LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 April 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Frost in Masterton. Masterton experienced a frost of 2.3 degrees this morning. A Fine Apple. An apple weighing lib 2.10zs has been grown by Mrs A. E. Clemas, of Cole Street. Masterton. It is of the Prince Alfred variety, and is of a particularly rich colouring and attractive shape. Although ol such large pioportions, it- is typical of about a hundred apples that the tree is bearing. It is not often that such a large number of apples of such a size are to be seen on the one tree, which, in this case, is quite a young one.

Interest Free Loans and Donations. Further interest-free loans and donations received by the Government as contributions to the war expenses fund were acknowledged yesterday by the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash. The total contributions to date amount to £1.586,707. The list includes £5OOO from the National Tobacco Company for the duration of the war and six months after, £5OOO from the Fletcher Construction Co., and £2OOO from the New Zealand Merchant Service Guild Industrial Union of Workers,. Wellington, for a similar period. League of Nations Union. "iTTnvitation is extended not only to members, but to the public generally to attend the annual meeting of the League of Nations Union (Masterton branch) which will be held tonight in the Women's Division Rest Room at 8 o'clock. The meeting will receive reports, which will include the main features of the Summer School held in January at the Frederick Wallis Home, Lower Hutt. Amongst the officials to be elected will be representatives to the Patriotic Committee and the Red Cross Society. Exhibition Attendance. With 10,960 visitors yesterday, the Centennial Exhibition entered upon .its final four weeks with steadily maintained public interest. It is expected by Exhibition authorities and exhibitors that there will be a considerable increase in attendances in the final week or two. The tola! attendance is now 2,154.364. As the weekly total of admissions is still about 80,000. it seems that the final record of visitors to the Exhibition during the six months it will have remained open will be in the neighbourhood of two and a half million. Rugby Football for Soldiers. Special Rugby football matches between teams representing men at present in camps in New Zealand are to be played in the near future. Mr S. S. Dean, who has been acting for the New Zealand Rugby Union, said yesterday that arrangements for two matches, to be played on April 27, had almost been completed. Teams representing four camps would play and the proceeds would go to the funds for the purchase of sporting equipment for the troops overseas. It was probable that the matches would be played in Auckland and Christchurch. Coloured Labels for Apples.

Buyers at the public foodstuff markets in Allen Street, Blair Street and Wakefield Street, Wellington, may now learn the grade of apples by the colour of the label affixed at the end of each box. Hitherto all labels were the same colour, but now a label in bold red print signifies “extra fancy” grade, green "fancy,” and black “commercial.” During the past week, under Government instruction, certain prices were fixed for each grade of apples, but as no one would buy at the prices decided on the price tumbled the next day by 40 per cent. Apples have sold for as low as 2s a 401 b case this month. Better qualities range up to 4s 6d a case.

Broadcast Policy. An indication that possibly later this week the Government would issue a statement dealing with a policy designed to make for the fair and efficient control of broadcast speeches and addresses was made yesterday by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when asked if it were intended to inaugurate any new policy regarding radio broadcast addresses in view of the omission on Sunday evening of the usual "Social Justice” and “Man in the Street” sessions from the commercial stations programme. "The session was suspended by the Prime Minister.” said the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting, Mr C. G. Scrimgeour, when asked yesterday why there was no “Man in the Street” session' on Sunday. Beyond that he would make no comment.

Storage of Fruit. Reasons for the regulations gazetted last week prohibiting the deposit of fruit in cool stores except, by permit from the food controller were explained by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Lee Martin, last evening. Because of the war a severe demand was made on the cool storage space of the Dominion, said the Minister. The food controller was now responsible for the storage of apples and pears, as the Government had undertaken to purchase - this season’s crop from the growers and to make all necessary arrangements for marketing both locally and overseas. The severe limitation upon overseas shipments of fruit meant the accumulation of greater stocks locally, and it was therefore necessary for the Government to have command of cool store space to preserve the fruit in good order."

Church Congress. The Church Congress, attended by 800 delegates from the diocese of Waiapu. concluded its four-day proceedings in Hastings yesterday. The celebrant at Holy Communion this morning was Archdeacon E. J. Rich, Masterton, chairman of the congress. St Matthew’s Church was again full for a devotional study service conducted by Canon H. Watson, Marton, yesterday morning. Following this the series of lectures on church history was continued, when Archdeacon Rich addressed delegates on the evangelical revival. A lecture in (lie same series (in the Oxford Movement was given subsequently by Canon A. F. Hall, Gisborne, who emphasised that this should not be confused witli the Oxford Group movement. Yesterday afternoon an address on the place of religion in the home was given by Archdeacon K. E. IVlacLean. Hastings, this serving as a basis for group discussions last night. There was a public meeting in the assembly hall, over which Archdeacon Rich presided. The Bishop of Waikato, the Rt Rev C. A. Cherrington. and the Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rt Rev F. A. Bennett, were the speakers, and items were given by a Maori choir.