Mounted Rifles Parade.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 March 1940, Page 4

Mounted Rifles Parade.

There will be a parade of C Squadrcn, Wellington East Coast Mounted 1 Rides in the Masterton Drill Hall on Monday night, March 4. at 7.30 o'clock. ’ National Military Reserve. j Class I. of the National Military Re- , serve will parade in the Masterton j Drill Hall on Wednesday night, March ’ 13. There will be a parade of Class 2 i on Tuesday. March 5. Full attendances are requested. Vital Statistics. > The following are the vital statis- . tics registered at the Masterton Courthouse for February, the figures for the corresponding period last year , being given in parentheses: Births 22 (18); marriages 13 (14); deaths 6 (7). Rainfall At Invercargill. February's rainfall in Invercargill I was the highest ever recorded in any .months. The total was 13.52 inches compared with 3.94 inches last February. The Invercargill average yearly fall is about 42 inches, and 18.55 inches has fallen this year in the first two months, usually the driest. Burglary Last Night. Masterton’s comparative freedom from crime for many months was broken last night when the premises of Mr W. G. Whiteman, bootmaker, Perry Street, were broken into and a sum of money, believed to ne £2, was taken. It is understood that access was gained through the fanlight over the doorway. The matter is being investigated by the Masterton police. Workman Injured. A particularly unfortunate accident! occurred yesterday afternoon, when a car driven by Mrs J. W. Kershaw, of Martinborough, struck Mr Francis O'Shea, a workman engaged in painting white safety lines on the main Carterton-Greytown Highway. Mr . O’Shea was struck a glancing blow. He was conveyed by the Greytown ambulance to the Masterton Hospital. ' where it is learned that his condition is I satisfactory. , Delegation to Geneva. j The intention of the Government to send a full New Zealand delegation to this year's conference of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva was announced last night by the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb. The delegation consists of representatives of the Government, the workers and the employers, and the central organisations of workers and employers will shortly ( be asked to make nominations for delegates to represent, them. 1 Inspection of Goods Vehicles. i

A change in the departmental system of inspection of goods vehicles' is provided for in regulations issued last evening. The alterations are mostly of a departmental nature, but to a certain extent they will have an effect on transport operators. Under the present system transport vehicles are inspected every six months by the Transport Department's inspectors and certificates of fitness are issued accordingly. The new system will bring transport vehicles into line with passenger service vehicles in that there will be only one inspection armually, but no change will be made in the fees charged, and two six-monthly fees will be collected for the one inspection.

Wanganui River Road. It will be a fortnight before a horse track is opened through the road between Raetihi and Pipiriki, according to advice received by engineers of the Public Works Department in Wanganui. There are ten large slips between Raetihi and Half-moon Bridge anci a big washout three miles in from Pipiriki.All bridges were standing, but many approaches were gone. One big gap was scoured out at Whataumu and an extra span would have to be added to the bridge. In other places large culverts would have to be put in. The up-river road from Wanganui is open for only 15 miles and the steamer service has been resumed to give access to up-river settlers.

Highway Still Blocked. The Automobile Association reports that the Main Highways Board has been able to make sufficient clearance of the road between New Plymouth and Te Kuiti as far north as Awakino to enable traffic to get through, under certain restrictions. The clearance work is such that in many places one-way traffic only can get through and certain sections of the road are open in the daytime only. For this reason experienced drivers only should attempt to make use of the road as far north as Awakino. Northward of Awakino the road is blocked indefinitely. Travellers through to the north from Taranaki southward can travel only via the Parapara Road from Wanganui to Raetihi ,and then on to Te Kuiti, or via Taihape and National Park. Churches & War Funds.

In view of misconceptions about religious work by the churches in New Zealand among the armed forces, the secretary-treasurer of the National Patriotic Fund Board, Mr G. A. Hayden. stated in Wellington yesterday afternoon that it should be reiterated that there was a special provision in the Patriotic Purposes Emergency Regulations governing such work. ' "The position," said Mr Hayden, -is that funds may be collected by any religious denomination for the carrying on of its spiritual work and ministrations among the armed forces by the authorised ministers and officers of that denomination, provided these funds arc collected and sought exclusively from the members and adherents of that denomination.'’