General News

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25581, 24 August 1948, Page 4

General News

A £5 Australian Note The alteration in the exchange rate has already had repercussions ror the Riccarton Borough Council, which received notification from its treasurer at its meeting last evening that .she had last Thursday changed a £5 Australian note for a man applying for a dfiver’s licence. The next (lay the bank agency here refused to take the note, as the value of it was not then known, she reported. Yesterday, she was told that the-note was worth only £3 18s 9d. “However, I advised to keep it for a week or two, as the bank thinks that the exchange rate will be altered for Australia,” said the report.

Holes in Roads When the fillings of holes in roads subsided there was a danger to traffic, and a cyclist was injured when he ran into one hole recently, said Cr. W. J. Cowles at a meeting of the City Council last evening. He asked what legal obligations the council had, and what control there was over a drainlayer’s work. Cr. W. P. Glue, chairman of the works committee, replied that drainlayers paid a road opening fee, which was deducted from the amount of the contract if the road was not put back in good order. He preferred to leave the question of legal liability to a solicitor, he added. Small Whitebait Catches Probably because of the cold snap, catches of whitebait have remained exceptionally small throughout the West Coast. A large number of fishermen has been out, but at the most the catch has been little more than two or three pints. The retail price has been from 5s to 6s in the Buller area and 7s 6d at Greymouth and other parts. Shifting of Animals’ Home The serving on the Animal Protection Society of a fofmal legal notice requiring it to carry out its undertaking to remove the kennels of the animals’ home at Graham street, Woolston, was approved last evening by thp City Council. “Apart from proceedings by the council, it is open to adjoining residents to take a common law action against the society for an injunction on the grounds of nuisance by noise,” reported the housing committee.

Australia Building Ships for N.Z. Australia wants to build ships for New Zealand, according to Mr Rex C. Ellis, superintendent of the Newcastle State Dockyard, who arrived at Auckland from Sydney in the Aorangi yesterday. He said the Australian shipbuilding industry developed rapidly during the war and was ready to tackle any task. It could, if necessary, complete it without importing a single nut or bolt. Mr Ellis has come to New Zealand for a discussion with Union Steam Ship Company architects on the design of two 3000-ton freighters which the company has ordered from his yards. He said they were the first New Zealand orders the yards had received. —(P.A.) Bequest to Art Gallery Advice of a bequest of £125 for the purchase of pictures for the Robert McDougall Art Gallery has been received by the finance committee of the City Council. It was the wish of the woman who made the bequest that her name should not be published. Petrol Not Used In June and July two Christchurch taxi firms had sent back 2500 gallons of petrol, said Mr T. Hogg, a director of one of the firms, in evidence to the Christchurch Metropolitan Licensing Authority yesterday. Applications to the Oil Fuel Controller to carry over some of this surplus for future use had not been successful, he added. He considered that the public had “tightened up” its use of taxis in the last year or so.

Epidemics in Japan Three cases of poliomyelitis have been reported among the British forces in Japan, according to a statement by 8.C.0.F. headquarters. One case was fatal. No cases of Japanese encephalitis have been reported among service or civilian members of the Occupation Force. This epidemic, which is now the. worst in Japan’s history, continues in a violent form among the Japanese in Tokyo, where there have been 1600 cases and more than 200 deaths are reported.—Tokyo. August 23.

Truck Operating Costs The average cost a mile for trucks operated by the water supply and works committee of the City Council was 9.83 d last year, according to a return presented to the council last evening. Foremen’s trucks cost 5.25 d a mile to operate. The costs did not include drivers’ wages. The average cost of an hour of running bulldozers was 7s s|d, and of road sweepers 28s l|d. Parcels Arrive in Britain The Norfolk, which left Lyttelton recently, arrived in Britain on August 11 with 4332 parcels weighing 41,5761 b aboard. The parcels were posted in Canterbury, Marlborough, and the West Coast between June 27 and July Milk Board Administration At the request of the Christchurch Metropolitan Milk Board, the charge for administrative expenses has been reduced from £350 a year to £2OO by the City Council. Exchange on Passengers’ Money For many of her passengers, the liner Aorangl’s first post war voyage from Sydney was robbed of some of its pleasure by the alteration in the exchange rate. While the Minister of Finance (Mr W. Nash) was making his speech the ship was already several hours out from Sydney. They did not know until they read the ship’s newspaper next morning that the value of their Australian pounds had dropped overnight to 15s 9d New Zealand currency. Through passengers to Vancouver were not greatly concerned when they learnt of the news, but the 186 passengers who disembarked at Auckland yesterday were affected by the change to varying degrees. Some had changed their loose money into New Zealand currency on the ship before the announcement was made.— (P.A.) Traffic Staff A decision to reinstitute the position of assistant-chief traffic inspector was made by the City Council last evening. Applications will be called from members of the council’s traffic staff. No Milling in South Westland With the issue of instructions from the head office of the State Forest Service that no further blocks of milling timber or silver pine are to be opened in the area south of the Cook river in South Westland until there is a big improvement in the transport system from the far south, large resources of timber in South Westland will probably remain uncut for a considerable period. The only exception is where silver pine poles are required by the Post and Telegraph or Works Departments. No attempt has been made to interfere with current rights and two operators ara still working in the Bruce Bay area. There is no indication as to how long the closure is to be applied, but it is considered unlikely that there will be any change of policy until the transport system is improved, either by the opening of a port, which would attract regular shipping, or by improved mad and rail links. Parking Area Lease The termination of the lease of the centennial baths site in Oxford terrace as a parking area has been agreed to by the finance committee of the City Council. “The venture has not proved a success for the lessee,” the committee reported last evening. “The business having been unprofitable and the receipts small, it was decided to waive : the council’s share of one-third of the : proceeds.” The lease was made last February. Reserves in State Blocks Eight reserves in State housing' blocks were accepted as for I dedication by the City Council last evening. The total area is about 144 , acres. The reserves are considerable ' distances from existing parks. An; area of two acres and a half in the I Robson block has already been at- i tended to, and is being used as a i neighbourhood park. The council will | carry out the formation work on the i other reserves, and submit estimates i of the cost to the Housing Department. 1 Poliomyelitis Cases A woman, aged 22, from the Hutt Valley, was reported yesterday as a i positive case of poliomyelitis. A five- ; year-old boy from Tamaki. Auckland,! was also reported as a positive case. I —(P.A.) '