General News

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23748, 21 September 1942, Page 4

General News

♦ New Miners’ Agreement The conference of delegates of coal mine owners and coal miners’ unions of the industrial district of Duller and the West Coast, held to bring about a new agreement, was concluded at Westport on Saturday evening. The conference, it was stated, was conducted in a friendly spirit. Certain comparatively minor alterations in local district agreements were made, these being in addition to substantial wage increases settled at the national conference held at Wellington in May. Decisions reached now go to the unions for ratification.—-(P.A.) Students and Sport

The provision of sporting facilities for students on Sundays is the subject of a questionnaire that is being conducted by the Otago University Students’ Association among its members. The students are being asked whether they favour Sunday play on the University tennis courts, and whether they would make use of such sporting facilities as may be made available to them on Sundays. It is stated that the Students’ Association will probably again raise the question with the Otago University Council. Auckland Housing Scheme

The serious and increasing shortage of homes for families had worried him, said the Mayor of Auckland, Mr J. A. C. Allum, in speaking to a meeting of businessmen. Something would have to be done to meet the need, even if it was only of a temporary nature. Plans would be prepared as soon as Auckland’s civil defence work had been completed. Scheme Not Favoured “Members of women’s patriotic subcommittees with whom I have spoken do not favour the proposal that the. wives and children of soldiers serving overseas should be provided with a holiday at Stewart Island,’’ said Mrs J. Hargest at the meeting of the Southland Provincial Patriotic Council. Mrs Hargest added that several objections had been raised to the proposal. One was that many wives of soldiers were in good jobs and were well able to pay for holidays for themselves. Other women had friends in the country with whom they could spend a holiday. Again, there was the difficult question of who should decide which wives should have the holiday. It had been suggested that instead picnics and outings should be organised for the wives and children of soldiers. Mr W. D. Sh'elton (Gore) said that the Returned Services’ Association was always prepared to assist the wife of any soidier who was facing difficulties through her husband being away. Vandalism in Shelters Vandalism that had occurred in Auckland air-raid shelters was disgraceful, said the Mayor of Auckland, Mr J. A, C. Allum, in an address to the Junior Chamber of Commerce, but it was not confined to Auckland. Mr Allum gave instances of malicious tricks played on people seeking shelter in England.

Army Demand on Teaching Service

Of 55 men who were admitted to the Dunedin Training College at the beginning of this year, only four will remain to complete the course next year, said Mr G. W. Carrington, secretary of Vie Otago Education Board, when discussing the effects on the training of teachers of the calling-up of youths of 18 years and the retention in camp of those between the ages of 18 and 21. All male students entered camp when they reached the age of 18, Mr Carrington said. Some had been attending the Training College for a period of only two months. "This means that no young men are going into the teaching service at all,” he explained. The admission of a larger number of girls had given some relief, he said, but had not fully made up the deficiency. The only means of obtaining an increased number of girls as students, it was stated, was to admit those who merely had the matriculation qualification. Previously, students completed their post-matricula-tion year at the high school beforeentering the Training College. Maori Church Memorials A curious practice which he had found in two Maori churches was mentioned by the Bishop of Auckland, the Rt., Rev. W. J. Simkin, when the Anglican Synod was discussing a bill for the control of alterations to church buildings and the placing of memorials and furniture in churches. Expressing a hope that the bill would be made definitely applicable to Maori churches, Bishop Simkin said that in one, which had. a burying ground around it, it was the custom to remove the plate from every coffin before interment and to nail it inside the church. The building had a remarkably large collection of such plates and the same practice had been adopted in another church.

Praise for Wellington’s. Milk Praise for the quality of Wellington’s milk supply was given in the annual report of the Dominion Laboratory, extracts from which were before the Wellington City Council last week. The report stated that milk received particular attention from the laboratory, nearly 12,000 samples being analysed; Auckland’s milk supply was found to be fairly satisfactory until near the end of the year, when much trouble was experienced through the sale of stale milk. Wellington city was to be congratulated on the high standard 'of its milk supply. Christchurch was described as fortunate in having a good milk supply from farms near the city. Dunedin city and '•uburbs furnished a smaller number of samples than in the previous year, and the fall in numbers was accompanied by a rise in the proportion which failed to comply with the regulations. Patriotic Parcels An extract from a letter from Mr A. K. Baxter, - jnty clerk, Clutha, who is now in Canada, was read at a meeting of the Balclutha Patriotic Committee. "The patriotic parcels that arrive in Canada,” Mr Baxter writes, "are not being distributed to the boys who are far inland. If you do not happen to be there when the shipment arrives, you just don’t get any. This is because it is too costly to transport them to the camps, and consequently they are reshipped to England. Unless the parcels are personally addressed to the boys, we don’t get any.” It was decided to refer the letter to the provincial secretary. Roslyn Woollen Mills

Messrs R. Mitchell and Sons, of Dunedin, have been given a contract for extensive additions to the Roslyn Woollen Mills, the price being about £28,000. A start was made on the work on Friday, and it is expected that it will be completed in about .eight months. Founding of Auckland The 102 nd anniversary of the official founding of Auckland by the first Governor, Captain William Hobson, fell last Friday. After inspecting other sites the Governor had chosen the south shore of the Waitemata in the previous June, and on September 18 at 1 o’clock the ceremony of taking formal possession of the site was performed. The Union Jack was hoisted on Point Britomart, long since removed, and was saluted by guns from the ship Anna Watson and the barque Platina, which had brought the official party from the Bay of Islands. The Queen’s health was drunk at the foot of the flagstaff and greeted with cheering.