LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 June 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sick and Founded Fund. The Wellington provincial committee of the Sick, Wounded and Distress Fund reports that to date it has received £110,636. War Expenses Fund. The interest-free loans and donations for war purposes acknowledged yesterday by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Nash, brought the total up to £2,237,046. Huntley Murder. Charged with the murder of Rama Khushal at Huntley on May 18, John Kite, a Maori, aged 23, appeared at the Magistrates’ Court yesterday. On the application of the police the magistrate, Mr Levien, remanded Kite to appear at Huntly on July 4.

Charged with Desertion. A district court-martial sat yesterday at Papakura Camp to hear charges against Privates N. Catley and W. Hemphill. Each is charged with desertion, in rhat they were absent without leave from May 17 till apprehended on June 12. The court’s decision will be forwarded to Wellington.

Man Killed By Motor Car. Struck by a motor car on the Cuba Street, ramp, Lower Hutt, last evening, David Patterson Ferguson, married, Lower JHutr, received injuries from which he died while on his way to hospital in the Free Ambulance. The accident occurred at 6.40 p.m. The car concerned was travelling in the direction of Lower Hutt.

Escaped Prisoner Arrested. After being at liberty since last Monday morning, when he escaped while working with a gang, Thomas William Hill, who was serving a sentence at Mt Crawford. Prison, was arrested yesterday afternoon. Hill, in civilian clothes, was in a tramway waiting shed at Karori when he was recognised by Detective F. O. Scott, who was in a passing tramcar. The detective promptly left the tram and accosted him. Hill offered no resistance. His prison garments were found recently in a house in Vogeltown.

Tragedy on a Farm. Fatal injuries were received by Mr John Pallesen, aged 23, son of Mr P. P. Pallesen, dairy farmer, Haumoana, Hawke’s Bay, when he was overwhelmed by a fall of earth and clay in a cutting on his father’s farm. Mr Pallesen was working a scoop in a cutting nine or 10 feet deep. Shortly after he had placed the scoop in position for a cut at the bottom of the working, four or five feet of clay and earth from the top of the cutting collapsed and fell on him. He received severe head injuries, the fall of earth having thrown him against the scoop, and it is believed death was instantaneous.

Red Cross Society Donations. The Red Cross Society desire to thank the following donors: —Miss Cresswell, Mrs Longstaff. Mrs L. Deal, West School, Mrs Anstice, W.C.T.U., Central School, Mrs E. Thomas. Mrs Minifie, Mrs Cleghorn, Mrs Farrall (member’s sub.. 2s 6d; Red Cross work, £1), Mrs Winzenberg, Miss Cresswell, Miss Mclntosh, Mrs P. R. Cook, Mrs H. Morrison, Mrs A. Buchanan, Mrs McCalmont, Townswomen’s Guild, Mrs Ingham, Mrs Wood, Mrs H. L. Price, Miss lorns, Mrs Nielson, Mrs R. Riley, Miss Benton, Mrs Wardell, Miss D. O’Donnell, Wairarapa College, Mrs Willett, parcels per Mrs F. Shaw. Dominion Enlistments. Enlistments throughout the Dominion for service with the Second N.Z.E.F. increased by 2560 to 46,510 during last week. At the close of the week 3191 recruits (including .402 not available) were awaiting medical examination, 31,621 had been passed fit, 6782 had been declared permanently unfit, 3118 (including 505 not available) were on the temporarily unfit list, and 22,735 had been dispatched to camp. Recruits held back through being in important positions totalled 2393. The balance awaiting dispatch to camp was 4755, as against 3758 a week earlier, and there were 1058 men not immediately available for camp. Increase in Tobacco Prices. Following on the increase in the sales tax from 5 to 10 per cent, the Price Investigation Tribunal has authorised increases in the retail prices of tobacco. Tobaccos retailing at Is lid or less for 2oz, Is llj.d to 3s (inclusive) for 2oz, and more than 3s for 2oz, have been increased by Id, lid and 2d for each 2oz respectively. Tobaccos retailing at lljd oi’ less an ounce and Is or more an ounce have been increased by Id and Id an ounce respectively. The increased retail prices authorised by the tribunal will apply only to tobacco on which the higher rates of sales tax has been charged not to stocks bought on the basis of the lower rate of sales tax. Cigarettes are exempt from sales tax and are not affected. Railway Revenue. An improvement of £18,542 is shown in the net railway revenue for the four-weekly period ended May 25. compared with the corresponding period last year. The net revenue was £134,840, against £116,298 last year and £53,292 in 1938. Gross revenue for the whole system was £879,818. an increase of £72,090, and expenses were £53,548 higher at £744,978. Operating profit on the North Island railways was £74,099, or £11,554 more than last year, but that in the South Island decreased by £346 to £28,838. In the North Island gross revenue rose by £53.711 to £481.480, and expenses by £42,157 to £407,381. In the South Island revenue, at £287,872, was £16,.013 higher and expenses increased by £16,359 to £259,034.

Royal Show Abandoned. Abandonment of the Royal Show this year was decided on by the council of the Royal Agricultural Society, which met in Wellington yesterday morning. The show was to have been held at Hastings in October. It was pointed out to the members before they came to this decision that in wartime it was difficult to make arrangements far ahead, as had to be done for a Royal Show, that the sending of exhibits and the travelling of people long distances to a show placed a load on the transport system of the country and that the holding of the show would take exhibitors, judges and officials away from work on their farms at a time when they should be producing. A proposal that local shows be abandoned till after the war found little support at the annual meeting of the society in the afternoon.