LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 November 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Frost in Masterton. A frost of eight degrees was experienced in Masterton this morning. As gardeners who have been able to do so, covered such of their crops as were likely to be in danger, verylittle loss has been suffered by them through the recent frosts. Forgery Charge.

Wilson Reid, Tongaporutu, farmer, was found not guilty in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth yesterday, on a charge of forging a letter and uttering it to the conservator of forests at Palmerston North, alleging that another Tongaporutu farmer was cutting timber illegally from the State forests.

Stingrays and Blackfish. When travelling by launch down the Awanui Harbour Messrs T. and W. Walker noticed that every shallow bank over which the launch passed was covered with stingrays of all sizes, from two feet across up to five feet. It was found out later that a large school of blackfish had been respon-r sible for this unusual sight and that they had driven the stingrays into the harbour,' even following them inside the heads. Labour Party Caucus.

The caucus of members of the Parliamentary Labour Party concluded in Wellington last night after a meeting extending over the morning, afternoon and evening. The Prime Minister, Mr Savage, presided for the greater part of the day, and when he left for his home in the late afternoon his place was taken by lhe Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, who also took the chair when caucus resumed after the tea adjournment. The last of the business was finished just before 11 p.m. Fatality At Whangarei.

While fishing at Port Whangarei on Saturday, an elderly woman fell into the water and was drowned. She was Mrs Florence Louise Butler, widow, aged 67, Whangarei. Mrs Butler, who lived with her sister, Mrs J. P. Rives, North Street, Whangarei, accompanied Mr and Mrs Rives to Port Whangarei to fish from the wharf. She went down on to a large barge moored alongside the wharf steps. When Mr Rives came back along the wharf to the barge about 4.30 p.m.. Mrs Butler was missing, and her body was later seen in the water.

Gaol for Motorist. "The Court is trying to put a stop to motor-drivers adjourning to hotels," said Mr McKean, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court at Otahuhu yesterday, when sentencing Dennis Handley, a butcher, to 14 days’ imprisonment and cancelling his licence for 12 months for intoxication in charge of a motor-car. A traffic inspector said‘that Handley was driving erratically on Saturday afternoon at Wiri. He said he did not know where he was going. Two doctors certified him unfit to drive. Defending counsel said that Handley was a returned soldier and submitted that no harm had been done. The case was not a bad one. The magistrate: "They are all bad.”

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries. A statement that the question of appointing Parliamentary Under-Secre-taries to assist Ministers had been considered by the caucus of the Parliamentary Labour Party, but that the conclusion had been reached that it would be undesirable to make appointments at the present stage, was made by the Prime Minister, Mr Savage, at the conclusion of yesterday morning’s meeting of caucus. "Things.arc too indefinite.” said Mr Savage, "and the better thing to do is to use our members to assist the Cabinet as we have been doing under the old system of cooperating them for service. However, that will be determined as things develop.”

Experts for London. No action has so far been taken by the New Zealand Government in connection with the proposal that specialists attached to the British Ministerial delegations to London should remain ’.here as members of a permanent organisation to deal with war problems. New Zealand’s official representative at the British Commonwealth Ministerial discussions. Mr Fraser, was accompanied to London by the Permanent Head of the Prime Minister's Department, Mr C. A. Berendsen, and by the secretary of the Organisation for National Security, Colonel W. G. Stevens. "No decision has been made.” said the Minister of Finance. Mr Nash, when asked last evening if the proposal meant that either Mr Berendsen or Colonel Stevens would be remaining in London after the conference of Ministers had finished.

"What hapened to your friend who wrote that handbook for pedestrians?” -He was run over by a motor bus."