LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 December 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

» Dr. Trilby King Memorial Fund. A donation of 10s from Mrs C. Van Praagh has been made to the Dr. Truby King Memorial Fund. Centennial Exhibition. Yesterday at the Centennial Exhibition there was an attendance of 9182. bringing the total to 462.601. a daily average of 14,018. Highway to be Closed. The coastal highway between Plimmerton and Paekakariki will be closed this weekend if the weather is fine, as tar-sealing operations on the road have yet to be completed. Solway College. In Ihe prize list of Solway College, published on Thursday, the portion relating to the dux of Form Va should have read: Dux, Gladys Vance, the prize for this award being the Alice Frances Free trophy. Christmas Holidays.

The Railway Department advertises train arrangements for Christmas holidays and Palmerston North races in today’s issue. Special facilities are provided for those wishing to attend the race meeting at Palmerston North. Cheap fares are featured. Surplus of Teachers.

Though the enlistment of young men in the defence forces would affect the position later in the year, there would be a surplus of teachers available from the beginning of 1940, said the chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, Mr G. A. Maddison, at the final meeting of the board for the year. The supply of teachers during 1939 had been adequate, and it had not been necessary to employ married women teachers for relieving work, as in the preceding year. New State Block. The foundation stone of what will be the largest office building in New Zealand, when completed, was laid by the Minister of Public Works, Mr Semple, in Wellington yesterday. The building will be used for Government departmental offices and will accommodate 1750 to 1800 persons. Its estimated cost is £500,000, and it covers five acres. It has frontages to Stout, Ballance and Maginnity Streets. The Minister of Housing, Mr Armstrong, and the chief engineer of the Public Works Department, Mr J.. Wood, were among the principal guests at the ceremony. Matriculation Passes. “It is interesting to note,” said Mrs Max Cleghorn, Principal of St Matthew’s Collegiate School for Girls, in her annual report, “that approximately 50 per cent of the candidates who sit for matriculation in any one year ultimately pass. They may take one, two. three or any number of years to do so. Of the number of pupils who enter upon a secondary education in any one year, approximately 20 percent finally pass the matriculation examination. Thus it may be seen that only pupils with a brain well above the’ average, and who have four years secondary education, have any likelihood of success in this examination. Home Defence. New ealand should take warning from the undefended state of the Western Pacific, said Major-General Sir Andrew Russell, emphasising the need for maintaining an adequate system of home defence in an address at a reunion of the Hastings Returned Soldiers’ Association. War and powerpolitics were nothing but the exploitation of surprise and opportunity, and the Dominion would be wise to prepare for any emergency, however remote the possibility of attack seemed, he said. Had Russia’s invasion of Finland been predicted six months ago no one would have taken much notice, and we would be foolish to act as though such surprises could happen only to other people.

Airmail Postage Rates. The postage rates to be charged for letters carried by the transpacific ah service have been announced by the Postmaster-General, Mr Jones. Referring to a statement cabled from America that the resumption of the service might not now be long delayed, the Minister said that no definite information as to the likely date of commencement could be obtained fiom Pan-American Airways' representatives in New Zealand. The postage rates are as follow: —New Zealand to New Caledonia, Is each half-ounce; New Zealand to Hawaii. 2s 6d each half-ounce; New Zealand to United States of America (including transit by air on the United States internal services). 4s each half-ounce; New Zealand to Great Britain and Europe (via U.S.A.). 6s 3d each half-ounce. The charges for postcards, the Minister added, were half the charges mentioned above. In agreement with the United States and New Caledonian post offices, it was being arranged that all letters carried on the first flight should bo distinctively marked with a rubber stamp (cachet) and that letters should be backstamped at the various points.

Coast Defence Recruits Required. Additional recruits are required for coast defence and anti-aircraft duties to replace men wishing to transfer to the Special Military Force, or to be relieved from their duties for other reasons. The Minister of Defence, Mr Jones, said yesterday that a good many applications were being received by the army authorities for the release of men who had been serving ■with the 15th Heavy Battery and the 22nd A.A. Battery on coast defence and anti-aircraft duties since just before the outbreak of war. These applications, which were mainly for business or family reasons, were treated as sympathetically as possible, but it must be realised that in these highly technical units there was a definite limit to the number of men who could be released, as it was essential that the efficiency of the batteries should be maintained. For every man released. another man was required to take his place and there was a good opportunity here for men who were too young for the Special Force to serve their country and at the same time undergo training and gain valuable experience which, if they joined the Special Force later, should give them better opportunities for promotion. Men over age for the Special Force wore also acceptable lor ■ these units. Green: "Hallo. Jones, old man! Haven't seen you for months. How is the second-hand ear going?" Jones: "I'm learning just how hard it is to drive a bargain ”