LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 August 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wages Paid by Racing Club.

During the past year more than £3OOO had been spent in wages alone, said the president of the Hawkes Bay Jockey Club. Mr G. D. Beatson, at the annual meeting last night. He said lie fell, the value of the service the club was rendering' to the community was not generally appreciated. Clean Bill of Health.

“Masterton has experienced a clean bill of health for some three or four weeks." stated the Borough Inspector (Mr. T. A. Russell) to a "Times-Age” representative today. Mr. Russell remarked that the position as far as infectious diseases were concerned was most satisfactory in view of the changing meteorological conditions.

Flying Competitions. An elimination contest to select teams to represent Masterton and Martinborough in inter-branch competitions with Dannevirke for the J. W. Buchanan Trophy will be held at the Hood Aerodrome on Sunday, commencing at 10 a.m. The competitions will include landing and bombing.

Price of Eggs. A further fall in the wholesale price of eggs of 2d a dozen was reported in Wellington yesterday. Wholesale prices are:—Specials, Is 7d a dozen; A grade. Is fid; B grade Is fid; ducks, Is fid. Supplies are coming in freely, but, on the present basis, buying for egg pulp and preserving will be heavy, and the future of the market is difficult to forecast. Infectious Diseases. For the week ended yesterday, 12 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. The cases were as follows:—Erysipelas (4). diphtheria <3l, pulmonary tuberculosis (3), scarlet fever (1), and septic abortion (1). Bridge Evening. Another enjoyable bridge evening was held by the Masterton Bowling Club in the Y.M.C.A. Rooms last night. There was an attendance of about 40 players. The prize-winners were: men, Mr S. V. Gooding; ladies, Mrs S. V. Gooding; consolation, men, Mr A. Weller; ladies, Mrs A. O. Jones. It was decided to hold another card evening on September 25. Vermin in Wairarapa. It may not be generally known that ferrets are particularly numerous in the Wairarapa district, being even more common than stoats. In the last two months over 500 ferrets and. stoats, besides a few weasels, have been received at the Masterton Fish Hatcheries as a result of the campaign against these vermin. Two out of every three of this class of vermin received at the Hatcheries are ferrets.

Occupation 'of German Samoa. Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the occupation of German Samoa, now Western Samoa, by the advance guard of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. On August 29, 1914, at 10 a.m., Apia, the chief port, surrendered to the Royal Navy and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force landed unopposed in the afternoon. The anniversary of the occupation will be celebrated in Wellington next Saturday. A parade will be held at 10 a.m. and a wreath will be placed on the Wellington War Memorial. At night there will be a smoke concert.

Ploughing Competitions.

Active inquiries are being made by Mr R. H. Williams, secretary of the Masterton A. and P. Association, as to the possibility of forming a Ploughing Association in- the Wairarapa, with a view to holding ploughing competitions every year. Mr Williams has a list of about thirty or forty persons who are interested in ploughing and other names are being added almost daily. There appears to be every prospect of an association being formed. The Young Farmers’ Club movement has indicated its willingness to cooperate in the project.

Centennial Exhibition

A reminder that the Centennial Ex hibition was to be opened in just 12 weeks was given by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr Sullivan. in an address at Wellington last evening. That, he said was not very far away, and it should be an indication to intending exhibitors who had not yet commenced the preparation ol their stalls and exhibits that immediate action was necessary. Mr Sullivan said he noticed when he visited the exhibition the other day that while the work was very well advanced, evidence was not wanting that there was every likelihood of a last-minute rush unless exhibitors finalised their arrangements now. Recruiting Rally. With one of the largest parades since the war, Blenheim last night combined an official welcome to teams attending the New Zealand women s hockey championship with a recruiting rally in the interests of territorials and the national reserve. A parade under Lieut-Colonel A. C. Nathan. O.C. Mounted Rilles Regiment, totalled more than 500, including four troops of mounted rifles, national reservists. South African and Great War veterans. St John Ambulance, women's hockey players, teams of other sports clubs and organisations. The town was brilliantly illuminated and decorated with bunting. The streets were lined with interested crowds, who warmly applauded the procession.

New Traffic Lights. Hundreds of Wellington people paused for several minutes yesterday to watch the operation of the new sellactuated traffic lights, which have been installed at the busy junction of Jervois Quay, Wakefield Street and Taranaki Street. The control system which has been adopted allows the traflic itself to work the lights, through contact with sensitive pads, placed in the surface of the road. The installation was put into regular operation for the first time yesterday, and worked throughout the day without a hitch. Some drivers on nearing the junction and seeing two or three signal lights pulled up and. in some cases, stopped, though the green light ahead was fully exposed, bidding them proceed. That is really all with which drivers have Io concern themselves. So long as they have the green light in the direction they wish to go they are reasonably safe. The qualification is made because drivers taking a right-hand turn might make a mistake.