LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 December 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

No Publication on Monday. Tlie "Times-Age” will not be published on Monday, Christmas Day, but will appear as usual on Tuesday. Boxing Day. The Hottest Day. Yesterday was the hottest day recorded in Masterton this summer, the shade temperature being 82.9 degrees. Exhibition Attendances. The attendance at the Centennial Exhibition yesterday reached an even 9000. bringing the total up to 534,116. The daily average is 14.055. Fire at Memorial Park. The Masterton Fire Brigade was called out at 8.35 o'clock this morning to a grass fire at Memorial Park. No damage was done. The Season’s Greetings. Christmas and New Year greetings have beery received from State Departments. local bodies, commercial firms and others. All are acknowledged gratefully and most heartily reciprocated. Mariposa’s Record. A milestone in the history of the Matson Line's service from San Francisco to New Zealand and Australia is being achieved on the present journey of the Mariposa, which has arrived at Auckland. This 23,000-ton liner is now on her 50th round voyage in the trade. On her return to San Francisco she will have covered 750,000 miles on the long Pacific run on this voyage. Ragwort-seed Fly. The ragwort-seed fly has made its seasonal appearance in Putaruru for the second year in succession. It is much more vigorous and is much larger than it was last year. Mr A. A. Riggir, of Putaruru, who played an important part in introducing this enemy of ragwort into the Waikato, stated that there was no doubt that the fly was now firmly established.

Fast Shearing. A total of 1269 sheep was shorn tn eight hours by six shearers, including one learner, at the Fairplace station recently. The highest tallies were registered by D. Marshall 241, H. Moffet 237. and a shearer 70 years of age, who had the splendid tally of 167. The sheep were crossbred sheep and, according to the shearers, they were fairly tough because of the hard winter they had been through. Eager to Serve. There is one very disappointed youth in Whangarei. Although only 17 years of age he enlisted, giving his age as 21 years, and was all ready to be called up with the second echelon. Unfortunately for the youth, his parents had other views, and a visit to the recruiting office by the father, who produced the lad’s birth certificate, ended the boy’s visions of a military life, for a year or two, at least. Gift to Patriotic Fund. The Hon Mark Fagan, DeputyChairman of the National Patriotic Fund Board, stated yesterday that he had received from the Governor-Gen-eral, Lord Galway, a donation of £250 toward the National Patriotic Fund. Acknowledging this generous gift, Mr 1 Fagan expressed the thanks of the board and said that the money had been received at a most opportune moment. He has written to his Excellency thanking him for his valuable contribution to the fund. Rifle Championship Meeting.

Wanganui will be one of the few places in New Zealand to hold a rifle championship meeting this year. The Wanganui-West Coast Rifle Association’s North Island championship meeting will take place on the Putiki range on Tuesday. From 80 to 100 marksmen will compete and they will require about 5000 rounds of ammunition. Competitors will come from Christchurch,, Blenheim, Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Levin, Manawatu, Taranaki and Wanganui districts.

Post Office Savings Bank. Deposits with the Post Office Savings Bank during November amounted to £1,912,213, as compared with £1,913,192 in October, 1939, and £2,336,932 in November, 1938. Withdrawals totalled £2,085,668, comparative figures for October, 1939, and November, 1938, being £2,033,516, and £3,193,545 respectively. Though the excess of withdrawals in November (£173,455) was greater than in the previous month by £53.131, compared with November, 1938, it shows a decrease of £683,158.

Outrigger Canoe. Four Solomon Islanders, members of the crew of the Melanesian Mission’s motor-vessel Southern Cross, sailed in a small island outrigger canoe on the western side of Prince’s Wharf, Auckland, the other morning. Eighteen feet in length, the canoe is only 14in. wide and has a platform of about sft. extending to the outrigger. Wearing lavalavas, the Islanders paddled the canoe, on which were some coconuts, about the side of t’ue wnarf. Made by natives in the Islands, the canoe was bought by the steward of the Southern Cross, Mr F. Maunder, and later given to the Island members of the ship’s crew. Comfortable Travelling. The latest acquisition to the Railways Department’s rolling stock is the new type of first-class carriage, two of which have been operating between Dunedin and Christchurch during the past fortnight, and three more of which were attached to the through express to Invercargill the other day. reports the "Otago Daily Times. Built at the Addington Workshops, these comfortable new coaches have as their principal feature an air-conditioning plant run by' an electric motor that keeps the air in constant circulation and the temperature even. The seating arrangement is the same as previously, but the seats themselves, mounted on swivels, are upholstered in brown leather and are tar more comfortable than before. As usual, 'the backs of the seats are adjustable, an additional luxury being the provision of a small ledge for each passenger on which he may rest papers, books or a cup of tea. The only disadvantage. if such it can be called, is that the guard, before the train enters a tunnel, has to turn off the motor lest the smoke be drawn into the carriage. The windows, of course, do not open, and there is no need for steam heating, but. the result is a complete elimination of the smuts, cinders and general stuffiness usually associated with even a short railway journey.