LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 June 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Clock Blackout Victim. The town clock at Havelock North has fallen victim to the lighting restrictions, and is out for the duration of the war. It has been suggested that the Hastings clock is a source of sky glow, and consideration is being given to the reduction of the power of the lamps illuminating the face. Boxing Match May Not Eventuate. It is possible that the proposed boxing match between Cliff Hanham and Vic Caltaux, which the Napier Boxing Association hoped to stage, will not eventuate, because of insufficient guarantee forthcoming. Mr J. Crowley, Hanham's manager, sought a guarantee of £250, but only about half of this amount was volunteered. Wrestling. It is now practically assured that there will be wrestling in at least the four principal centres in New Zealand this winter, according to a statement made by Mr Walter Miller in Auckland. Satisfactory arrangements are imminent, and several wrestlers can be contacted almost immediately, he said, and the first match of the new season will take place in Auckland in the next few weeks. Optimist Club. Masterton Optimist Club members assembled in the Y.M.C.A. rooms last evening for their weekly gathering. The Chief Smiler, Mr R. C. Baikie, presided over a good attendance of members. After the “black cat" had collected penalties for "infringements" by members, the Rev. H. Taepa led the meeting in community singing. An address followed on a subject of interest to the members. A Remarkable Hen. This is the story of Lena, the hen, owned by a Hastings resident, and surely one of the most remarkable hens in Hawke's Bay. Lena flies through the scullery window, alights on the sideboard, and lays an egg in an ornamen- , tai fruit bowl. Always the same bowl, , always on the sideboard, but Lena will not lay elsewhere. Her owner has taken steps to correct the fowl of her somewhat embarrassing trait, but Lena has proved incurable, and makes a daily , visit to the bowl. Speaking to a reporter on Monday, the owner vouched for the truth of the story. The telephone conversation was abruptly ended. )“You must excuse me,” said the woman. “There’s that darned fowl again.”

Record Flight.

The Union Airways plane Kahu. piloted by Commander J. N. Jackson, broke the record for the ChristchurchDunedin trip yesterday, covering the distance in 56min. The plane left Christchurch at 1 p.m. and arrived at Dunedin at 1.56. The usual time is about an hour and a half. A strong following wind contributed to the excellent time.

Forty Hour Week. Resentment at the attack on the 40hour week by Chambers of Commerce and in the Press was expressed at a special meeting of the Wellington Trades Council this week, when a motion was passed drawing attention to tile steps taken by the Government, through the establishment of the Industrial Emergency Council, to deal with applications for extension of hours, a number of which, it was stated, had been granted to assist the country's war effort. Claim to Title. The hearing of lhe appeal of Patua Rangatira, also known as W. P. Browne, and his wife Tuvaine Rangatira, of Rarotonga, against the award of the title of Makea Niu Ariki, or paramount chief, to Mrs Takau Rio Love, Petone, was concluded before Mr Justice Ostler in. the Supreme Court at Auckland yesterday. The previous holder of the title, Makea Niu Timrau, died on January 24, 1939, and in February last year Judge Ayson, of the High Court of the Cook Islands, adjudged Mrs Love to be his lawful successor. In reserving his decision, his Honour said he had found the case extraordinarily interesting.

Health of Troops. Up to now there has been no recurrence among troops of the epidemics met with last winter, said the Director of Army Medical Services, Brigadier Bowerbank, yesterday. There are fewer than 12 cases of German measles at Trentham Camp. As a precautionary measure the racecourse emergency hospital at Trentham has been reopened and 10 measles cases admitted. These are mild cases. Full precautions have been taken against any extension of corebro-spinal meningitis, which occurred to a limited extent among troops in North Auckland. No cases are known among troops elsewhere. The bacteriological cause of the diarrhoea outbreak al Waiouru had been eradicated. Tn general, the state of health of troops throughout New Zealand was excellent.

Patriotic Fund Donations. Donations to the National Patriotic Fund up to June 9 totalled £172,202 17s 6d. Flags at Half-mast. Flags were flown at half-mast, on Government buildings in Masterton today in respect for the late Mr T. Mark, Public Service Commissioner, whose funeral took place today. Proceeds from Scrap Metal. Scrap metal collected in Masterton and forwarded to Wellington for sale has realised the sum ol £52 13s 3d. Altogether one ton eight cwt was collected, made up as follow: Aluminium 7621b5. copper 5541b5, brass 10361b5, lead 8031bs,.zinc 261bs. The proceeds have been credited to the patriotic fund. Waitemata Seat. Notification of the death of Captain W. J. Lyon, former member of the House of Representatives for Waitemata, together with a formal certificate of death, have been sent by the Regis-trar-General to the Speaker of the House, Mr Barnard, thus disposing of an earlier suggestion made in Auckland that there might be difficulty In declaring the seat vacant solely on the report that Captain Lyon had been killed in action. The documents have been received by Mr Barnard. Reduction of Racing Days. A suggestion that consideration should be given by the Government to lhe effect of lhe increases in totalisator investments on the national savings campaign was made by Mr Polson (Opposition, Stratford) in notice of a question to the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Polson said that such increases weakened, and to some extent, foiled lhe objective at which the campaign was aiming, and asked the Minister whether he did not consider the time had arrived to imitate other parts of the Empire and reduce the number of racing days in New Zealand during the war period.