General News

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23394, 30 July 1941, Page 6

General News

Retail Price of Meat A resolution of protest against the Price Investigation Tribunal’s order fixing the retail price of meat was passed at a meeting of the Canterbury Master Butchers’ Association last night. The resolution described the order as unfair and unbalanced. Gas Supply Unrecorded The quantity of gas manufactured at the Sumner* 1 Borough C6uncil’s works last month was not recorded, because of a broken spuddle in the meter. Cr. E. T. Chitty stated at a meeting of the council on Monday night that such a break had not occurred for 30 years. Linen Flax Industry Definite progress has been made in the last few weeks with the establishment of the linen flax industry in the Gore district. at first were disinclined to participate m-the scheme but as a result of a canvass throughout the district by the fields instructor of the Department 1 of Agriculture. Mr W Faithfu , suffident support has been accorded to justify the erection of a factory. The Mayor of Mataura (Mr C. D. McConnell) has been active in his district in soliciting the support of farmers, and already he has received promises which will mean the growing of 150 acres between Mataura and Wyndham. R.S.A. Membership The membership of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association is now 3345, an increase of 310 in a year. Stone Fruit Regulations The revocation of parts of the New ZealandGrown Fruit Regulations relating to the grading. sizing, inspection, and sale of stone fruit is sought in a petition which was presented' ]!! the House yesterday by Mr H, S. S. Kyle (Opposition, Riccarton). The petition wagi signed by Charles Ernest Pope, of Christchurch. and 44 other registered growers. The petitioners claimed that the regulations were useless, unnecessary, and wasteful in that no good purpose could be achieved by observing them. They also submitted that the substantial cost of observing the regulations would have to be paid by growers, while -purchasers would derive no benefit or protection.—P.R. Old Books for Soldiers Christchurch librarians are pleased to find that their experiences when sorting books sent in for soldiers have had parallels in the United States. A paragraph in the "Journal’ of the Canterbury Public Library gives an extract from an article on the establishment of camp libraries in America, as follows: “We have been driven to despair after hours of going through boxes and wondering what next. For one book accepted it is hard to say how many were rejected. Well-meaning citizens emptied cellars and garrets and brought the results to us. . . . The value of a 1911 encyclopaedia on electricity and a 1915 book on automobiles was doubtful. Somehow, we had no interest in the Corporation Laws of the State of California, printed in 1907, nor the income tax of 1923.” The “Journal” says: “We have every sympathy with our brother librarians because our experiences here in Christchurch have been exactly the same. However, we are really gateful to those persons who sent in clean and interesting modern books. May we remind friends that the men in the services do appreciate magazines, especially illustrated ones and those of the ‘Digest’ type. Please leave them at the library and we will forward them to the various units.” Production of Aluminium The suggestion that representations should be made to the British Government, or to Lieutenant-General Sir Ronald Charles, a director of the British Aluminium Company, on the potentialities’ of New Zealand for the production of aluminium was made by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S, G. Holland) in the House yesterday, when he gave notice of a question to the Minister for Industries and Commerce (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan). Mr Holland said that it was reported in the press that Australia would undertake the manufacture of aluminium. He also asked the Minister if he would draw attention to the fact that the Dominion had remarkable hydro-electric resources available for the production of aluminium and other light metals.—P.R. New Zealand Forces Club The great need that had been met by the decision of the National Patriotic Fund Board to establish the New Zealand Forces Club in Cairo was shown by the fact that the premises were used to capacity all the time, said. Brigadier N, S. Falla, who attended the last meeting ; of the standing committee of the board, pre- , sided over by the Governor-General (Sir Cyril Newall). Brigadier Falla recently returned in- ; jured from the Middle East. The statement had been made that the greater part of the club was for officers, and that only a small section was available for men. This was flatly contradicted by Brigadier Falla, and is not borne out by a plan, which shows that 80 per cent, of the club premises is available for the men, the remainder being divided between ' officers, non-commissioned officers, and nurses. Brigadier Falla, in reviewing the activities of the club, stated that the club had sleeping accommodation for about 50 men, for whom there were a large, dining room, a lounge, bathing facilities, a writing room, a library, a reading room, a milk bar, a tobacco stall, and other amenities. Stocks of goods sent from New Zealand were carried for sale to the troops at cost price. Separate dining rooms were provided for officers and non-commissioned officers. The standing committee discussed a number of matters concerning the club with Brigadier Falla.—P.A. ' Postal Officers’ Salaries A complaint that the maximum salary of £260 a year, with 15 per cent, deductions, for lower paid members of the second division of the Post and Telegraph Department was not high enough, was made in the House yesterday by Mr H. E. Combs (Government, Wellington Suburbs). It was expected of public servants that they should maintain a decent standard of living and be good citizens, worthy of their trust, Mr Combs said. The Goverhment was not quite fair to them in limiting their pay to i £260 a year, or £221 after deductions were i made for social and national security, and superannuation. The majority of the "depression juniors” had recovered their lost ground,, i but the money they had lost while making the ; recovery was a sore point with their wives and : families, some of which were still paying de- : pression debts. He hoped that consideration ! would be given to the lower paid public ser-' , vants to enable them to maintain the standard ; of living they were expected to have,—P.R. < Portrait jof Former Mayor In accordance with custom, Sergeant R. M. Macfarlane, M.P., Mayor of Christchurch from 1938 to this year, has presented to the Christchurch City Council a portrait of himself to be hung in the council chamber with those of former mayors of the city. The portrait shows Sergeant Macfarlane in uniform. He will also add the customary link to the mayoral chain. Reminders of Expiry of Warrants A suggestion that vehicle owners should receive a reminder of the expiration of their warrants of fitness has been considered by the traf- ( fic committee of the Christchurch City Coun- i cil. The committee has decided that stickers 1 should be used, having on the gummed side i (facing out from the windshield) a number in- 1 dicating the month in which the warrant ex- j pires, and on the other side (facing the inside 1 of the vehicle) the date of the month of ex- ’ piry. It is considered that the proposed sticker J wiU greatly assist the vehicle owner and at the . same time obviate his being stopped unneces- , sarily for warrant inspection. ‘ s 4