LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 April 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Serial Story. There appears in the ‘'Times-Age'" today a new serial, story entitled ' Freedom for Two." by Margaret Watson. written by a brilliant authoress. It is one .>!' the best stories placed before the reading public for some considerable time. War Expenses Fund. The interest-free loans for war purposes acknowledged yesterday by the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, bring the total amount up to £1.630,561. Included in the loans is one of £1.0,000 from the Farmers' Co-op. Auctioneering Co., Ltd., Hamilton, for the duration of the wav and six months afterwards. Gladstone Farmers' Meeting. At a meeting of the Gladstone subbranch of the Wairarapa branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union held yesterday afternoon, it was decided that a special meeting be held in Masterton at an early date to consider the question of members joining up with another sub-branch or the Wairarapa branch, owing to the small attendances at the meetings. Centennial Exhibition Attendances. Driving rain and wind which at times almost reached gale force, lashed the Centennial Exhibition at. Rongotai from late in the afternoon yesterday, affecting the evening attendance. Yesterday's visitors, including many school parties, remained under cover as much as possible, preferring the warmth and comfort of the courts to the cold wind and driving rain outside. The attendance yesterday was 10,592, bringing the total up to 2.264,451, a daily average of 16.175. Inquest Adjourned. The inquest into the death of Mr L. L.Barber, a victim of the motor accident at Homebush was opened before the district coroner, Mr E. G. Eton, yesterday afternoon. After evidence of identification had been given the inquest was adjourned sine die, on the application of Detective-Sergeant W. Kane. The condition of Messrs McCracken and Bellworthy, who were also involved in the accident showed some improvement this morning. Hospital Levies Reduced. As a result of the excellent financial year whicn has been experienced by the Waikato Hospital Board, ratepayers of, local bodies contributing toward the upkeep of institutions under the board’s jurisdiction will gain considerable savings. A reduction of £17,147, or 27 per cent, has been made in the total levies for 1940-41. The levies for the year .amounting to £45,393. compared with £62,540 for last year, were approved at a meeting of the board at Hamilton yesterday. Shortage of Coal, ■ Throughout the North Island an acute shortage of domestic coal is rapidly developing, according to leading representatives of the coal industry in Auckland. Early this month there was a sharp increase in the demand in Wellington and Taranaki, because of the cold snap, and this has now spread to Auckland, where orders have already approached normal winter dimensions. The position is causing concern not only to the coalmining companies, but also to the distributors, who are having difficulty in maintaining necessary minimum stocks. Anglican Cathedral Designs. Competitive designs prepared in New Zealand for a new Auckland Anglican Cathedral have now been put into order and will be dispatched by an early steamer to England for adjudication, with others, by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the eminent architect. The diocesan secretary, Archdeacon Simkin, stated yesterday that 23 designs would be forwarded from New Zealand. It was known that two more had been entered by New Zealand architects residing in Australia, and one by a New Zealander in New York. Six or seven were believed to have been prepared and entered in England, making over 30 altogether. The competition was open to members of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, wherever resident. Mr Savage’s Last Report. It was disclosed by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, during his report to this week's meeting of the Wellington Labour Representation Committee, of which he was one of the delegates to the Easter conference of the Labour Party, that the original manuscript of Mr Savage’s confidential report to the conference had been written during his illness on two sides of a piece of cardboard. Photographs of the manuscript had been taken because it had come to his notice that certain persons were wilfully and maliciously casting doubt on the" authenticity of (he report, said Mr Fraser, who exhibited two of the photographs at the meeting, at which there was an attendance of more than 100 delegates. Attempted Suicide. A charge of attempting to commit suicide on Wednesday was faced by a young man who appeared in the Magistrate’s Court, Dannevirke. before Mr Watson, S.M., yesterday. Sergeant H. Dyer said the police in Carterton had received a note from defendant to the effect that he intended to commit suicide and that a young woman in Dannevirke would tell the police where to find his body. He was found in Dannevirke groaning and obviously in pain, and was removed to the public hospital suffering from the effects of swallowing eyewash. He had volunteered for overseas service and hai. teen rejected, had been the recipient of a white feather, and had been jilted by a girl. The magistrate convicted and discharged defendant, telling him to leave the district. St. Matthew's Parish. Observing that the year had ended with a credit balance, the churchwardens of St. Matthew's Parish, in their annual report, stated that position was the result of the wonderful support from every part <'f the parish. Offertories for parish purposes showed a splendid increase of £9B over those ot the previous year. All parts of the parish shared in this increase. Thanks were very largely due to the splendid work of "the ‘ Ladies' Guild in the carrying out of special parish works and in other ways. Offerings for Maori end foreign missions. Sedgley Home, etc., also showed a good increase. An appeal which met with immediate generous response was that lor the spiritual work of the church among the t poods. and in a few days money was found to ourchaso a second-hand car to enable the Maori curate to carry out his work in the district. The Church of the Epiphany had shared in the advance of the parish.