LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 July 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Soldier Killed. In a collision between a motor-truck and a bus at Runciman, 23 miles, south of Auckland, shortly after midnight on Tuesday, a soldier, aged about 22, Foster I. Sties, a passenger on the truck, was killed outright. Two other young men were injured and sent to hospital. Nobody in the bus was injured.

Defaulters Sentenced. A man who had served in the territfoials, but failed to parade to receive an Army uniform was one of three committed to defaulters’ detention by Mr Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, yesterday. He was Jack Bruce Gleeson. The other two charged with failure to render military service were Daniel Andrew De Vautier and Norman William Cole.

Appeal for Teachers. The Auckland Education Board has decided after a lengthy discussion to rescind a former resolution restricting appeals for release from military service to head teachers and certain other classifications and in future to appeal for the exemption of all teachers, subject to the condition that they enrol in the Home Guard. The resolution is not to apply to teachers called in ballots as they reach the minimum age of 18 for military service. The board also resolved that in view of the acute shortage of teachers the Government be asked to declare the teaching profession an essential industry.

Chimney Stacks and earthquake. On the whole, the big chimney stacks in Wellington survived the earthquake pretty well. None of the tall stacks in the city proper were shaken down, and only one (the Gas Company’s old chimney at Miramar) was reduced to rubble. It was found that reinforced concrete stacks stood up well to the disturbance, no apparent damage having been done to the destructor or the milk station stacks. The carillon tower, in Buckle Street, Wellington’s loftiest structure, appears to be intact. At Wellington South the Hospital Board’s comparatively new stack survived the tremors, but another brick-built stack connected with a timber yard in the same district shows signs of the jolting it got. There is a displacement of the brickwork about 12 feet from the top, a section that will have to be taken down and rebuilt.

Supply of Knitting Wool. Additional quantities of knitting wools, cream and white flannel and white wool for baby wear are to be manufactured in the Dominion immediately with a view to overcoming the existing shortage, said the Minister of Supply, Mr Sullivan, in reply to an urgent question by Mr Wilkinson (Independent, Egmont). He said much discontent was prevalent, and in a note to his question stated it was understood that white and other wool was obtainable in Australia. The Minister said he was aware of the position and regarded supplies as being of prime importance. By a rearrangement of defence contracts certain domestic mills would produce additional quantities immediately. Supplies of baby wool in the past had come largely from Britain and representations had been made through the High Commissioner in London urging the necessity for special export release of quantities for Nov; Zealand. Official inquiries were also being made in Australia.

Otaki Health Camp. “The future of the Otaki Children’s Health Camp is uncertain,” said the Minister of Health, Mr Nordmeyer, when replying to Mr Lowry (Government, Otaki), during discussion of the Health Department vote. The Minister added that it was likely that for some time to come the institution would be required by the Wellington Hospital Board as an emergency hospital, and that as far as he could see there was no early prospect of the children returning there. However, he hoped that it would be possible to have a summer camp at some place for the children. More Estimates Passed. Votes on the Estimates of departmental expenditure were again discussed by the House of Representatives yesterday. Twelve classes, representing an aggregate vote of £7,858,866, had been approved when the House rose at 10.30 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. today. The following items were passed: — Health Department, £1,873,884; Social Security Department, medical, hospital benefits, etc., £3,504,600; Customs Department, £153,362; National Provident and Friendly Societies’ Department, £105,492; Department of Lands and Survey, £370,000; Land for Settlements Account, £180,000; Small Farms .Development, £110,000; State Forest Account, £475,000; Department of Agriculture, £936,000; Dairy Industry Account, £89.148; Meat Industry Account, £40,100; Sundry Products Account, £21,000. The Estimates are being considered further today.

Aid to Enter Medical Profession. The likelihood of some scheme being evolved before the opening of the next university year whereby facilities would be made available for sons and daughters of poorer people to enter the medical profession was mentioned by the Minister of Health, Mr Nordmeyer, during discussion on the Health Department vote. He said that an announcement would be made before next year. The question was raised by Mr Richards (Government, Roskill), who asked whether the Government would give immediate consideration to the establishment of a second medical school so that brilliant sons and daughters of the poorer people could qualify as doctors. At present, he said, the Otago Medical' School was something akin to a close corporation of the medican profession. A Warning to Motorists. A warning that action would be taken against motorists who had not fixed their relicensing stickers to windwas given yesterday by the Commissioner of Transport, Mr G. L. Laurenson, who said it had been noted that fully one-third of the vehicles on the road were without stickers. In previous years when motorists had been put to the trouble of fixing new number plates, some latitude had been allowed if the new plates were carried in the car, but the present procedure ' was so simple that it was not considered there was any excuse for neglect. The regulations required that the sticker should be carried on the inside of the wind-screen in the upper left corner, but in some cases they had. been incorrectly placed. Motor-cyclists were required to use a holder near the centre of the handlebars if possible, trailers to carry them on the rear and tractors and other vehicles not fitted with a windscreen to have the stickers fixed at the front near the top on the left side.