LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 January 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

> — Sunshine Contest. Napier, with 2492 hours, won last year’s annual contest for New Zealand towns, recording the greatest number of hours of bright sunshine. Blenheim was next with 2477.8 hours and Nelson third with 2390.8 hours. With 1900.5 hours Wellington was disgraced by an exceptionally bad winter, and came 29th out of 37 places where the records are kept. Masterton registered 2220.2 hours, being eighth on the list. Dunedin ran last, with 1648.4 hours. Theft of Camp Funds. Formerly employed as paymaster at Papakura Military Camp, Richard Seymour Powell, a clerk, aged 35, appeared in the Auckland Magistrates’ Court yesterday on two charges of theft. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Powell was charged that on December 16, 1940, being a servant of the New Zealand Government, he did steal £5O belonging to the Army Department. He was also charged with theft of £6O belonging to Papakura Mobilisation Camp regimental funds. Alleged Subversive Pamphlet. Charges of having permitted the printing and publication of certain subversive statements were preferred against Charles Ronald Howell, accountant, aged 30, in the Magistrates’ Court, Auckland, yesterday. Constable Clark said he found copies of a pamphlet entitled “Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men,” in telephone cabinets. Detective Jones said opinions had been obtained that the documents contained subversive statements. When questioned, accused admitted complicity and authorship of the pamphlet. Howell declined to plead and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Search for Oil. Notwithstanding the extension of hostilities to the Pacific zone, information he had received showed clearly that the large oil companies were determined to go right ahead with their programmes in search of oil in New Zealand, stated the Minister of Mines, Mr Webb, when,interviewed at Auckland yesterday. “In these times,” said Mi- Webb, “one cannot always be as specific as one would like, but I know that one large company will shortly be operating in this country with an extremely powerful unit which has incorporated in it the very latest improvements in drilling technique. The Minister said that this country had a wonderful drilling record in other parts of the world because it recognised that the essential need was a “super” rig of proven capacity to drill successfully and quickly the very deepest of wells with a minimum of trouble or delay, and therefore at relatively low overall cost.