Rugby Union from the Fiji Rugby Union: —“Government now informs union will permit tour from August 17 to September 21, making 28 days in New Zealand. Will you agree tour upon those terms? My union willing proceed.” A special meeting of the executive of the New Zealand Union was held yesterday to consider the Fiji union’s offer to make the tour, when it was decided to agree to the tour.

Exhibition Hotel Site Changed. The announcement that the site of the £34,000 Exhibition Hotel, which was to be erected in Rongotai, had been changed from the exhibition grounds and that it would now be erected in the southern corner of the reclamation work recently completed at the causeway in Kilbirnie was made by the mayor of Wellington, Mr Hislop, who is also chairman of directors of the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition Company yesterday. Mr Hislop further stated that the city council had decided to grant the hotel authorities the right to use the new site for a period not exceeding five years, so that after the conclusion of the exhibition it would be available to help to meet the needs of the people for accommodation till the housing shortage had been overtaken.

Pons-Winnecke Comet] The Pons-Winnecke comet, which appears at periods of about six years, is now visible from New Zealand. The comet is not visible to the naked eye, but may become so shortly. It is of seventh or eighth magnitude, requiring a telescope to be seen. The faintest stars visible to the naked eye are of sixth magnitude. At 10 o’clock last night the comdt was Visible du;? north. It is moving southward and will eventually pass right overhead. The period for which it will be visible through telescopes will be a month or six weeks. Originally discovered by Pons in 1819, the comet was rediscovered by Winnecke and so gained its double name. Since 1819 it has been observed about 12 times, some of its returns having been missed.

Hospital Patients’ Fees. “The position is simply shocking,” was the comment made by the Chairman, Cr A. W. Bissett when notification was read at the monthly meeting of the Pahiatua County Council of the Wairarapa Hospital Board’s intention to write off fees amounting to £lO,358. “It is only about six months,” he continued, “since £lO,OOO was written off.” Cr Bolton remarked that there were a large number of “dodgers,” who were quite well able to pay, but avoided payment. “Something is wrong somewhere,” said the chairman, “and it is hard to tell whether it will ever be put right. The administration of Hospitals is in nearly every case a charge, on the land.” Cr Bolton pointed out the peculiar position that the contribution of the county to the Masterton Hospital was approximately the same as that of Masterton Borough, and yet the Borough received all the benefits.