LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 April 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Soldiers invalided Home. The first party of expeditionary force soldiers to be invalided home from Britain has arrived at Auckland. It consists of two officers and 97 other ranks and it forms the largest draft sent back to New Zealand from overseas since the war started. Plane Crash Victim Dies. Corporal Ernest Ivan Johnson, who was injured when a R.N.Z.A.F. machine crashed at Nelson on Wednesday, has since died in Nelson Hospital. Corporal Johnson was born in Wanganui in 1916, and was educated at Feilding. At the time of his enlistment at the outbreak of war he was employed by a commercial firm in Wellington. His father is Mr E. Johnson, Greatford, Rangitikei.

Officer Dismissed from Air Force. Low flying is regarded very seriously by Air Headquarters, and immediate action is invariably taken against offenders responsible for breaches of this nature. Proof of this is contained in the recent dismissal of a flying officer from the Royal New Zealand Air Force in accordance with the sentence of a general court-martial which found him guilty of flying an aircraft on January 25 near Lake Taupo at a height less than is prescribed by the regulations. Vehicles for Army Use.

A statement that many more vehicles were required by the military authorities in New Zealand was made on Thursday by the Minister of National Service and Transport, Mr Semple. He said that a considerable number had been impressed, and that the machinery which was now functioning would continue till all the requirements of the military authorities were filled. The Minister said that progress reports had been received from many centres throughout New Zealand, all ol' which indicated that the plan for the provision of emergency transport for Defence Department, Home Guard and E.P.S. requirements was being put in hand smoothly and efficiently, and with the co-operation of all concerned.

Teachers and the War. “It is not the board’s policy to appeal for teachers called for service overseas, but it has been found that some on territorial service have been doing clerical work,” said the chairman, Mi- W. Campbell, at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board, when a notification was received that more teachers were to be called for home service for the duration of the war. Mr W. I. Eoyer: "One of our teachers put in the greater part of his time in camp peeling potatoes.” Other members agreed that teachers were too valuable in their own sphere to do non-essential work in camp, but if their services were considered essential there was nothing the board could do about it. .

Military Classes to be Assisted.

In response io representations made by the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association additions have been niade to the classes of men serving with the forces who are eligible to receive assistance. .Hitherto assistance was available only to men serving overseas. Now men accepted for overseas service with the New Zealand Forces, territorials undergoing a period of intensive training, and men of the heavy regiments of artillery and the anti-air-craft batteries mobilised by proclamation dated September 6, 1939, and men of the New Zealand Temporary Staff signed up for overseas service, but who have been held back for instructional duties, are eligible for assistance, provided that the financial circumstances warrant it. Illegally on Reserve. While taking a short cut on a track through the prison reserve near the Colonial Ammunition Company's magazines at Auckland, Henry Richard McDonald, aged 33, restaurant keeper, was called on to halt by a military guard at 3 o’clock last Friday morning. On Thursday he pleaded guilty in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court to entering without authority land reserved for defence purposes. The police said that McDonald made a statement that he was returning from a friend’s place, where he had been drinking. The police did not think there was anything sinister in the action. McDonald told the magistrate he was wounded in the lasi war. He had no lawless motive. The magistrate, Mr Molding, asked if the Defence Department could not erect a gate io keep people off the properly. Lieut.-Colonel Dawson undertook to consult the prison authorities. McDonald was fined £2. Toll, of the Motor. An appeal to all road users to lake special care during the Easter holiday season was made on Thursday by the Minister of Transport, Mr Semple. He said that the effect of the petrol restrictions had been entirely offset by t. new spirit of risk-taking on the roads. It was only by a concerted effort that a repetition of the tragedies that had occurred on I lie roads during the past Easter seasons could be avoided. "The war has had a quite unexpected effect on holiday traffic accidents,’ said Mr Semple. "With reduced petrol supplies and many of our drivers in the military- forces we might have expected reduced traffic risks. Instead of fewer fatalities on the roads, the death, rate during last Easter and last Christmas appears to be the worst we have ('vei' experienced. Last Easter more than 100 persons were injured in traflie accidents, and 16 were killed. Even when we compare last month with pre-war March 1939. we line! that the death roll has risen from 17 Io 19. Vote Counting Method. Al Hie annual meeting of the Manawain and I’. Association this week, there were 1(1 candidates to (ill 12 positions on the committee, caused by the regular retirement of that number. Twenty minutes after Iho meeting opened liie result of the poll was announced. The usual method of civic or Parliamentary elections would have entailed Hie enumeration of more than 500(1 votes, taking about eight hours. The three returning officers did the work in Iwo hours by a method evolved by them some years ago. instead ol recording the 12 favourable votes on each paper. they counted the four ad-

verre veles ain.l ilcclneteci Ihe result I'rinn the total number of voles recorded. thus saving three-quarters of

the i numeral ion and reducing ihe risk of error in the same degree. A similar method of vole counting was used in eonneetion with the IVlasterlon A. and I’.' Association's election over thirty yra-iin ae..>.