NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25021, 15 September 1942, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

r pHE order of precedence on parade was the subject of advice received from Dominion headquarters by the executive of the Dunedin Returned Services’ Association at its meeting last night. It was stated that after discussion with the other services it had been agreed that at parades, other than on Anzac Day, the Armed Forces would take precedence over all other organisations in the normal way— Navy. Army, Air Force. On Anzac Day parades, the Returned Services’ Association will continue to take precedence over any units of the Armed Forces which may be taking part. War Pensions’ Appeal Board A sitting of the War Pensions’ Appeal Board will bo held in Dunedin tomorrow. The chairman is Sir Francis Frazer, and the medical members of the board are Dr Geoffrey Barnett and Dr W. J. Porteous.

Publication of Ballot The names of men in the North Otago. Otago, and northern Southland area, who gre to be called up in the next ballot for military service, will have first publication in the Daily Times to-morrow. The Gazette notice calling the men will contain the names of all the available single men as well as married men aged 35, 36, and 37, with children.

City Improvement The Works Department of the City Council made a start yesterday with fairly extensive reconstruction work in the main street of the city. The whole of the kerbing and footpaths on both sides of Princes street from the Bank of New Zealand corner to Hallenstein’s corner will be pulled up and new formation laid. The workmen were busy yesterday in removing the heavy stone blocks edging the footpath and carting them away. The old style of edging is to be replaced with a concrete edging. The initial operations were watched by large crowds throughout yesterday. City Property Purchased

“We are looking forward to the time when we shall be able to pull the old building down and some enterprising citizen will build a new one,” said Cr W. B. Taverner, presenting to the City Council last night a recommendation from the Finance Committee for the purchase of a property behind the premises in Princes street held by tne council as part of the Andrews estate. The property, it was stated, had been offered by the Commercial Bank of Australia, Ltd., for £ 1100. On _ the site was a two-storey brick building of little value. It was an “ inside ’’ section, but would add more than onethird to the total area held by the council. The purchase was approved.

Speeding Near Camps “I think it is a case of persons who live in glass houses throwing stones,’’ remarked Cr R. S. Brent when a complaint from the commandant of a military camp in the southern area that motor vehicles had recently been passing the camp at a high rate of speed was received by the St. Kilda Borough Council at its fortnightly meeting last night. The writer of the letter stressed that on account of the movement of troops and vehicles through the gates of the camp speeding in the vicinity was a particularly dangerous practice, and he suggested that the council should restrict the speed of private cars within the borough to a reasonable limit. It was decided to instruct the borough traffic inspector to take the necessary action. Unofficial History of the War

New Zealand’s finest collection of camp, troopship, and hospital magazines was established by the Public Library during the last war, and a similar unofficial history of the present war is in process of development in the New Zealand section of the Library. With material available from the Air Force, as well as from Army sources, a comprehensive list of publications is already in hand. It embraces service magazines from the Middle East, Fiji, England, and all the New Zealand camps. These date back to the beginning of the war and show that the present-day soldier is just as versatile with his pen as his predecessor of the last war. Additions are being made to the collection nearly every day, and gifts of any service publications are always welcomed. Madagascar Leaflet

In a letter received from Lieutenant Howard R. Emerson, of the Fleet Air Arm, by his father, Mr R. J. Emerson, of Riddell road, St. Hellers, was enclosed a sample of a leaflet dropped on the French airfield at Diego Suarez prior to the British occupation of Madagascar to prevent its being handed over to the Japanese by Vichy agents. Lieutenant Emerson is serving on one of the aircraft-carriers that was engaged in those operations. The leaflet, printed in red, white, and blue, and displaying the Union Jack and the tricolour crossed, is an appeal to " comrades of the air” not to betray the Allied cause to the Japanese, and promising them that, if they chose to join the cause of Fighting France, the Royal Air Force would provide them with its best aircraft.

Prisoner Went for “ Race ” The news of his escape from a German prison camp and later recapture is told in a letter from a Christchurch sergeant pilot now in Stalag Lufl. 111. The story is not in plain language, as it would not have passed the German censor. His wife had written saying that she had not received any mail from him during August of last year, and his reply was as follows:—“ In August I went for a race and did 150 miles before I was overtaken. After I lost the race I was sent to a place rather like our Mount Eden. Others had trouble long before I did, and some were not able even to start. Never mind, however, I might win next time.” The race referred to an attempt to escape and the reference to Mount Eden means that he was imprisoned after his capture. He is apparently hoping to make another attempt. Waste Rubber Disposal

Criticism of the lack of information regarding wiiat should be done with waste ruober collected at the Government’s request was made at a meeting of the Whangarei County Council, The co-operation of dairy companies in the collection of waste rubber was promised in letters from distinct companies received by the council. It was reported that the Minister of Supply, Mr D. G. Sullivan, had been asked for urgent advice as to where the waste rubber should be delivered to save unnecessary handling, but no replyhad been received. ”,It is a very unsatisfactory position,” said the chairman, Mr J, A. S, Mac Kay. “We have been asked to collect rubber and waste and when we are doing so we do not know what to do with it. There does not seem to be any point in putting people to the trouble of collecting waste rubber when the head of the department cannot even answer a telegram.” It was agreed to communicate with the Minister, asking if he wished the collection to proceed.

A Chimney Sweeps Appeal The question of how often a chimney should be swept was answered py a reservist who appeared before the Southland Armed Forces Appeal Board. He said a range chimney should he swept every 18 months, an open-fire chimney every two years, and a "wetback ” fireplace chimney at least once every four months. The reservist was Albert Thomas Ladbrook, chimney sweep and cleaner, who appealed against service on the grounds ol public interest. He said there was only one other sweep in Invercargill. His business involved a 12-hour day, a good deal of Sunday work, and sometimes he had to start work as early as 4 a.m. Since May, 1941, he had cleaned 932 chimneys, and he had regular contracts to sweep about 400 chimneys periodically. The chairman (Mr E. H. Murney); If you went to camp I suppose some Invercargill citizens would probably be fined for having fires in their chimneys? The reservist said that contrary to popular belief a fire in a chimney did not clean it. After a fire up to six buckets of soot could be taken from a chimney compared with an average of one and a-half buckets in ordinary circumstances. The appeal was adjourned sine die.