General News

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25679, 16 December 1948, Page 6

General News

Free Wigs for Bald Britons “The latest unforeseen rush on the British National Health Service is for wigs,” says the “Daily Mail.” “The Ministry of Health planners originally reckoned that only a few thousand contributors would demand utility wigs, toupees, and bobs, but 200 are already being issued every week and the 23 wig-makers supplying the free scheme have now been told that they can expect a demand for 10,000 wigs in a year from Britain’s 75,000 bald citizens. Even utility wigs cost about £lO each.”—London. December 15. Freezing Works Staffing An agreement that two chains of 30 men each should be manned at the Belfast works of Thomas Borthwick and Sons (Australasia), Ltd., was reached between representatives of the company and the Canterbury Freezing Workers’ and Related Trades’ Union yesterday morning. On Tuesday, a settlement of the dispute on the manning of the second chain was reached on the union’s terms of 21 men on the chain. -A hitch in the settlement reached in the morning was reported by union members yesterday afternoon, but finally the agreement was adhered to. “Juke Box” Too Popular The owner of the “juke box” which has been installed in a Christchurch milk bar is finding the popularity of the machine something of an embarrassment to him. The City Council had informed him, he said, that by causing crowds to congregate on the footpath outside the milk bar he was creating a nuisance, and was liable to prosecution. “I’ve got several other ‘juke boxes,’” he said, “but I’m a bit scared to install them now.” Tuition in Hygiene for Barbers Apprentices in the -hairdressing industry would soon receive direct instruction in elementary hygiene at classes specially arranged for them, if the Arbitration Court made a New Zealand apprenticeship order on the lines recommended by the New Zealand Hairdressing Apprenticeship Committee, said the Commissioner of Apprenticeship (Mr H. McQueen) yesterday. This would .be the first New Zealand apprenticeship order for the industry. Both employers and workers regarded the making of it as an important step in raising the standards of hygiene and professional skill, added Mr McQueen. The committee has proposed that apprentices should have a brief course in their employers’ time each year. The committee hopes that when these courses are instituted, not only apprentices but also employers and journeymen will find It possible to attend them.— (P.A.) More Potatoes Dumped More than 30 tons of potatoes of first-class order have been dumped in a gravel pit in Wakanui road, Ashburton. Yesterday a representative oi the firm which is handling the potatoes said his firm was acting on instructions from the Internal Marketing Division which had bought all the surplus potatoes. When all the potatoes had been dumped they would be bulldozed over to eliminate the fly nuisance. The potatoes were being carried to the pit by lorry and. there would be more than 100 tons there when the total load had been dumped. It was a pity such action had been taken by the Internal Marketing Division since the dost of production amounted to a considerable figure, he said. In ordinary times the potatoes would realise £lO a ton. The potatoes were discovered by chance when a local resident went to the dump to deposit rubbish. The potatoes are large and firm and had evidently been picked over before dumping. Recovery in Britain Britain was gradually moving towards an absolute economic recovery, said Sir Arthur Morgan, general manager of the London Assurance, who arrived in Auckland by flying-boat yesterday. The country was putting up a very hard fight, and it was winning. England had paid more than other nations, and had had to suffer more. The present export drive in Britain was succeeding. He said that so-called “invisible” exports, such as sums of money earned in insurance, banking, shipping and the tourist trade, were all helping to bridge the gap. Private enterprise was still doing its share, and doing it splendidly.— (P.A.)

Barmaids in N.Z. Four barmaids attended a stop-work meeting last week of Auckland barmen, but subsequent inquiries have revealed there are five barmaids working in Auckland. Highly respected by the patrons, they serve at the bars of two leading hotels. In Wellington there are 15 barmaids still serving, and according to the local police, only three in Christchurch. Legislation preventing the registration of new barmaids was introduced in 1911. Food Parcels for Britain Food parcels posted to Britain during November numbered 162,002 and weighed a total of 1,567,2221 b, said the Postmaster-General (Mr F. Hackett) yesterday. In the last three months, 427,892 parcels, weighing 4.151,2841 b, were posted. Both these totals were slightly less than those for the corresponding periods of last year, said Mr Hackett. During the last four months, there had been small decreases both in the number and in the weight of food parcel postings for Britain.—(P.A.) Passages for Scouts to Australia Three of the four South Canterbury boy scouts who were selected to represent their troops at the Pan-Pacific jamboree at Yarra Brae, near Melbourne, and who were later informed that it would not be possible fox them to attend, may find that, through the' initiative of the Timaru Boy Scout administrators they shall be able to be present at the jamboree in spite of the difficulty of shipping space. A former district commissioner of scouts (Mr J. Bentley) has conferred with an official of the Union Steam Ship Company and has found that there will be three vacant berths in the merchant vessel, Parrakoola, which will leave Wellington for Melbourne on December 21. These berths have been reserved for J. Green and D. Millar (Highfield group), and G. Hasell (St. Peter’s). No arrangements have so far been made for the return passages from Australia to New Zealand of the three and it is thought that they may have to “hitch-hike?’ War Medals Not Wanted

Four million men and women out oi the 5,000,000 who served in the British Army and Home Guard during the war have not taken the trouble to collect their medals. Government offices ready to supply 20,000,000 war medals and campaign stars to men and women in Britain and the British colonies are overflowing with decorations specially minted but evidently not wanted. Little more than one-third of the 1,750,000 war-time members oi the Royal Air Force and Womens Auxiliary Air Force have applied for the decorations due to them. One theory is that this is a natural reaction to the memories of war soon after victory, and another that it results from the wholesale issue of tne medals without personal inscriptions. It is the first time in British history that names have been dropped from war medals. Many veterans ieel that this decision has robbed the awards of much of their value and meaning to the men and women entitled to them. They argue that anyone can buy a set of them and wear them unchallenged. —London, December 15. Lamb Cartage During the visit of Mr T. H. I McCombs to Duvauchelle, the difficulty ' experienced in having lambs and sheep carted from Port Levy was mentioned by Mr J. H. Mortlock. It was stated that the cartage contractor would not , cart stock over a certain part of the Port Levy road, and required owners to drive their sheep' for about two miles and a half before he would lift them. This contractor was the only one with a licence to pick up stock in this area, and although other contractors had signified their willingness to take delivery of the sheep from the various properties in this area and cart them over the whole of the road, they were not permitted to do so, according to the regulations. Mr Mortlock usked the Minister if he would look into this question and endeavour to have the present unsatisfactory condition rectified. Mr McCombs promised to do this.