LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 July 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Death from Injuries. Mrs R. Moore, Berhampore, who was taken to the Wellington Public Hospital suffering from very serious head injuries and concussion after being struck by a tram at the intersection of Adelaide Road and Luxford Street on Friday night, died at 5 o’clock yesterday morning.

Slight Earthquake Shock. A slight shock of earthquake was felt in Wellington at 7.44 o’clock last night. In some districts it was of sufficient force to set electric light fittings swinging. Observers in Kelburn state that it was preceded by noises, similar to that of machinery in motion. In Petone it was felt in the form of a sharp jerk. The Dominion Observatory reported that there was a possibility that it was of deep-seated origin, as two separate waves seemed to be perceptible.

Women Railway Assistants. Women railway station assistants are engaged to perform certain of the duties formerly undertaken by junior porters, and they are not employed as guards. This has been made clear by the Minister of Railways, Mr Semple, who stated that the duties of the women included assisting guards by checking and issuing tickets, handling luggage and parcels, and cleaning work. The women would have nothing to do with dispatching and signalling trains —a highly specialised work.

Miraculous Escape From Death. When the slip came down on the main highway at Pukerua Bay on Friday a grader-driver in the employ of the Public Works Department, Mr James Herlihy, had a miraculous escape. He was at work clearing away spoil which had fallen on the road from an earlier subsidence when a further fall carried his grader to the edge of the road, above a 300 or 400foot slide down to the beach. He jumped out of the cab of the grader but was caught by the sliding mass of mud and rotten rock and carried with the grader down to'the beach, coming to rest buried to the neck. Public works employees and soldiers managed to dig him out just in time, for no sooner had they got back to firm ground than there was a further rush of sodden soil, which poured over the spot where lie had been buried. Mr Herlihy was considerably bruised. Rationing of Clothes. The following amendments to the clothing rationing scheme were announced at the weekend by the Rationing Controller, Mr J. E. Thomas:— Women’s hosiery: In order to provide for the needs of children under 16 years of age, fully-fashioned hose of lisle and cashmere has now been excluded from the special hosiery rationing scheme which begins today. This means that instead of fully-fashioned hose of lisle and cashmere being purchaseable only on the surrender of the X 7 coupon such hose may now be bought with M coupons, two of which must be surrendered for each pair acquired. Calico for soldiers’ parcels: In order to avoid imposing hardship on those people who send parcels to soldier relatives and friends overseas, it has been decided that unbleached calico for the wrapping of such parcels may now be purchased couponfree provided the length in each case does not exceed one yard.