LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 October 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Record Number of Births.

There were more births in Invercargill'in September than in any other month on record. The total was 91, compared with the previous highest monthly totals of 90 in August and 90 in January, 1938. For the quarter there were 268 births, compared with 202 in the same period last year.

Patriotic Fund Appeal. A conference 'of all zone secretaries in the Wellington Patriotic Provincial district will -be held at Palmerston North on Saturday. Major Abel, organiser and the Hon Vincent Ward, district provincial secretary, will explain matters in connection with the forthcoming £1,000,000 patriotic fund campaign.

St John Nursing Division. At a well attended meeting of the Nursing Division of St John Ambulance Brigade last evening the Emergency Regulations were read and members were instructed in their duties in the event of an emergency rising. Several extra First Aid Kits are being prepared and will be distributed later. These are to be used only in case of emergency.

Injured Woman Dies. The death occurred in the Palmerston North Hospital at 4 a.m. yesterday of Miss Olive May Gould, matron of the Otaki Children’s Camp, who was injured in an accident on the main road near Waikanae the previous night. Miss Gould was one of a number of people injured in an unusual double accident, a car that was being driven past the scene of the first accident striking a stationary vehicle. Miss Gould received a severe compound fracture of the right leg and other injuries as a result of the second accident. Exemption Refused.

An application from Auckland employers bound by the storemen and packers award for exemption from the general order of the Court of Arbitration for a 5 per cent increase in wages was refused by Mr Justice Tyndall in a judgment. The grounds stated in the application were that the award had granted substantial increases in .wages and that there had been nothing to justify any further increase since it was made. “The first ground is virtually an appeal against the Court's recent decision following upon the hearing of the storemen and packers' dispute’,’ the judgment states. "If an order were now made to exclude them from the operation of the general order the Court’s previous decision would be in effect annulled.”

Over-enthusiastic Waste Collection.

A suggestion that some children were being rather too enthusiastic in their collection of waste metal was made to the Sumner Borough Council by Cr P. C. Fenwick. “The school children have been asked to collect copper, brass taps and pieces of lead,” he said. “Several agitated people have told me that these things are being collected from their homes, but without their consent. They value the lead sheeting round chimneys because it keeps the rain out. It is all very well for a child to be told that it will be a good thing if it arrives at school bringing a brass tap. But the trouble is that the tap might belong to their unfortunate neighbour. I’m looking after my brass taps.” Another member of the council said that some time ago metal was stripped from the bathing sheds, but not for patriotic purposes. Watered Milk.

“I think that 9 per cent of water in milk is a serious matter from the public’s point of view, and I must impose a penalty, said Mr Salmon, S.M., in the Wanganui Magistrates’ Court yesterday, when he fined Watson Pidwell, milk vendor, £2, with costs 12s, and analyst's fee, 10s 6d. Senior-Sergeant F Cul'loty, who. appeared for the police, stated that the milk contained 9 per cent of added water. Mr V. B. Willis said the milk was bought from a farm in Westmere. Water had entered the milk through a a leak in the cooling apparatus. Speaking from long experience of these cases, I am amazed at the excuse put forward of leaking coolers,” said the magistrate “The law throws an absolute responsibility on the vendor to sell pure milk. If the vendor purchases from another party he can protect himself to some extent by obtaining a certificate or document for the purity of the milk.” Gifts for Victory.

A scheme advocated by Mr B. 11. EdIgell. of Bothwell. Tasmania, for the establishment of a War Cheset has come into operation. The chest is open for the reception of gifts in kind, as well as in cash. Mr Edgell was prompted by the belief that many Tasmanians, ■unable to contribute substantially to r war loans, and other forms of financial 1 assistance, would be only too ready to give to the Empire’s cause gifts of jew- ; ellery, antiques, and other works of art, live stock, carcase meat, game, and other goods that could bo converted into cash to help the war eflort. Auctioneering firms have undertaken to auction without charge gifts of live stock and produce and other goods. Goods consigned to the War Chest arc carried free of charge by the Tasmanian Government Railways and by river steamers.