General News

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26032, 8 February 1950, Page 4

General News

“Paving- Stone Minds" A suggestion had been received that the Canterbury Housewives’ Union should sponsor three candidates for the city council at the next municipal elections, said the president (Mrs M. E. Furey) at a general meeting of the union last evening. The union’s committee, she said, had viewed the proposal with “varying degrees of consternation and approval.” A difficulty in the way, said Mrs Furey, was that the union included many women with differing political affiliations. If candidates were put up, she considered that they should first go through a course in local government and should adhere strictly to a policy laid down by the union. She said that she did not have a very high opinion of the intelligence of the average councillor, but she believed that women equid “run rings round them.” Councillors, she added, had “paving-stone minds,” which were unable to absorb the essential requirements of women, such as day nurseries and washing machines. At its next meeting, the union will debate the suggestion to put up candidates. Safety Zone Decorated

The new safety zone in Cathedral square was decorated last evening with four jars of flowers, neatly spaced, and two large shrubs in tubs, one at each end. They had apparently been placed there after the departure of the last bus. Taxi-drivers in the Square did not know where the decorations had come from. New British Airliner The first production model of the Handley Page Marathon I airliner, which was flown from Britaip for demonstration to the National Airways Corporation, is expected to arrive at Harewood on a flight in the direct service between Auckland and Christchurch late this afternoon. The Marathon is being tested by the corporation on services over several different routes to find whether it would be suitable as an interim replacement aircraft until turbo-prop ana jet-engined aircraft are available and fully proven. Study of Dental Service Under the auspices of the British Ministry of Health, an official mission to study the New Zealand school dental service will arrive in the Dominion in about a fortnight. The mission will be led by Professor R. V. Bradlaw, who is professor of dental surgery at Durham University and dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery and professor of oral pathology at the Royal College of Surgeons. He will be accompanied by Dr. T. H. O. Douglas, senior dental officer of the Department of Health for Scotland, Mr H. T. Roper-Hall, president-elect of the British Dental Association, Mr* W. G. Senior, principal dental officer of the Ministry of Health, and Dr. A. T. Wynne, medical officer for the Ministry of Education. —London, Feb. 7. Cost of Shoe Repairs A protest against the recent increase in the cost of shoe repairs was made at a meeting of the Canterbury Housewives’ Union last evening. The president (Mrs M. E. Furey) said she understood though she had yet to check the Information, that 75 per cent, of the shoe repairers in Christchurch were men in business on their own account. Such people were not workers ir> the ordinary sense, she said, but were master men. who employed their sons, giving them some pocket money. Why, she asked, should they be allowed to make an increased charge based on a higher cost of wages. « Appeal for Billets By 5 p.m. yesterday, 126 persons had offered to accommodate the 100 visiting Empire Games athletes who will arrive in Christchurch on Febru- ; ary 20. The Public Relations officer to the Christchurch City Council (Mr T. H. Langford) appealed on Monday to Christchurch citizens who were willing to billet the visitors. “The response has been wonderful,” said Mr Langford last evening. House Bought for Veterans’ Home Advice has been received by the welfare committee of the South Canterbury Returned Services’ Association that the Canterbury Land Valuation Committee has approved the sale of Beverley House, to the National Patriotic Fund Board and the New Zealand Canteen Fund Board. Beverley House, a large wooden twostoreyed building, is to be used for the establishment of a veterans’ home for former servicemen. New Basic Wage Sought A new basic wage of £8 a week and a £4OO exemption from income tax are to be urged on the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) by the Canterbury Housewives’ Union. In urging the union to approach the Prime Minister, the president (Mrs M. E. Furey) said last evening that he should be asked to redeem nis promise to make she lot of the housewife easier. Request for Rail-cars As a result of the recent announcement that 25 80-passenger rail-cars were shortly to arrive in New Zealand for North Island lines, principally for the Auckland district, the Westland District Progress League at its monthly meeting last evening decided to apply for the allocation or part of the shipment for use on the Midland line and for other West Coast services. The president (Mr G. R. Harker) said the league had been asking for additional rail-cars since 1944. Promises had been forthcoming that there would be replacements and additions to existing services, which were now unable to meet requirements.—(F.O.O.R.) x English Cartridges for Rabbiters

A remit asking the Government to allow the importation of English cartridges is to be forwarded by the Banks Peninsula Rabbit Board to a meeting of the North Canterbury Rabbit Boards’ Council at Amberley next week. According to the remit, passed at a recent meeting of the board, cartridges produced in New Zealand were unsatisfactory.

Shipbuilding in Britain The decrease in British shipbuilding is reflected in figures published recently by Lloyd’s Register. Gross tonnage under construction at the end of December was 1,994,191. which is 101,026 less than in the previous quarter and 249.512 less than at the end of June, 1948, the highest recorded since December, 1921. In spite of this, Britain continues to lead the world. Mqre than 45 per cent, of the world’s shipbuilding at the end of December was being carried out in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United States was second with 11.67 per cent., and France third with 9.6 per cent. More than 43 per cpnt. of the world’s total ship construction is of oil tankers, and more than 50 per cent, of these are being built in Britain. Norway continues to be Britain’s biggest customer for ships and Argentina second. Only three ships of more than 25,000 tons are being built in the world, one in Britain ana two in Italy.