LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1940, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Exhibition Attendance. The attendance at the Centennial Exhibition yesterday was 18.564, bringing the total up to 1,072.955. a daily average of 17,031. Sale of Health Stamps. Wellington leads in the present health stamp campaign from Auckland by a small margin. The figures at December 31 were approximately:— Wellington £428. Auckland £412, Christchurch £129. and Dunedin £63. Home Defence Duty. Messrs L. G. T. Adams, S. W. Ihaka (C Company, Hawke’s Bay Regiment) (Masterton); G. A. Duckett (W.E.C. Mounted Rifles); W. Oldham (Eketahuna) and H. F. Rayner (Carterton) proceeded to Fort Dorset yesterday to take up home defence garrison duty with the Heavy Battery, Wellington. West School Demolition. The demolition of the Masterton West School is well under way, but some delay is being occasioned in the removal of the debris, owing to the requisite machinery not being available meantime. It is hoped, however, to have the site cleared by the time the school reopens on February 6. Military Enrolments. . The following have enlisted at the Masterton Defence Office for service overseas: Messrs J. H. Dowding, J. B. Donovan R. L. G. Hollis, E. A. Tozer, E. M. Scott, Charles Mita (Masterton); S. T. Te Tau. W. J. Wilson (Greytown); J. W. Bargh (Featherston), and E. N. Tunnicliffe (Carterton). The total enlistments to date are now 459. Wellington’s First Hundred Years. Wellington will complete its first 100 years on Monday, when on the foreshore at Petone the Hall of Memories will be opened and the stainedglass window dedicated to the memory of the pioneer settlers who landed there. The ceremony will be performed by the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, in the presence of a distinguished company Inter-House Dance.

In connection with the Inter-House display, which is to be held at the Centennial Exhibition on Easter Saturday, it is proposed to hold a dance in the Municipal Hall on Saturday, January 27, in order to raise funds to send 100 girls from Masterton to the gathering. The arrangements are already complete and patrons are assured of a most enjoyable time. Declared “Unfit.”

Tommy Farr, former British heavyweight champion, has been discharged from the Royal Air Force because of physical unfitness. Farr joined the R.A.F. as a second-class aircraftsman the day after war was declared. He leaves the force with the same rank. No indication has been given of Farr’s disability. Yet Farr is to fight Joe Louis for the world’s heavyweight title in March. ( Athlete’s Fine Performance.

In an exhibition run over 120 yards hurdles at Napier. S. Stenner, the Australian hurdle champion, knocked two-fifths of a second off the New Zealand record held by P. F. Sharpley. Because there was a light following wind, Stenner’s time, 14 3-5 sec., cannot be recognised as a New Zealand record. Stenner’s opponent in the race was P. Begley (Hastings), who ran off the 2-yard mark with one hurdle down. Indecent Assault Charge.

At a special sitting of the Magistrate’s Court held at the Masterton Police Station this morning, Ernest Alfred Roberts appeared before Messrs A. D. Low and H. E. Pither, J’s.P., on a charge of having indecently assaulted a young female person at West Taratahi on January 15. Accused was remanded to appear at Masterton on January 23. The accused was arrested in Masterton last night by Constable R. Hollis. Crossing Smash.

Colliding with the up WellingtonNapier express at the Ohau level crossing yesterday, a motor-car driven by Mr J. F. Armit, of Auckland, was thrown sideways through a fence and landed in a badly damaged condition in a paddock. The car, which was travelling in the same direction as the train, struck the driving wheels of the engine, and. though uninjured, the occupants were considerably shaken. With Mr Armit in the car were his wife and daughter and son-in-law, Mr Crisp. Recruiting in Central District.

Since recruiting began on September 12 last, 8140 men have enlisted in the Central Military District (Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wanganui, Taranaki' for service in the second New Zealand Expeditionary Force overseas. Of these, 60 per cent have been classed fit, approximately 9 per cent temporarily unfit and 11 per cent permanently unfit. The number in reserved occupations was 6 per cent of the total enlistments.

A Warning Shot.

A warning shot was fired from North Hoad at Auckland on Thursday in response to instructions from the naval examination service vessel on duty that a launch had ignored signals to present its credentials. The shot was well clear of the launch. It was stated that the launch was outward bound. When signalled to it was in the prohibited area. There was no response to the signals from the patrol vessel and searchlights had also failed to warn it of its improper course. The patrol vessel immediately communicated with North Head and a shot was fired. The launch then stopped and the patrol vessel went out and took charge of her. Irish Nationalism. While she remained closely associated with Great Britain economically, Eire was proud of her present neutrality as proof of her new nationhood and was also sincere in her attitude to the war. said the Rev Father R. J. O’Gorman, formerly of Ashburton, who has returned to the Dominion after an extensive overseas tour. Father O'Gorman has been absent for 10 months and will shortly take up the duties of parish priest in Christchurch. As the Government of Eire aimed to secure a united Ireland, the border between North and South remained a bone of contention. Father O'Gorman said. It was hoped in Eire (hat the British Government would accede to their claims and influence the Parliament of Northern Ireland to combine and form one country.