LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

National Savings. National Savings receipts at the Masterton Post Office yesterday amounted tb £126, making the total for the week to date £B5B. This exceeds the quota of £784. Wool Appraisement. Wool totalling 28,707 bales, net weight 9,014,4951b5, were offered at the third appraisement of the season in Christchurch. The total value ' was £556,631, equivalent to an price of £l9 7s 9.626 d a bale, or Is f?.819d per lb. Hand Blown Off. While training with the Home Guard at Thornbury on Thursday, Gilbert Buchanan, a farmer, aged 39, slipped while holding some gelignite and the explosion blew off his right hand and caused a severe wound on the right side of his body and on his | legs. His condition is serious. Trooper’s Death. Trooper D. K. Galbraith, of Rotorua, was fatally injured when an Army vehicle left the road and overturned on Thursday ' between Maungataperi and Kaikohe. Trooper M. J. Hall, the other occupant of the vehicle, was also injured. Both meh were taken to the Whangarei Hospital, where Galbraith died yesterday morning. Fireblight in Canterbury. Enough fireblight is present in the Canterbury district this season to bring about an infection next spring equal to the worst experienced since the disease first appeared in the district several years ago. Unless adequate steps are taken to eliminate all sources of infection liable to carry the disease through the winter, this is the opinion of the members of the Canterbury fireblight committee. Interhouse Dance. z The Masonic Hall, Masterton, was crowded last evening when the Wairarapa Interhouse Association held a most successful dance. There was a representative attendance of servicemen. The music was supplied by Mrs Ashton’s Orchestra and extras were played by Misses M. Iveson, Hawke and L. Hopkins. A Monte Carlo waltz was won by Miss J. Askew and Mr Massey. Messrs J. Bruce and L. Askew were M’s.C. Supper was served by the Interhouse girls. The proceeds will be allocated towards paying the expenses of the marching teams’ visit to ' Wanganui. The next dance will be held on Friday, February 12. Parcels for War Prisoners. “The Prisoner of War,” the London journal representing the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance organisation in England, points out that it is impossible to ensure delivery of parcels to prisoners of war in Germany or Italy. Six months ago there were 93,000 prisoners (including 5000 civilians) m Germany and Italy, and doubtless that figure had been increased by the Libyan campaign. The chairman of the Prisoners of War Department, Sir Rickard Howard-Vyse, recently tola an audience in London that the weak link between Lisbon and Marseilles had been adjusted, but the bombing and destruction of railway trains by our own 1 planes scarcely. helped getting food and clothing to our prisoners of wart Romance or History? A piece of heather in flower, on view in the Otago Museum, comes from one of the most romantic spots of the south seas. On Campbell Island is a woman’s grave, from which this slip was taken. Many stories have been told about this woman, the one told by Ro. Carrick, in his Govern- ' ment Survey,” said that the woman was French by birth, but, Scottish by > extraction, being the daughter of Meg Wilkinshaw and Bonnie Prince Charlie. When the Prince retired to France, . Miss‘Wilkinshaw accompanied him and I became involved politically with the Tacobite Party. On her death, sus--1 picion was transferred to her daughter, and in order to get rid of her, a sea- - man named Stewart abducted her and ■ took her to New Zealand. He then handed her over to a brother sailor, who marooned her on Campbell IsI laiid, “where she died. As Carrick points out, this fits in with the pieces of history, but he adds that Campbell t Island 1 Was hot’ 1 discovered, until 30 1 years after the supposed date. The remains of a hut and a pebble pathway 1 may still be found there.

A Good Suggestion? Councillor Mary McLean’s notice’ of motion to amend the Christchurch City Council standing orders to allow a maximum of five minutes to speakers was defeated on the voices at a meeting of the council. The present limit of ten minutes allowed too much verbosity and waste of time, she claimed. Baptist Church Gathering.

A social gathering will be held in the Baptist Church Hall, at the corner of Chapel and Renall streets, Masterton, at 7.30 o’clock tonight, when a welcome will be extended to the Rev J. Cumming, the newly-appointed minister to the church. Occasion will also be taken to bid farewell to Pastor D. R. Edwards, who will return to his studies at the Baptist College. Australian Termites,

A report on 630 further inspections for termites, laid before the Auckland City Council the other night, showed that the Australian variety had been found on eight properties in Richmond Road, Richmond Avenue and Point Chevalier Road and in two street poles in Richmond Road and Manukau Road. Native termites were found in 1237 cases. From a total of 4310 inspections in Auckland City 90 cases of Australian termites on properties and 62 in street poles had been located. Gladioli Prizes.

A Masterton gladioli grower, Mr H. G. Smith, of Renall Street, Masterton, has achieved notable success with his blooms at two recent Wellington shows. At the Miramar Show last week he was awarded eleven firsts and one. tail’d, besides exhibiting the amateur'Champion bloom and winning the Poynton Cup for most points. At the Wellington Show this week, he won two cups, was awarded five firsts and four seconds, and again secured the prize for the amateur championship. Union Airways Mishap.

The pilot of the Union Airways plane which made a forced landing on Flagstaff Hill, a Dunedin Press Association message states, was Mr A. T. Orchard, and the co-pilot Mr I. A. Hadfield. The latter received head injuries which necessitated hospital observation. Of the passengers, Mr G. F. Booth, manager of the Dunedin branch of the Union Steam Ship Company, received a cut on the head and Mr R. Smith, of Wellington, an injury to an eye. The other occupants escaped with only slight abrasions and shock. In its long record of flying in New Zealand, Union Airways, Ltd., has had few accidents, the only fatal crashes being one at Rongotai aerodrome and one at Mangere aerodrome. Yesterday’s crash landing was the first crash which has been experienced by the company while operating on the South Island route. Royal New Zealand Air Force guards have been posted over the damaged machine. It will be impossible to fly it, even if repaired, from its present position, and it is anticipated that it will be taken away in sections and reassembled.