General News

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25308, 7 October 1947, Page 6

General News

Mr Justice Gresson’s Win i When Mr Justice Gresson took his (seat on the Supreme Court bench for ; the first time at Wellington yesterday, ;he wore a wig worn by his grandfather, who was the first Judge in Canterbury. He was* appointed in 1857 and retired in 1875. The wig for more i than 70 years has been in a glas? case i in the Early Colonists’ room of the Canterbury Museum. —(P.A.) Pay Envelope Posted ! From time -to time the officers 'of [the Chief Post Office In Christchurch see some strange items in* the mail, and recently mail-room officers were surprised when they discovered that an unstamped envelope bearing an initial and a surname contained money. It is thought that a junior clerk fiad posted some mail for his employers, and had included in his bunch of envelopes the one containing his weekly wage. The lost property department of the Post Office is anxious to find the owner. With his or her employer’s confirmation of the amount contained,, some junior clerk in x Christchurch,-on application to the Post Office, Should be wiser without being sadder.

Recruiting Maoris for Factories “There is a big reservoir of-man power in the North Island, and we are trying to interest younger men to take up factory work in towrts and cities,” said the Assistant Under Secretary of the Department of Maori Affairs (Mr T. T. Ropiha), who returned to Auckland yesterday from a tour of North Auckland. Asked Whether it was not more desirable to keep them on the land, Mr Ropiha said that only about a third of the native population could be absorbed m primary production. Lack of access, high transport costs, and other handicaps in the remote areas of north Auckland, militated against the estauxishment of factories there. In these circumstances it was better to encourage the young men in these communities to add their weight to secondary production and general services in the cities. Mr Ropiha said Maoris in North Auckland pledged themselves to increase food production by 20 per cent. v in the interests of greater aid for Britain.—(P.A.) Alleged Cruelty to Pup A week ago, in the correspondence column of “The Press,” a reader stated that one girl went inside the Sydenham post office to avoid seeing a boy wring a collie pup’s neck in front of another girl. In later correspondence under “Points from other letters,” other readers demanded disciplinary action against the boy. . The matter was brought to the notice of the police, who found that the pup had been run Over, and was destroyed, apparently to end suffering. The incomplete stpry had been told by another boy of nervous disposition.

Prefabricated Steel Buildings One hundred and fifty steel prefabricated buildings bought from the Americans under the lend lease settlement have been allocated to the Education Department and other Government departments to help relieve their accommodation, problems. None is available to tne public. The build*’ ings were dismantled in the islands and shipped to New Zealand, where they have been stored for some time on Aptea Quay, Wellington. The War Assets Realisation Board is now geL ting the buildings ready for removal. Missing parts are manufactured to enable their speedy erection. Many have already been sent to their new sites.—(P.A.) ‘

Pens Stolen Losses of penholders and nibs from public counters in the Chief Post Office, Christchurch, have been considerable for a number of years, but recently there. has been an improvement, and.very few pens have disappeared from the savings bank office. Officials of the department have noticed that losses are always greater during school holidays. What . appears to be a habit amongst a lot of persons represents a considerable amount for the custodians, and not a little expense to the department. Pads of blotting paper which contain advertisements are put on every public desk throughout the post office, and. although separate sheets of blotting paper are provided, every day there are several pads with the corners missing. The advertisements are printed at the corners, and new sheets must be provided in each case.

Syllabus in Agriculture The committee which has been revising the primary schools’ syllabus in agriculture has completed its Work, and its recommendations were sent to the Education Department last week. The present syllabus embraces nature Study, some elementary general science, and experimental gardening. The revision was made in the course of a general overhaul of the primary school syllabus, the first committees having completed their work while one reviewing the prescription on handwriting is still collecting material. Mr Dunean Mackay, principal of the Christchurch Teachers’ Training College, was chairman of the committee on agriculture. Before coming to Christchurch he was chief agricultural instructor of the Taranaki Education Board, later becoming an inspector. Atlantis Due on Sunday The Atlantis, which is bringing 192 New Zealand Scouts and 227 British migrants to New Zealand, is now due at Wellington on Sunday, one day later than her previous estimated day of arrival. The exact time of the ves*> sei’s arrival is still uncertain.—(P.A.) Trophy for Air Contest Efforts to obtain a design for the Harewood trophy, which will be awarded to the winner of the South Island air reliability contest, had met with little success, reported Mr J. W. S. Stannage at a meeting of the contest committee last evening. Only a few designs had been received from the School of Art although a prize had been offered, and he had therefore asked the pupils of the Christchurch Technical College to submit drawings, “We might have to revert to the time-honoured propeller or plaque,” he said, adding that jewellers had told him of the difficulties of having designs cast, and that they had nothing suitable for a trophy in stock.

Empire Games Applications Applications from Canterbury and Auckland to hold the British Empire Games in 1950 were received by the New Zealand Olympic Association last evening. The Auckland offer was supported with an offer to raise the money required by guarantee. The secretary (Mr H. Amos) said New Zealand had applied for the Games in 1950. This matter would be decided in London next July. As it was still necessary to ascertain the attitude of the. Government in the matter it was to the applications over VI 1 . tl ? e pext meeting of the council.— (F,AJ ,

Building Research “What is the basis we ought to go on in planning our homes so that they make the smallest call possible on our wives, to let them live a little more like the men, with wider contacts and' wider interests?” said Sir Reginald Straqling, chief scientific adviser to the British Ministry of Works, in an address ip Christchurch last evening. “That is just as much a problem of building research as the problem of plastering.” Secret Strike Ballot • Auckland milk roundsmen are holding a secret strike ballot. This was disclosed yesterday when roundsmen’s and employers’ assessors met in conciliation council. After two hours’ argument the meeting adjourned indefinitely, the employers refusing to proceed unless the strike ballot papers were withdrawn. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr C. L. Hunter) said the union’s action in sending out ballot papers wqs a mistake, but said everybody made mistakes- He appealed to the assessors to forget the incident pointing out that disruption«of the mcßistry would cause hardship to the public. The union assessors said a special meeting would have to be called before the ballot papers could be withdrawn; even then union members might not decide to call off the ballot.—(P.A.)