LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 February 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Loss of Parcel Mail. The Postmaster-General, Mr Webb, announced last evening the loss by enemy action of 85 bags of parcels dispatched from the Middle East base post office during the first ten days of December. The letter mails forwarded at about the same time have been duly received in the Dominion and delivered to the addresses. Mental Hospital Fire. The time within which the commission of inquiry appointed to investigate the circumstances of the disastrous fire at the Seacliff Mental Hospital in December is to report has been extended to March 15. The commission’s original warrant of appointment provided that it was to present its report to the Governor-General by Monday. St. John Ambulance Dance. The St. John Ambulance Brigade} will hold another dance in the Masonic Hall, Masterton, tonight. The music will be supplied by Mr J. Barnes’s Rhythm Boys, and the duties of M.C. will be again carried out by Mr C. S. McQuade (Cadet Superintendent). Novelty dances will be held, and special supper arrangements have been made in anticipation of a large attendance. The proceeds will go to the brigade’s funds. Gas Position In Auckland. On Thursday night, because of lack of suitable coal, the Auckland Gas Company had only 30 inches of gas in the main holder. So serious has the supply position become that the company has sent a telegram to the Minister of Mines urging immediate relief. At the company’s annual meeting yesterday, a resolution was adopted unanimously viewing with grave concern the total inadequacy of the coal supplies to the company, resulting in a serious curtailment of output and threatening a vital war production, and expressing the view that the company’s importance entitles it to deliveries of suitable coal to maintain at least minimum producton. A Three-day Week. Three of Wanganui’s largest jewellers will in future be open only three days a week, a measure found necessary because of shortage of stock caused by import restrictions and the switch-over of peace-time jewellery industries to more essential war production. One Wanganui jeweller stated that the decision to close on three days of the week—Thursday, Friday and Saturday—was following a similar action taken by many jewellers in Great Britain. Watchmakers, however, have not been so seriously affected, as, while stocks of new watches are almost nil, repairs in almost every case in Wanganui are more than the tradesmen can cope with. Maori Major Acquitted. Major Hamuera Paul Te Punga, of a Maori Battalion in the Ist New Zealand Division, was acquitted at Auckland yesterday, by general court-mar-tial on three charges, (1) ill-treating a Maori soldier, Private Seagar Kirkwood, on various dates between October 18 and November 13, 1942, by (a) handcuffing him and keeping him handcuffed for long periods by day and by night; (b) attaching him by handcuffs to such fixed objects as the pole of a tent, electric light pole and a tree, (c) allowing him to have only bread and water; (2) conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline by unlawfully punishing Kirkwood on various occasions between October 18 and November 6 without trial for refusing to perform defaulters’ duties while under close arrest; and (3) unlawful punishment on various occasions between November 6 and November 13 while Kirkwood was under sentence of detention for having absented himself without, leave. Te Punga served in Greece and Crete, was mentioned in dispatches, wounded, and returned to New Zealand, and again posted to a Maori Battalion.

Fail From Lorry. John Duder, aged 23 years of Greytown was admitted to the Masterton Hospital yesterday afternoon with a broken leg which he received when he fell off a lorry. National Savings. A sum of £2427 was invested in National Savings at the Masterton Post Office yesterday, bringing the total investments to date for the week to £2,655 There was a steady stream of investments yesterday and the amount paid in was the highest for many months.Interhouse Girls. Three teams of girls representing the Wairarapa Interhouse Association, members of the executive committee, team coaches and numerous supporters left Masterton this morning for Wanganui for the interhouse marching contests to be held at Wanganui today. Interhouse Dance. The Wairarapa Interhouse Association’s dance held in the Masonic Hall, Masterton, last night was an outstanding success. There was a large crowd of dancers. Bright music was played by Mrs I 'Aston’s' orchestra and extras were played by Misses V. Irwin and B. Hawke. Messrs J. Bruce and L. Askew capably acted as M’s C. A Monte Carlo waltz was won by Miss C. Robinson and Mr R. H. Austin, of the U.S. Marine Corps. Supper was served by the Interhouse girls. Privileges Guarded. Strong exception was being -taken by the Wellington Musicians’ Union to bands of the United States armed forces in New Zealand accepting paid engagements and the Labour Department had been asked to reach an agreement with the American authorities on the matter, said the secretary of the union Mr J. H. Collins, yesterday. It was considered that this request was not unreasonable in view of the attitude adopted by the military authorities in the United States toward the American Federation of Musicians. Windfall Apples. About 5000 cases of windfall apples were left to rot on the ground in Canterbury last year as their sale was prohibited by the Internal Marketing Division. According to information received in Christchurch from the Minister of Marketing, Mr Barclay, that state of affairs will not exist this season. He said that the Government had agreed to extend its purchase to include fruit actually lower than commercial grade and which, by Department of Agriculture regulations, is specified as minimum grade. In the case of windfalls, sound, wholesome fruit would to a large extent be disposed of under this arrangement provided the fruit was free of dirt, serious bruising, or broken skin. If the fruit was too immature for dessert purposes it might be made possible in exceptional circumstances, such as gale and hail conditions, to have it accepted as cookers. Lost Wallet Found. A wallet containing 1270 dollars, or about £386 in New Zealand currency, was found in a Wellington picture theatre by a civilian on Tuesday night after the performance. He waited outside the' theatre for a quarter of an hour in the hope of seeing some wor-ried-looking American who might be searching for the wallet. When the theatre-goers had dispersed and there was no indication of who had lost the wallet he took it home. Next morning he returned to the theatre with the intention of making further inquiries. Outside he saw a marine accompanied by a police officer waiting for the theatre to open. Guessing that the American might be the owner of the wallet the civilian closely questioned him. Satisfied that this was his man the finder told him he could have the wallet if he went to his home to get it. The marine did this, recovered his wallet and the money, which represented accumulated pay while he was serving in the Islands-, and very handhomely rewarded the finder with part of the money and an equally pleasing tribute to the honesty of New Zealand people.