General News

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27407, 21 July 1954, Page 10

General News

Payments Above Award Wages “The gap between award rates and what employers pay widens all the time,” said Mr Justice Tyndall in the Court of Arbitration yesterday. "The Court cannot hope to catch up in conditions of full employment,” he told the advocate for the Wellington Butchers’ Union (Mr P. M. Velvin), who had said that award rates in the industry were failing to attract young workers. “Of course, this, applies to other industries,” said his Honour. He said that although the Court sympa-* thised with workers “so unfortunate as to be on award rates,” Court orders increasing wages were rapidly outstripped by the offers of employers seeking labour. “It is not our job to get employers staff—that is their job,” said his Honour.r-(P.A.) Plenty of Waitresses

While many New, Zealand hotels have a problem finding waitresses, the Chateau Tongariro management has a probiem selecting them when a vacancy occurs. There is a waiting list of 50 girls. The prospects of ski-ing on days off is a big attraction. The head waitress. Miss Dora Davis, is in the New Zealand women’s championship class, having been placed in a slalom event. Mr L S. Dennis, the hotel’s manager, said that about half the applications on the list were from Australians planning a working holiday in New Zealand. There are few waitresses among them. Many are nurses, typists and receptionists Confidence of Investors

“It seems that investors have confidence in the board, although some of our critics have not,” said Mr G. A. G. Connal (chairman of the finance committee), when he reported to the Christchurch Drainage Board last evening that £107,100 had been subscribed to the board’s loan issue of £233,100. The loan was placed on the market on June 1. Aerial Stowaway A Pan American Airways airliner was taking off from San Salvador airfield yesterday when the control tower radioed that “something strange’’ was hanging from the landing gear. The plane circled to put down again, and a man was found hanging from the wheels. After the airliner touched down, the man, Felix Lara, said he had been trying to stow away to the United States. He planned to hide in the landing gear housing when the wheels retracted. Police said Lara had tried the same thing two years ago. That plane also took off before he was discovered.—Miami, July 20. Manholes on Hill Road Sewer manholes on Dyers Pass road have been examined and all will require attention before buses of the Christchurch Transport Board extend the service from Cashmere road to Macmillan avenue. This was reported to last evening’s meeting of the Drainage Board, to which the Heathcote County Council had suggested, that in view of the weight of the vehicles to be used, some of the manholes might need strengthening. The Transport Board will be warned and the Drainage Board’s engineer., has been instructed to put the work in hand as soon as possible. Parking Meters for Invercargill The Invercargill City Council decided last night to’ buy 512 parking meters at a coSt of £44 10s each. The firm supplying the meters is prepared to supply them without initial payment by the council and to accept the revenue from the meters until they are paid for. If the meters are not paid for in two years, the council will have the option of continuing the time payment or returning the meters. The chief city traffic inspector (Mr E. M. Patrick) said that a reliable estimate of the return that might be expected from a meter was 3s a day, or £36 a year, from a half-hour meter; and 4s a day, or £52 a year, from an hour meter. This estimate was based on a parking fee 'of 3d for half an hour and 6d for an hour and 70 per cent. use. —(P.A.) When was Aramoho School Started? The Aramoho School in the Wanganui district, modestly, is planning its seventy-fifth jubilee celebrations for March, 1955—but it is believed that the school is even older. The year 1880, when the first permanent building was opened, is being used as the date of origin, but it is believed that a married couple held the first classes before 1874 and that in 1879 pupils were transferred to a church hall. All early records were lost when the school was partly destroyed by. fire in 1913. The jubilee committee is seeking information on the first years of the school, and also old photographs. Estuary Dredge Only one tender was received by the Christchurch Drainage Board for the equipping of the suction dredge to be used in dredging low-tide channels in the estuary. The board last evening referred the tender to the works committee fof consideration. 112 Apply for 30 Sections A total of 112 individual applications has been received by the Lands and Survey Department which is offering for sale 30 sections in Christchurch. Some persons have applied for a number of sections, for which a ballot will be held at the department’s office tomorrow morning. The sections, which range in area from 24 perches to one rood 35 perches, and in price from

£llO to £750, are in Fendalton, Bryndwr, Papanui, Shirley, Cashmere, Halswell, Upper Riccarton, Yaldhurst, Hornby, Dallington, Aranui, Burwood, Styx, Kaiapoi, and Woodend. New Brighton Sewerage With the arrival of more wellpoint equipment, the Christchurch Drainage Board hopes that at least two, if not three, contracts for sewers in New Brighton can be put in hand simultaneously. The policy committee, giving a reply to the request of the New Brighton District Business Association for a programme and tentative completion dates of works, reported to the board last evening that when the present contract reached a certain stage it might be possible to allow connexions into the sewers already laid. The junction across the bridge would, of course, have to be made first. The engineer (Mr E. F. Scott) explained that there were five contracts to be let. Each would take a year and a half to complete. Connexions of present sewers might be made at the end of this year. The board agreed that the schemes should be explained to a joint meeting of district residents. Urewera Park Extended The nucleus area of Urewera National Park—of more than 9400 acres—had been extended by a further 22,897 acres of permanent State forest and forest reserves, said the Minister q£ Lands (Mr E. B. Corbett). “The lands in the region are largely unsurveyed, and until recently it has not been possible to obtain sufficient information to define the park boundaries accurately enough to enable the proclamation constituting the park to be gazetted,’’ said the Minister. “However. the boundaries can now be defined, and the proclamation will be issued shortly.”—(P.A.) Objections to Jam Imports Objections by New Zealand fruit growers against the importation of jam and marmalade have been referred by the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr J. ,T. Watts) to the Board of Trade for examination and report. Mr Watts said that until he had the Board of Trade’s report before him he was not in a position to give a detailed reply. However, he understood that total sales returns for New Zealand-made jam which had been called for by the Board of Trade did not show any recession in business when this year was compared with periods during which imported jam and marmalade was prohibited. National Band’s Helmets

When New Zealand’s National Band was in London for the Coronation the band secretary decided to make something toward the £37,000 it cost to send the group overseas by selling the controversial five-guinea helmets. He approached military authorities to see if they would be interested in buying the helmets. The answer was: “What! We’ve got thousands in store that we will sell you for five bob each.” This background story was told by the conductor of the National Band, Mr K. G. L. Smith, when addressing the Hamilton Rotary Club.