LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 August 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Removal of Parapets.

As a precautionary measure' the damaged parapets on the western and Square side of the Palmerston North City Council’s building are being removed.

Heavy Fine for Bigamy. Robert Scott, a stevedore, who pleaded guilty in the lower Court to bigamy at New’ Plymouth, was fined in the Supreme Court, New Plymouth, yesterday, £lOO, in default six months’ imprisonment.

Wellington Town Hail Damaged. Grave damage was done to the Wellington Town Hall by Sunday morning’s earthquake and it may be months before the big hall or the concert chamber is made safe for public letting. Such was the wrenching the big building sustained that it shattered the brickwork in some places. There is a big split in the wall over the stairway leading to the dressing-rooms of the concert chamber, and the dress-ing-room ceilings, and the proscenium walls on either side of the platform have shed much of their plaster facing. In the concert chamber itself, there are lateral cracks in the eastern and western walls, while the old cracks above the doors of the gallery have opened out as a result of the quake. The Military Way. A number of soldiers have been released from camps to assist in the rehabilitation of Wellington, particularly to deal with damaged chimneys. One contractor, who was given a gang of these men, spent most of Tuesday instructing them what to do and how to do it, and found the men eager and willing. He expected the same men to turn up yesterday morning, but a fresh lot altogether was allocated to him, and once more he had to spend part of the day teaching the men. This he considered a very poor arrangement, one that was evidently made by the military authorities, who were releasing the men in squads for one day at a time. Teachers on Service. The large proportion of male teachers of the primary schools of the Dominion who are serving with the armed forces is shown in a return, compiled by Mr H. J. Thornton, secretary of the Nelson Education Board, and published in the journal, “National Education.” Of a normal male teaching staff of 3833, no fewer than 2032, or 53 per cent, are on service, and these include a considerable number who are over military age. The number and percentages from the nine education districts as at July 15 are given as follows:—Auckland, teachers and -trainees serving, 638, or 46.8 per cent; Taranaki, 111, or 64.5 per cent; Hawke’s Bay, 168, or 65.9 per cent; Wanganui, 156, or 61.1 per cent; Wellington, 229, or 55 per cent; Nelson, 96, or 55.8 per cent; Canterbury, 284, or 46.8 per cent; Otago, 229, or 59.6 per cent; Southland, 121, or 57.6 per cent.