LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 September 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

War Expenses Fund. Interest-free loans and donations for war purposes acknowledged on Saturday by the Minister of Finance by the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, brought the total received to date up to £2,543,042. Cycling Club’s Road Race.

The Wairarapa Cycling Club’s road race on Saturday resulted in a win for Neville Norris, with B. Peters second and J. Heaven third. The fastest time was put up by B. Peters with Neville Norris second. Fallen Petals. An effect like hailstones covering the pathway was to be seen in Miriam and Archer streets this morning, but a closer examination showed that it was only the petals which had failed off the Prunus trees, which form an avenue for some distance along the two streets.

Beneficial Rain

The light, warm rain experienced in Masterton over the weekend has had a beneficial effect on the ground crop-

ped by early gardeners. Peas, carrots, beetroot, and beans are coming away well. Petrol Restrictions. Many motorists appear to be hard pressed for petrol, judging by the number of September coupons presented at petrol station and garage pumps on Saturday and yesterday. This indicates that people in many cases have drawn on the whole month’s supply in the first two days of September and is evidence of the extent to which some motorists are in short supply of fuel.

Horses Required. Farmers in the Wairarapa district who are willing to loan horses for one month for the use of officers and N.C.O’s. in Tauherenikau Camp are asked to communicate with the secretary of the Wairarapa Farmers’ Union, Mi’ R. H. Williams. Twenty-two horses are required, aged 3 to 12 years and from 14.3 to 15.3 hands. Six pack horses are also wanted. The mounts will be required in ten days time. Count Felix von Luckner.

News of Count Felix von Luckner, who visited New Zealand in the autumn of 1938, comes by a roundabout way from an internment camp in England, via Vancouver and Samoa. The “Western Samoa Mail” of August 3 says: “A cablegram appearing in the ‘Daily Province;,’ Vancouver, states that Captain Franz von Rintelen, who is now interned in England, said that Count von Luckner had disappeared mysteriously. Von Rintelen believed that the Count was in a concentration camp because of his anti-Na'zi views.” Gift of Ambulance.

A special sum of £570 has been subscribed by members of the Otago branch of the Otago Educational Institute to purchase an ambulance for defence purposes either in New Zealand or overseas. This announcement was made yesterday by the Minister for Defence, Mr Jones. The Minister, on behalf of the Government, expressed keen appreciation of the gift, which he described as a valuable contribution to New Zealand’s war effort. This was another indication, he said, of the manner in which the people of the Dominion were co-operating with the Government in the great task before it at the present time.

Wage Increase Anomalies. Anomalies under the recent Arbitration, Court order for a 5 per cent increase in the wages of award workers were briefly reported on by the Finance Committee of the One Tree Hill Borough Council, it being stated that whereas relief workers on the council’s work were entitled to the increase, other employees, such as foremen, were not. A recommendation was adopted to increase the wages of all members of the council's staff by 5 per cent, for which £379 would be needed annually, against the £242 required for award workers only.

Useful Gift to Army. Mr C. S. Teschemaker, of Idris Road. Fendalton, has handed over to the Army a valuable artillery director of the periscope type, captured from the Germans during the last war. Mr Teschemaker was a captain in the Ma-chine-gun Corps and himself obtained the director from a captured German artillery unit. He retained it as a souvenir, but as it is an observing instrument of great power and suitable for modern artillery purposes he offered it to the local coastal defence l forces. Mr Teschemaker visited Captain J. F. Cracroft Wilson at his battery and handed the director over. It was gratefully accepted. A “Bottle Party.”

A strong comment on “night parkI ing and drinking in cars’’ was made in a report to the Heathcote CountyCouncil by the traffic inspector (Mr A. J. Tait). “The end of Bowenvale avenue was the scene of a bottle party in the early hours of a recent Sunday morning,” his report stated. “A resident complained to me, and I personally saw from the evidence left behind that steps should be taken to put a stop to this all-night parking' and drinking in cars. Eight empty beer bottles and two broken ones, besides other litter, were left on the road. I suggest that car parking at this point should be prohibited, and a sign be erected to this effect.”