General News

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24271, 31 May 1944, Page 2

General News

£3OOO From Sideshows Men of the Christchurch Tramway Patriotic Committee have raised the sum of £3OOO for patriotic funds during the last two and a half years, by conducting sideshows in Cathedral square, says the fourth annual report of the committee. Shortage of Machinists The serious shortage of experienced machinists for clothing factories in the four centres engaged in making military garments was emphasised at a sitting of the Dunedin Industrial Manpower Appeal Committee by Mr S. R. Medder. Giving evidence for the textile section of the Industries and Commerce Department, he said that every military contractor was well behind with orders. There were not nearly enough female machinists available, he said. The situation was so serious that one factory manager had agreed to accept 50 unskilled women to train in order to try to fulfil war contracts.— (P.A.) “Pay-as-you-carn” Taxation “Pay-as-you-earn” taxation in Great Britain will apply to seamen as well as to shore employees, stales the magazine of the Port of London Authority, but the method of applying it will be rather different. Because of the irregular intervals' between seamen’s pay days, it has been agreed that the special seamen’s scheme for income tax which came into force on November 1, 1943, will continue to operate practically unchanged, with the important difference that tax deductions on wages earned after April 5, 1944, will be in respect of the tax due on those wages and not on wages earned in a previous year. Merchant seamen will be entitled to cancellation of part of their tax for 1943-44 on the same lines as shore employees. Dehydration Factories

One of the Internal Marketing Division’s three new dehydration factories was already in operation, and the second would start working within a few days, said, the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon; B. Roberts) yesterday. The disposal of waste products at these plants presented a major problem. However, preparations were well advanced for turning these peelings and strippings into organic manure. The Internal Marketing Division was arranging to have the waste material from products treated at the factories scientifically composted at the factories, and the system would probably be extended also to major packing sheds where vegetables were prepared for export to the Pacific, The Minister added that the necessary machinery was not complicated, and would eventually pay for itself —(P.A.) Rugby Coaching Film Recovered

A coaching film which had been lost for three or four years had been found in the Toe H rooms in Christchurch recently, Mr E. V. Phillips told members of the management committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union at a meeting last evening. Mr Phillips added that the union had advertised for the recovery of the film, offering a reward to the finder. Only yesterday he had been informed that it had been “unearthed” at the Toe H rooms, and steps were being taken to dry it out, as it had been soaked with rain. Suggesting that the reward which had originally been offered to the finder of the film should go to swell the funds of Toe H, Mr Phillips emphasised that, had the Toe H officials known before of the presence of the film in their rooms, it would have been returned to the union, There was a brief discussion on Mr Phillips’s suggestion. members commenting that they did not think that Toe K should be paid for their part-in the recovery of the film. Eventually it was decided to give £1 Is to the funds of Toe H. Army Officers in Air Force

The latest Gazette contains the names of 35 former officers of the New Zealand territorial forces who have relinquished Army commissions on being commissioned in the Air Force. Two of them are doctors who were formerly in the Medical Corps. Free Carriage of Children

The age limit under which the Christchurch Tramway Board will carry children free has been raised from three to four years. The extension of the age limit, which applies to both trams and buses, came into operation this week. More Wool Available

Consequent upon the improving position of wool supplies, changes in the availability of coupons for the sixm'onthly period commencing June 1 are announced by the Rationing Controller (Mr J. E. Thomas), who explained that baby wool, which previously was available only on baby wool coupons, could now be purchased against all wool coupons. The number of wool coupons is to be increased from three to four by giving one clothing coupon of the same value as a wool coupon, providing a total of 16 ounces of wool in each book for the next six months. In addition, because of heavy slocks of khaki wool, this item could in future be purchased against clothing coupons at the rate of four ounces a coupon,—(P,A.)

Fruit Inspection Depot The Internal Marketing Division’s receiving and inspection depot for fruit, and vegetables grown under contract, was transferred this week to the dehydration plant at Riccarton, where part of the building has been set aside for the purpose. The inspection of the fruit and vegetables is done by the Department of Agriculture. The depot was previously situated in Belfast street. Colour of Wax Matches An explanation of the change in the colour of wax match stems from white to a pale brown is given in the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation section of the “New Zealand National Review.” The change was made because the match manufacturers now have to use New Zealand kauri gum instead of gum-copal which was formerly obtained from the Dutch East Indies. Gum-copal is a bled gum. while kauri gum is dug and contains particles of dead vegetation and soil which can be purified only after an expensive process. One of the few countries in the world where this process is carried out is Austria. At one stage the wax match heads were changed from a brown colour to pink. This was done to check up existing stocks held by retailers over a certain period. Meat For Pets The Canterbury Master Butchers’ Association has not been advised bv the Rationing Controller (Mr J. E. Thomas) of any arrangements to be made lot the supply of meat for cats and dogs. When a report that butchers had been asked to make arrangements was referred to the president of the association (Mr G. W. Sim) yesterday, he said that no information had been received, but any proposals of this nature would be welcomed by the butchers and the public. The Country Quota When the country quota came before the Farmers’ Union interprovincial conference at Palmerston North yesterday, there was unanimous approval of a remit asking for an immediate assurance from the Government that it was not to be interfered with. Delegates recalled the recent forcing of the Local Elections and Polls Amendment Bill through Parliament, and an extract from the official Labour journal was read which declared that the country quota was an electoral injustice which should not be allowed (o continue. The formation of a fighting fund at Dominion headquarters was approved.—(P.A.). Changing Facilities for Footballers j A permit had been granted to the Christchurch City Council for the erection of one shelter for the use of football players in Hagley Park, said Mr J. N. Clarke at a meeting of the management committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union last evening. Other members of the committee drew attention to the inadequate facilities available for players to change at some of the grounds used for the union’s competition games. Mr Clarke said that plans were well under way for 'the building of the shelter for which a permit had been granted, and ho thought that Rugby players would have “first call” in using it.