General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 5 January 1945, Page 4

General News

Sailing; Times Altered The Anchor Shipping Company have announced that the sailing time of the Matangi to Wellington to-night is 8.45 o’clock, and that the Arahura will sail at 9 p.m. to-morrow. Musical Composition Accepted in U.S.A. Advice has been received by Mr T. J. Kirk-Burnnand, Principal of the Nelson School of Music, that his work “Symphonic Fantasia” for full orchestra, has been accepted by # the America Music Teachers’ Federation which has arranged for its publication in the United States. It is probable that the composition will be broadcast by the National Broadcasting • Corporation <U.S.A.) this year. Hospitality to Servicemen The Salvation Army Red Shield Institute at the railway station entertained over 9000 servicemen who passed through Wellington on Christmas and New Year leave, stales “The Dominion.” The railway transport officers on duty expressed their satisfaction with the quick, orderly, and happy manner in which refreshments were served to hundreds of men at a time on the arrival of trains from military camps. Since the opening of the Railway Institute by the Salvation Army in 1939 over one and three-quar-ter million members of the New Zealand and Allied Services and merchant navies have partaken of its hospitality. Refresher Courses At the suggestion of-the Rehabilitation Board. Victoria University College, Wellington, introduced refresher course for practising barristers and solicitors at the beginning of last year. It is anticipated that similar courses in other professions may require to be introduced. This subject is under review by the board, which is considering the provision of refresher correspondence courses, short-term full-time lecture courses and special overseas ’ postgraduate courses. “Mid-Victorian doctors had a habit of condemning anything that made life tolerable,” wrote Dr. Frederick Graves in the London "Daily Express” recently. adding : “The new. school of medicine takes a different view. It has come to recognise that tobacco, for instance, is a great solace in times of worry, and for many a direct aid to mental effort and concentration.” The doctor, however, is keenly alive to the danger from excess of nicotine in tobacco. "Pure nicotine.” he states, "like strychnine and arsenic, is now known to be a deadly poison.” It is. And what is more, practically all the brands in everyday use contain more or less of this vile stuff. The most notable exception is found in the New Zealand tobacco which, put through a costly purifying process in the course of manufacture (toasting), is rendered practically free from nicotine and is consequently harmless to the-smoker. The process also gives this famous tobacco its world-renowned flavour and peerless bouquet Note carefully, there are only six brands: Riverhead Gold. Desert Gold. Navy Cut No. 3. Pocket Edition. Cavendish and Cut Plus No. 10.* *

Voice “From the Bush” A voice "from the bush” caused a false start in the last race at Stratford on Monday. The starter was lining up the big field when a shout "Go” was heard, apparently from someone j m the trees beside the track, says the < —Taranaki “Herald.” Sqjne of the horses on the outside went off through ! the barrier. One of the riders was i slightly hurt. The starter immediatei ly called "no start.” and the half-dozen horses that had got away were brought back. A delay of over 10 minutes was caused by the incident. New Zealand's Lighthouses Along the New Zealand coast there are 51 lighthouses of various types. Twenty-four of them are watched lights, and the remainder are automatic. The average cost of erection and equipment of the main coastal lighthouses was about £6OOO a light. The two most costly were those at Cape Brett, on the Auckland Peninsula. and Dog Island, Foveaux Strait (£11,237 and £10,481 respectively). During 1942 43 the Marine Department expended £85.616 on its lighthouses. Light dues for the same period amounted to £64.402 Court of Inquiry A Manawatu correspondent reports that a court of inquiry is sitting at Palmerston North hearing evidence in regard to the loss of military material in the fire which raged at the A. and P. showgrounds on Sunday night. It is expected that the hearing will last several days. Preparations for salvage are under way. By-Election Propaganda One of the latest issues of the "N.Z.E.F. Times,” that of October 9, contains the propaganda of the Labour and National Parties for the Awarua by-election. It is explained in a footnote that the material was supplied through the Director of Publicity (Mr J. T. Paul) by cable and was displayed in the form requested without addition or omission. Each party was given 40 inches of space. This included in the case of the Labour Party a panel reporting the sending of a cable message to Sergeant J. D. Hinton. V.C.. now a prisoner of war, asking him to be the party’s candidate. It said that, if his acceptance were not received before the closing of nominations, his father would be the official Labour candidate. When nominations closed on October 11, however. the Labour Party nominated Mr L. S. O’Sullivan Radio Licenses Increase There has been an enormous Increase in the number of radio licenses issued in the Dominion since 1933. That year the total was 93.489. By 1943 it had increased to 368.121. There is, of course, a penalty attached to the operating of unlicensed sets. Convictions for that offence over the last five •years have numbered: 1939. 1169; 1940, 612; 1941, 991; 1942, 1158; and 1943, 1464 Christmas Mails The number of bags of mail handled at the Chief Post Office, Nelson, in the week preceding Christmas 1944 indicates an increase in postal business as compared with the previous Christmas season. From Monday. 18th December, to Saturday, 23rd December, the office despatched 1288 bags of mail compared with 1276 for the corresponding period in the previous year. The number of bags received was 1592, compared with 1468 in 1943: 569 bags were transmitted, as against 483 in 1943: and postmen handled 286 overflow bags an increase on the 272 handled the previous year. The busiest days for the staff at Christmas came at the beginning of the week. 341 bags of mail being received on the Monday and 264 bags despatched on the Tuesday. Shortage of Beer Draught beer was in very short supply in Wellington over the holiday period. Some hotels were entirely with out it, and had to draw on buttled stocks to satisfy customers over the bar. This, in turn, depleted the service available from some of the hotel bottle stores. The shortage was felt acutely. Shipping difficulties are reported to be responsible for the situation in which some hotels found them selves.

Aerial Survey of BlufT Two sets of photographs, the results of the aerial survey of Bluff Harbour carried out by the Catalina flying-boat stationed there in November, have been received by the Bluff Harbour Board. An inspection of the photographs reveals excellent definition and the results should be of considerable value to the board. One set will be sent tc the survey office, which will plot the contours of the hill. These contours will be useful for determining watersheds and so on, a knowledge of which is necessary before arrangements can be made to supply more water to the town. The Air Department has also prepared a mosaic of the area. The area surveyed covers a portion of the harbour, the whole of Bluff Hill, and includes Ocean Beach and Te Wai’s Point. After magnification the scale in the finished survey will be 10 chains to the inch. Sale of Fruit The New Zealand Fruit Marketing Council has decided that direct sales of fruit from producers to consumers are to be restricted to two cases with each order. The only exception is where sales of fruit are effected at the orchard gate. Decline in Fruit Crop A substantial decline in the 1945 fruit crop as compared with last year’s crop is indicated in general reports received by the New Zealand Fruit Marketing Council at its last two meetings. The "Orchardist of New Zealand.” official publication of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation, says that the Fruit Marketing Council foresees difficulty in meeting the demand from all sources. Severe hail damage in some fruitgrowing districts has had the effect of reducing the crop still further. Therefore the council will have to consider what action is to be taken to accept fruit that has been damaged by hail. Substantially the same procedure for the disposal of the 1945 crop as that for 1944 will be followed, including the granting of the minimum guarantee of 6s a case to the growers. An announcement to this effect follows representations made to the Minister of Marketing (the Hon B. Roberts) and the Stabilisation Commission since the last Dominion conference of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation.