NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 201, 25 August 1945, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Accidents In Dominion

Over half the pedestrian accidents in New Zealand last year occurred in Wellington and Auckland while more than,one-third occurred in the Auckland metropolitan area, states the annual report of the Transport Department. Throughout the Dominion there were 2097 accidents, resulting in 140 fatalities and injuries to 2667 persons, as compared with the previous year's figures of 2112 accidents, 145 fatalities and 2746 injured, adds the report.

Maori Superstition . ■ Like sailors who believe that to Icill an albatross is bad luck, as exemplified in Coleridge's poem, "The Anoient Mariner," the Maoris have a similar superstition in the case of the kotuku, or white heron. This bird is much dwelt on in Maori lore, and it is believed that death soon comes to.any person who kills one of them. A correspondent in "Forest and Bird" states that he well remembers a Maori being taken to hospital in the advanced stages "of tuberculosis, while a Maori nearby remarked: "He shot at and wounded a kotuku." .','. v Manpower Obligations "Not to-day," said Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M;, to a solicitor who appeared in the. Magistrate's Court yesterday to explain that his client who had come from the country and had no previous experience in engaging labour, was not aware that he required the consent of the district manpower office. "It is too ■late for anyone in this country to 'say that he does not know the manpower -regulations," . said the . magistrate,. who , added that there was no employer who did not know his responsibilities in engaging labour. I

Ex-Servicemen And Transport In the period ended March 31, 1945, 334 ex-servicemen entered the transport industry either by the granting of new licenses or by way --of the transfer of existing licenses, ..states the annual report of the Transport Department. ! "Some of • these men have had financial assist- • ance from the rehabilitation author- '[ ities but quite a number have arranged their own finance or obtain- - capital from other sources," adds - &ie report. "As a result of the general renewal of transport licenses it -As anticipated that, further opportunities will arise of rehabilitating e in the industry."

Paid For Lift Rides

A city liftman tells the story of an old Maori woman who, on a recent morning, stood for some time by the gates of his lift and finally asked if "this" was the lift. When she was told that it was she said, "I don't know much about these things. I'm just te country bumpkin. Every lift I was in this morning I gave the liftman 3d." Building Shortages Critical shortage's of bricks and fibrous plaster threaten to block expansion of Sydney's housing programme unless quick action is taken to make necessary labour and material available. Face bricks are in such short supply that some jobs are at a standstill. Sydney builders complain that even for common bricks they have to draw supplies from distant brickyards. "Disgorging" Large Notes Australian banknotes of large denominations, which will no longer be legal tender after the end of this month, are rapidly passing out of the hands of the public. Last month further holders of £20, £50, and £100 notes, the varieties affected by the recall decision, hastened to "disgorge.'.' The total value of these notes fell by .£1.4 million on the month, making a drop of £9.1 million since the beginning of the year. 'The number of £50 and £100 notes outstanding has been reduced to little more than 10 per cent of the number six months ago. Notes of £10 denomination, which had increased during June after it was known that they were not to be withdrawn, showed a renewed decrease- during July. America's Headache The headaches to be faced by America's political and industrial leaders in the change-over of industry to peacetime production was stressed by Mr. H. B. Duckworth, addressing the Christchurch Businessmen's Club. • There were 20,000,000 people in America dependent on war production, he said, and formidable tasks lay ahead in finding work for them when the time came. One problem especially, would be hard to solve, pointed out Mr. Duckworth. It was that of the coloured labour employed in wartime factories in the north. In the Cincinatti area alone, up to 25,000 negroes had been brought from the Southern States and paid wages of up to 100-dollars a week, a wage far higher than the normal earnings, and higher, in his opinion, then peace-time industry would be able to support.