LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 December 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A Record Collection. The St John Ambulance Flag Day collection in Wellington on Wednesday realised £789, a record, and an increase of about £250 on the last appeal two years ago. Blackout Breaches. Breaches of the blackout regulations during the trial on November 9 resulted in several Wellington householders being fined sums ranging from 10s to £2 by Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, yesterday. Medical Examination of Group. Medical examination of the men ■of the 41-45 age group, who will be called up for military service by,a gazette to ’be published-on Tuesday, will hot begin before February 1, the Minister of Defence, Mr Jones,' states. Local Health Stamp Sales. The sale of Health stamps at the Masterton Post Office since their issue on October 1, 1942, amount to £33 to date, and compares favourably with the same period last year when. £25 worth of stamps were sold. In view, of the worthy cause the public’s continued support is solicited. Payment of Benefits and Pensions. The Social Security Department advise that age benefits will be paid on Monday, December 2’l, and all other benefits and pensions, including the famiy benefit, war, veterans’ allowances and universal superannuation, on Tuesday, December 22. Those persons not otherwise included over 65 years of age come under the heading of universal superannuation. Unscrupulous Thieves. Signs are accumulating in Auckland of the presence of people prepared to go to unscrupulous lengths to obtain motor tires and tubes, either for their own use or for sale in the black market. The latest case occurred at Takapuna, when the private garage of Mr Logan Nicks was entered and his car stripped of all four wheels and ’.he spare. On Wednesday morning Mr Nicks found his car neatly jacked up on concrete blocks and all the wheels missing. Body Found on Beach. The body of a man, which was found on the beach near Taharoa, Kawhia, yesterday, is believed to be that of an airman. Clothes bore the name of Sergeant P. A. Morey, No. 10 T.C. A party of airmen has left a North Island station for Kawhia to identify the body. It was reported on December 8 that Sergeant Peter Albert Morey, son of Mr A. Morey, Wellington, was one of two members of the Air Force to be missing in an aircraft which had been engaged in air gunnery exercises. Fire Fighting Equipment. Dunedin’s fire-fighting equipment has been heavily reinforced by a new, powerful engine of the cabin type to carry seven men with equipment. It was built in Wellington and is said to be the only closed-in fire engine in the Dominion. Even more important is the acquisition of a 100 ft turntable ladder. It is all steel, with a monitor at the top capable of ejecting a powerful stream of water. The ladder is connected by telephone from top to ; bottom, and is said to be the most modern south of the Line. The cost of this new equipment was £11,300.