LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 October 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Card Party at College. Considering the wretched weather last night there was a very good attendance at the Wairarapa College when the Parents’ Association held a card party, a most enjoyable time being spent. The prizewinners were: Bridge: Ladies, Mrs J. Kerslake; men, Mr Gerrard. 500: Mr J. R. Nicholls. Price of Eggs. The price of eggs in Wellington was advanced today, intimation having been received by distributors from the Internal Marketing Department that an increase of one penny a dozen was to be made today. The wholesale price of eggs will now be: Specials, Is Bcl a dozen; A grade, ls'7d; B grade, Is 6d. Seed Certification. In order to reduce routine duties of instructors the Department of Agriculture has decided to confine seed wheat certification to the following varieties: Tainui. Tairoa, Canadian Marquis and certain new varieties produced by the Agronomy Division. It is understood that there are a few acres of Tainui in the Wairarapa and these will be the only areas which shall be eligible for seed certification locally this year.

Stranding of Port Bowen. The stranding of the overseas steamer Port Bowen on the Castlecliff Beach, Wanganui, on July 15, will be the subject of a magisterial inquiry, to be held in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday. Mr Stout, S.M., will preside, and the assessors will be Captain L. C. H. Worrall, Wellington, and Captain A. J. Charman. Christchurch. The Port Bowen is a vessel of 8267 tons. In spite of repeated attempts to refloat her she is still aground.

Exhibition Opening. With pomp and military pageantry the Centennial Exhibition, the principal celebration of the Dominion’s 100th anniversary, will open tomorrow week at Rongotai, Wellington. Full arrangements have been made for the official ceremony by the Governor-General, Lord Galway. On the following days the United Kingdom and Australian Pavilions will be opened, and on Saturday Lord Galway will pay an official visit to Playland. An official Press preview will complete arrangements for the gala opening week. The official opening of the exhibition will take place at 2.30 p.m. on November 8. The grounds will be opened to the public at 11 in the morning to enable early comers to secure good positions and to prevent congestion at the gates. A Violent Thunderstorm.

Following a generally fine weekend, the weather in Hawke’s Bay took a spectacular turn for the worse yesterday morning with a Violent thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy hail and a bitterly cold gusty wind that raised waterspouts out at sea and minor duststorms inland near Napier. The visitation came with surprising suddenness, and though it was of brief duration its severity can be gauged from the fact that at Mahora School 15 panes of glass were cracked by hail. On shingle roads small stones were whipped into the air, and the business section of Napier was swept with a cloud of dust and silt from ploughed areas out of town. Three waterspouts were noticed coming from the vicinity of Cape Kidnappers, and travelling several miles apart they swept across Hawke’s Bay at amazing speed disappearing in the direction of Gisborne. Motor Industry at Exhibition.

Although considerably affected by the war, the motor industry will be well represented at the Centennial Exhibition. Exhibits on a scale never before planned by private enterprise in an exhibition in New Zealand are arranged in the motor and transport section. One stand alone is costing more than £.7000 to erect. It will be staffed with 24 attendants, all in special uniforms, and three hostesses a feature entirely new to New Zealand and based on American and Continental exhibition methods. One firm has brought to New Zealand a specialist in motor-car exhibits, who. has had experience at seven international fairs, including the New York World Fair and the Golden Gate Exposition at San Francisco. One of the motor exhibits is designed not only as a display unit for the firm’s products, but as a social lounge. Visitors will be able to rest there, and will be entertained by moving pictures telling the story of motor-car production.

U.S.A, and the War.

The opinion that 90 per cent of the American people were anti-Hitler was expressed by Sir Charles Norwood, Wellington, who arrived at Auckland by the Mariposa, with Lady Norwood. Sir Charles was on his way to England when war broke out, and the withdrawal of the Queen Mary and the difficulty in arranging ship connections caused him to abandon . his plans. Sir Charles said he did not believe that all the people who were anti-Hitler were pro-Allies. He said he thought the war would have to come much nearer America before the United States would take part. There was a large section of the public inclined to the view that if President Roosevelt had made it clear that America would not stand for any “gangster form of Government” it might have had a salutary effect on Hitler when he was looking round for allies. With such a pronouncement it was felt that Hitler would have realised that it was not worth carrying on the war with such a slight chance of victory. First Aid at Exhibition. Throughout the Exhibition period at Wellington a first-aid service will be provided voluntarily in the grounds by the St John Ambulance Brigade. Placed at strategic points, there are 18 first-aid posts, and there is a central ambulance depot in case of need. The brigade headquarters are in the service block on the south side of the main entrance in Kingsford Smith Street. Four rooms are provided for treatment of injured persons; two have been set aside for the reception of men and women patients respectively. One of the other two is being allocated to the ambulance men and one to the nurses. The rooms are provided with surgical equipment, sterilisers, examination couches, dressing and instrument cabinets, screens, and other apparatus. From 10 a.m. to closing time daily these rooms will be staffed by volunteer trained workers; about 30 ambulance men and sisters will be on duty daily. A number of the members of the Masterton St John nursing division will assist in the first aid work during the exhibition.