General News

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25087, 20 January 1947, Page 6

General News

Mandated Territories’ Stowpa Evidently expecting a change ip the status of certain mandated territories as a result of the deliberations of the United Nations Organisation, some philatelists in Auckland are showing a lively interest in the postage stamps issued by these countries. One man has visited shops tfeia week and offered to buy their entire stock of these stamps. Among those in demand are Falkland Island lssues.T—(P.A) British Textile Industry Manufacturers of clothing in New ZealaqdVcould not yet looK forward to any increase in the quantity of mpny textiles received from Britain because, at the request of the British Government, several big manufacturers of artificial fabrics had agreed to curtail their exports to provide more for home consumption,' said Mr d’Arcy Wright, New Zealand representative of British Celanese, Ltd., who returned on Saturday m the Port son from a seven months* tour whjch included Britain and Scandinavia. This might be hard for New Zealand, he said, but it was most necessary for the benefit of the people of Britain. That country wqs experiencing considerable difficulties, but there was no doubt that it would come successfully out of them. His company was still considering setting up a knitting and weaving factory in New Zealand, but it would profeably be necessary to wait for labour conditions to improve. —(P.A.) State Houses for Servicemen Until the end of November 6277 former servicemen had become tenants of State, houses and flats under the 50 per cent, allocation system, according to the Rehabilitation Department’s latest statistical returns- Of these, 159 were allocated houses . during November. Allocations fop the districts of which the towns listed are the centres were (November and aggregate until the end of that month): —Auckland, 58 (184fi); Hamilton, 12 (474); Napier, 7 (269); New Plymouth. 8 (182); Weilington, 34 -(2276); Nelson, 0 (133); Christchurch, 21 (619); Dunedin, 16 (352); Invercargill, 3 (126): totals, 159 (6277). Shortage of Electrical Goods Persons in New Zealand wanting household electrical goods and equipment would just have to make up their minds to be patient, said Mr C. Stewart, of Wellington, who returned on Saturday from a visit to Britain. Mr Stewart, who represents several electrical manufacturers, said he went to England to see what the position was and found conditions very difficult and unsettled. —(P.A.) Court Sitting Delayed Proceedings at the Auckland Magistrate’s Coyrt wpre delayed for more than half an hour on Saturday morn? ing because no one could get into the building- The caretaker, who lives in a house gt the bapk, had gone op holiday, and apparently no one else had peen delegated to unlock the doors. When Messrs J. Tyler and W. F. Smith, Justices of the Peace, who were to preside, arrived abqut 9-10 q.m., thpy found a ncn-pliissed groqp of me|i, consisting of policemen, detectives, prosecutors, witnesses, reporters, arid the cferk qf the Court standing outside the back door while two welP known members of tfie legal profession were trying vainly to unfasten the lock with an assortment cif keys tpey had in their pockets. About 9.50 a.n). a constable who had been sent in a patrol cqr |o locate a Court official in the Moypt' Eden district arrived With a key.—(P-A-> Spread ftf Nodding Thistles

Alarm at the spread of nodding thistles in parts of the province was expressed at a meeting of the Hawke’s Bay provincial executive of Federated Farmers 1 on Friday. It was agreed to approach the Hawke’s Bay County Council ip an effort to have the thistle declared a noxious weedTfep fields instructor of the Department of Agriculture (Mr R. P. Hill), in a teW’ toe ,pnly pntotW method of control was digging out the thistles. The department w^sT carrying out control tests on a number of thistles, including nodding thistles, and weeds, and liquid sprays and hormone busts were being used in the tests. —(P.A.)

Stockmap’s Paradise New Zealand w as described as a stockman’s paradise recently fey an American scientist, Dr. J. L. Gillson, D.Sc., Fellow of the Geological Society of America and divisional chairman of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, who is visiting tfie Dominion. “I am particularly impressed by pastures you nave in New Zealand, and the veritable stockmen’s paradise they have made. of your country,” the visitor said in the course of an interview at Greymoqth. “It is extraordinary fpr someone who has not bqen used to seeing stock which are not continually housed in the winter to travel in a country where the stock has no protection during the polfler m on toSf’ he addeq. Dr. Gillson i§. pursuing ap iptepsiye study covering the whole of the world, of what he terms “uplifted beaches.” His studies are purely of a scientific nature. Dr. Gifispn paid tribute to the work of tofi hapdfql of geologists for their accomplishments in the geological field.—(F.O.O.R.) Fire ip GaW Fann More than 1800 pheasant chicks and poults were incinerated when fire destroyed the propder house of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society’s game farm at Parqparaumu recently. Although the birds had been left out in the open on previous nights, they were brought in on the night of the fire because of a sudflep cold change. The cause of the fire is not known. The building and’ brooders, were insured for £230, which is rp uc h less than would be the normal cost of reinstatement, but the society has already |iad offers qf assistance in labour and kind which will go far towards keeping the cost of replacement down. The main loss is the greater part of the young stock which it had been planned to rear anfl liberate year. The breeding stock of the society was not injured. Echo Sounding Gear The Nelson Harbour Board has accepted a quotation for £740 for echo sopnding gear, to bp used for making measurements of depth to the har? bour and channel. Thp gear is needed to provide information which visiting British engineers said the board mpst have.