General News

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23812, 4 December 1942, Page 4

General News

Early-Morning E.P.S. Trial

The next E.P.S. trial will be held at 6 o’clock in the morning, according to the chairman of the organising committee (Mr W. Machin). Mr Machin said yesterday that the trial would be held shortly and that an order of the day would be issued in a day or two. The date of the trial would not be disclosed, but it had been decided to warn personnel to expect the alarm signal in the early morning. The trial would be on a working day, so that E.P.S. workers would have to give consideration to arranging to have their breakfasts and to getting to work.

Establishment of Power Board

Waimairi County householders are being canvassed for signatures to a petition asking for the establishment of a power board which will take over responsibility for the supply of electricity in the area from the County Council. Asked to comment on a report to this effect, the chairman of the council (Mr W. G. Chapman) said (hat a petition was in circulation, but he added that “everything is being done in committee as far as the council is concerned." The council had organised the petition for a purpose which could not at present be disclosed. To a further question, he said that certain members of the council staff were canvassing for signatures.

Slip at Rewanui A minor slip which occurred on the Rewanui railway line about 500 yards on the Dunollie side of the station early yesterday afternoon developed during' the night because of further heavy rain, but it is anticipated that a clearance can be made to permit the operation of the Liverpool State Mine at Rewanui to-day. Yesterday most of the men on day shift were required to walk long distances. Heavy rain continued in Greymouth last night, the fall from 9 a.m. till midnight being 1.02 inches. The Grey river, though rising, does not threaten any serious danger.

Declared Essential

All wholesale and retail butchery establishments have been declared essential, according to an announcemerit yesterday by the Minister of Industrial Manpower (the Hon. A. McLagan). The declaration, the Minister said, applied only to workers corning within the scope of the various butchers’ awards. The decision had been made because the serious shortage of skilled butchers rendered it imperative to conserve the labour available in order to ensure that both the public and the armed forces received adequate supplies of meat. —(P.A.)

War Damage Insurance

The executive of the South Canterbury Returned Services’ Association has unanimously supported the proposal "that if there bo no war damage sustained in New Zealand, part of the war damage insurance premiums be applied to the rehabilitation and general welfare of men returning from the present war."

Reported Destruction of Tyres

When the shortage of tyres was being discussed by the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. Mr D. Wrigley made a statement, on the authority of numerous residents near a military camp,, that the Army had destroyed 400 tyres and tubes last February. This action, said Mr Wrigley, was a sequel to an Army order that all tyres on vehicles at the camp were to be replaced by new ones. Four truckloads of tyres and tubes, some of the latter being intact, had been burned, although offers up to £2OO had been made for the rejected stock.—(P.A.)

War Regimentation

"One of our principal post-war aims must be the reconstruction of our Ideas regarding the position of the Stale :n relation to commercial activity.” said Mr A. M. Hollander, president of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, in his address to the annual meeting last evening, “There was a trend in the decade before the war,” he said, "towards State administration and control in every class of commercial activity, involving the regimentation in some degree or other of every person in the country. The war has naturally accentuated this to a marked degree, and the State in New Zealand has even gone into the greengrocery business as one of its large-scale activities. This may actually turn out to be a good thing for the people of New Zealand by showing them that a State department, manned by inexperienced people, cannot hope to do things which the experienced people in the particular trade have been handling for years. Two things seem to happen when some State departments take control. The price goes up and the goods become scarce. One of our post-war problems will be to ask the Government of the day to concentrate on the affairs of governing the country and to remove the shackles of war regimentation from the people.”

Soldiers’ Pensions The opinion that a pension granted a soldier was to compensate in some measure for the disability he had suffered, and not to make up any loss of earning power was strongly advanced by Mr S. L, Wright at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association last evening. Mr Wright said it was reported at a meeting of the Canterbury Progress League that some returned soldiers had been discouraged from entering industry because they feared their pensions would be reduced. The association should investigate the position and make representations that the right of injured soldiers to pensions, regardless of earning power, should be a recognised part of the rehabilitation scheme.

Scholarship Awarded

The boarding scholarship open to all Catholic primary schools in New Zealand, and tenable at the Sacred Heart College, Auckland, for three years, has been won this year by Michael Twomey, a pupil of the Marist Brothers’ School. Christchurch,

Otira Tunnel Freight Record

An all-time record in the amount of tonnage handled through the Otira Tunnel was established during the 17 hours between 9 a.m. Wednesday and 2 a.m. yesterday, when 4160 tons were railed from Westland to Canterbury. As a result of a new arrangement by which three electric units were used on goods trains in place of the usual double-unit, the capacity of these trains was increased from 250 to 350 tons. The bulk of the traffic consisted of coal and timber. This excellent performance, which was an increase of 1000 tons in the traffic handled on a normal heavy day. recalls that when the tunnel was opened it was expected that a maximum of 1000 tons a day would pass through it.

Anti-Aircraft Defences A proposal that the Home Guard should provide a percentage of the personnel for anti-aircraft guns at batteries near Christchurch is under consideration. The Home Guardsmen will be in addition to members of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, who man predictors and similar equipment, and regular artillery. Skating Rink as Dance Hall

Permission to the Do Luxe Skating Rink, Ltd., to use its building in Kilmore street as a dance hall was granted by the City Council on Monday evening, a recommendation of the bylaws committee being adopted without discussion. Notice of his intention to move at the next, meeting of the council that the resolution granting permission be rescinded has been given by Cr. C. D. V/. L. Sheppard.