LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 January 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“Dive Bomber Mosquitos.” , “Talk about mosquitoes!” wrote Bombardier M. J. Healy from an island in the Pacific, in a letter to a Temuka resident. “They say they are not as bad here as further up the island, but I doubt it. They are as big as divebombers, and there is a story here that one pulled into a bowser the other day. They filled it up with gasoline and it flew away before they realised that it was a mosquito.” Anniversary Day. It is not known officially whether the Anniversary Day holiday is to be observed in the Wellington district this year or not. On inquiry at the Prime Minister’s office, Wellington, this morning, it was ascertained that the matter had not been finally disposed of, but it was hoped to make a public announcement before the end of the week. Anniversary Day, January 22, falls this year on Friday week. Fire at Kohinui. At midnight on Monday a sevenroomed house at Kohinui, owned by Mr G. F. Rose and occupied by Mr D. Collins, was burnt to the ground. Mr Collins woke at 11.45 p.m. to find the house ablaze and so far advanced was the fire that he had little time to get his family out and nothing in the way of furniture or personal effects was saved. It is understood that neither the house nor the contents were covered by insurance. A Long Ride. When a group of girl students returned to Dunedin by train after their vacation, they found that a fellow student, scorning the usual mode of travel, had ridden on horseback from her home in South Canterbury and was already in the city. During last year’s session this student had arranged to stable her favourite horse in Dunedin. To avoid the payment of freight by railway or road transport she set out to ride to Dunedin, leaving herself four, days to be in time for the beginning of the new session. Rush for Ta>cis. Aucklanders are well aware of the difficulties of obtaining taxis m comS etition with members of the United ations’ forces, but a late home-goer on Saturday night experienced at first hand just what that competition can be. Having learned to “hail” with decision and to jump for a door handle with- the best, he had “got in first with a taxi that pulled into a city stand. The passengers were already in the car when a United States serviceman appeared beside the driver s seat with an offer of double fare if the taximan would take him instead. His offer was turned down promptly.