Derailment in Taranaki
Stratford, September 6: The 10am mixed train from Stratford southward was derailed 500 yards north of Ngaere station. Nine trucks left the line, six being badly smashed in a cutting. Several passengers were on the train, but none was injured.
Varsity beats Sydney team
The Otago University team revenged themselves on the Sydney University team yesterday by handsomely defeating them by 35 points to 9. On the last occasion when these teams met — two years ago — Otago had scored 10 points to nil at the end of the first spell, and then suffered a crushing defeat by 45 points to 10 points. The game yesterday will be long remembered by those who witnessed it as one of the most brilliant exhibitions of back play ever given by the Blue backs.
Minors remove coal
Two mothers and daughters were charged with stealing varying quantities of coal from the railway yard. The evidence showed that it was the practice of the little girls after school hours to visit the railway yard and take the coal home in trolleys. In this way the Railway Department had lost a considerable quantity of coal, and the object of these prosecutions was to put a stop to its removal. The mothers averred that they did not think their daughters were doing anything wrong, but one of them admitted that she had not bought any coal for a considerable time, and the other stated that many of her neighbours had obtained larger quantities of free coal than her little girl had brought home. The Magistrate remarked that a very considerable quantity of railway coal must have been transferred to Carroll street. Each of the mothers was fined 20 shillings, and the two little girls were placed under the supervision of the junior probation officer for a period of six months. The fathers were also ordered to make good the amounts of the stolen coal; 6s in one case and 20s in the other.
Successful return of personnel
The work of reestablishing discharged soldiers in civilian life in New Zealand is nearing its completion. The benefits provided under the Repatriation Act are to be discontinued at the end of this year. The annual report of the Repatriation Department for the past year is a document which can be contemplated with general satisfaction. It should provide a sufficient answer to anyone demanding specific evidence that the community has recognised its obligation to assist the soldiers to resume the callings of peace.
It is creditable to the Government that it has helped over 27,000 men to employment, arranged training for several thousand who have been partially disabled and has paid to or on behalf of the soldiers under all headings a sum of just on two and aquarter million pounds, while keeping the administrative expenses down to 61⁄2 percent of the total.
Most creditable of all it is perhaps to the exsoldiers themselves that the Repatriation Department’s report makes so good a showing all round. The repayments amounted at the end of June to £1,032,092. In a very large number of cases loans have been entirely repaid, and full redemption in many other cases is near at hand. The record of ‘‘failures” upon the department’s books is, all things considered, remarkably small. — ODT, 7.9.1922