General News

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24437, 11 December 1944, Page 4

General News

First Raspberries The first raspberries of the season have now appeared on the Christchurch market. Fruiterers at the week-end had only a few punnets of the fruit, which sold at 3s 6d. The first red currants were also on sale at Is 6d a punnet. Boys Seeking Farm Work Many inquiries from, secondary schoolboys seeking employment on sheep stations, fruit farms, or in general farm work have been received by the secretary of the Otago Priory Production Council (Mr E. H. Calder), who said last .week that he had not been able to place many boys. Few inquiries had been received from farmers who were normally glad of this oxtra assistance, the lack of inquiry probably being because most farmers were a long'way behind schedule with their seasonal work and were noUready to make use of the boys’ services.. He pointed out that opce the school had closed, however, it would be difficult to get in touch with the boys, and farmers Would be well advised to iqake known their requirements as soon as possible. Worker-employer Relations The opinion that the relations between employees and employers were in some aspects better in the early days of the Dominion than at present was expressed by Mr Justice 0 Regan, judge of the Compensation Court, In an address to the Junior Chamber of Commerce at Dunedin. “X look back to the older days when one man was as good as another,” he said. ‘‘Theyre was no street corner criticism of capitalists or capitalism. There is no doubt that in those days there was something that is lacking to-day in the relations of workers and employers. I do not say that this is a feature of New Zealand alone, but New Zealand shares what is a noticeable general feature." His Honour prefaced his remarks by saying that his conclusions had been arrived at while keeping a clear picture in his mind of the trend of conditions over a long period. Stocks of Canned Fruit As numerous inquiries have, been received regarding the possibility of stocks of canned fruit being released for the Christmas trade, the Food and Rationing Controller (Mr J. : E. Thomas) hm announced that unfortunately it will not be possible to arrange, a distribution until early next year. Although some stocks are held at present, there is a considerable quantity of Now Zealand’s 1944 aliocation still to arrive. Until these further quantities come to hand the stocks available are not sufficient to make a reasonably satisfactory distribution throughout the whole of New Zealand. During the last 12 months distributions of canned fruits have been made to. retailers on the basis of the number of sugar customers registered at each store. With only limited stocks available, it would be embarrassing to storekeepers to attempt an equitable distribution; to their customers. Motor Accidents In November During the month of November there were 11 fatal accidents in which motor vehicles were involved (nine on public roads and two on private property). The list includes five occupants of motor vehicles, three cyclists, and two pedestrians. The eleventh was a 15-months-old child, who had fallen on the front bumper of a car. Eight of the accidents were in the North Island, and three in the South. The November figures of previous jrears were six in 1943, 11 in 1942, four in 1941, nine in 1940, 13 in 1939, 18 in 1938. The'deaths from January 1 to November 30 this year were 125, an increase of two on the total for the same period last year. Plastics and Rayon from Sawdust From as little as 10 per cent, of the readily-available sawdust waste in the. United States, a hew chemical process could obtain. enough plastics for the plastic parts of 4,000,000 automobiles, 1,250,000 telephone sets, and 10,000,000 plastic doorknobs, It was disclosed t.t the recent New York, meeting of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Donald F. Othmer, head of the department of chemical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, also estimated that the process yields enough acetic acid to make, by combination with cellulose, enough rayon for 130,000,000 pairs of women’s stockings. Another by-product from this same 10 per cent, would be industrial alcohol. By a continuous method of chemically adding water to wood, the researchers obtained from one ton of sawdust more than 10001b of high-grade ingredient for plastics, as well as by-products including 1201b of acetic acid, 601b of furfural, a liquid used in making dyes; and 5001b, of sugar, which could make hundreds of pounds of alcohol. British Power Station for Russia A complete 125,000 k.w. power plant to provide both electric power and hot water for communal central heating is the most recent of a whole series of electrical plants sent from Britain to aid Russia’s war effort and reconstruction plans. The new plant can operate simultaneously both electrical and hot water ‘ services for a wide area, and by means of a British area regulator it can also operate either service separately. The same steam-raising installation serves both the electricity and water-heating plants. There are two boiler houses, each with a heating surface of more than 28,000 square feet. The heat release a cubic foot of the combustion chambers is 16,000 British thermal units an hour. One interesting feature of this British engineering achievement is the turbina governing system which has dual control of the steam pass-out and of the normal steam flow for electricity generation. To suit Russian conditions the plant is designed to operate in temperatures down to 45 degrees C. Rehabilitation ‘‘The New Zealand Returned Services’ Association is very disappointed with the work of rehabilitation," said the district vice-president, Mr A. W. Mewton (Palmerston North), at the quarterly meeting of the Wanganui branch of the Returned’ Services’ Association. Rehabilitation meant restoring a man who had , suffered economically or physically through war service to his original condition. ‘‘Every opportunity missed through war service should be made up, and I am sure the public of New Zealand is behind that,” he added. While it was one of the finest acts on the Statute Book, its administration appeared to be a difficult problem. Men serving overseas were told of the benefits they would receive, but on their return were up against all kinds of priorities. The original board had been changed and at present consisted mostly of departmental heads, and there appeared to be a bottleneck in Wellington. New Invercargill Tavern The building of the first permanent licensed tavern in the development of the policy of the Invercargill Licensing Trust will probably be proceeded with early in the New Year. A contract for the premises to be erected at the corner of St. Andrew and Sydney streets, North Invercargill, was accepted last week by the trust. The price was approximately £7OOO. The building will be a substantial brick and roughcast one-storey structure of attractive design. It will consist of two lounges finished in red pine dado; there will be a bottle store and a bar from which the drinks_wiU be served to “sit-down” customers. The new hotel will probably be known as a tavern, and names suggested, but not yet adopted, are St. Andrew Tavern and Sydney Tavern. Foveaux Strait Crossing “I' have heard it from about 100 people that Foveaux Strait is the worst crossing in the world,” remarked Captain Macarthur, master of the Stewart Island ferry, when discussing the introduction of the Wairua to the service at a meeting of the Southland Progress League. “That is all stuff and nonsense," he added. “This chip wouldn’t live in Cook Strait. ’ Southland people also decry their weather too much. In other places there is plenty of bad weather, and I think .you should tell visitors what a good | climate you have. You are apt to run I it down too much.”