Australian Letter National Scheme Proposed For Road Development

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28792, 13 January 1959, Page 13

Australian Letter National Scheme Proposed For Road Development

\By FRANK PUDDLCOMBto. N.Z.P.A Australian correspondent.)

SYDNEY, January 10. Australians have hailed the decision that the question of road development will have priority in a number of important conferences which the Federal Government will call with State Premiers in the next six months. The Prime Minister (Mr Menzies) has suggested that a special conference in Canberra, on February 10. consider a national plan to accelerate the development of Australia’s road system. Mr Menzies foreshadowed the conference in his election policy speech. So far invitations to the meeting have been sent only to State Premiers, but in his policy speech . the Prime Minister referred to a “much broader con- - The Australia>.Aiifbflifrffie Assoc the decision to call the conference, said it wished to be represented. The association said that during the last financial year owners of motor vehicles paid more than £l4B million- in various motor taxes and only half of this was spent on rpads. “We have a big stake in this matter and motorists, are entitled to have their voice heard,” said the A.A.A. In addition to discussing the distribution of Commonwealth aid for roads, the Canberra conference is to consider plans for developing highways on a national basis. Another subject to be discussed will be the heavy accident rate on Australian roads. The secretary of the A.A.A. .Mr L. Strudwick) described the road accident rate as “a national calamity, a national warning, and a national indiettnent.” The Automobile Association is calling for a national roads board, a transport, traffic and highway research organisation, a Federal highway system, and increased finance, including the / allocation to roads of the entire petrol tax. Transport experts say something must be done quickly about Australia’s major roadsr—in the interest of transport economy, as well as of road safety. The president of the Long-dis-tance Road Transport Association of Australia (Mr W. V. Rowe) claimed that bad roads in New South Wales were a major cause of road accidents. He doubted that speed equalled bad roads as the greatest factor involved in road deaths in this State. In Melbourne, the president of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (Mr, C. E. Clements) said many Victorian roads would deteriorate into rubble unless the State received more money for roads. * # * Australians are hoarding mil-, lions of pounds in notes and coin. The note issue at present is about £4OO million, and of this amount the banks hold only £5O million. Before Christmas the Commonwealth Bank made an extra £5O million available. This extra “spending money” is now dribbling back to the banks, but £350 million remains outstanding.

Banking authorities say this money is in pockets, wallets, purses, in basins, sugar jars, milk jugs, under the carpet or mattress, and even under the ground. There is nearly £90.000 in out-of-circulation £2O, £5O, and £lOO Australian banknotes. Banks stopped issuing these notes in 1945, and a National Security Regulation then provided for their withdrawal. The notes are, however, still good currency, and last year banks cashed £ 10,000 worth of them. There have been a number of instances lately where hoarders have lost their savings.

Last week an elderly cleaner reported to the police that thieves had taken £1750 he had in notes in his room.

Police found in the home of a Melbourne' dealer who died last year nearly £6OO in notes and more than £ 5000 worth of twoshilling pieces. This money was in a sea-chest, four-gallon drums, canvas bags, and socks. Perhaps the best “find” was in the home of a 70-year-old recluse in the Sydney suburb of Waverley. The woman, who lived in abject poverty, left a fortune of £23,000 in £5 and £lO notes stuffed in tins and saucepans in I her home.

To most Australians the spirit of fair play has appeared to have been absent from the Hursey dispute on the Hobart waterfront; This appears to be the case again in the hearing this week of the appeal by a watersider, John Gold, against his deregistration last month, by the Stevedoring Industry Authority. Gold was deregistered for abusive and threatening language and assault against Frank Hursey. Announcing his deregistration, the authority said he had a bad working record. He had on two previous occasions been guilty of abuse. He had twice been found drunk on the job, and he had been suspended and also fined by his union for offensive behaviour. He had also been suspended 11 times for failing to report or for leaving a job without permission." Yet his appeal is to be heard ahead of those of other watersiders, who have waited up to eight years. One man, L. Dennison, who was deregistered in 1955 for reporting for work while drunk, died last month with his appeal unheard. Another, ’ Walter Devine, who was deregistered in October, 1955, this week protested that Gold could get his appeal heard and he could not. Devine* said he was unemployed and his wife was working to feed their three children. Hobart officials say they can give no reason why Gold’s appeal should be heard so soon. The appeals are heard by Mr Justice Ashburner, of the Industrial Commission, who is brought to Hobart “as required” for hearings. When Gold was deregistered. Hobart watersiders walked off all ships in port and besieged the S.I.A. offices. They dispersed only after the appearance of four police cars. The Hurseys, Frank and his son Dennis, have been the centre of a fierce controversy since they refused to pay a waterside workers’ federation levy for political funds. * ♦ # The first residential college at the University of New South Wales will open at the start of the new term next month. The college, built at g cost of £250,000, will accommodate 200 students. It is the most modern college in Australia. Students will pay £5 a week for full board. » * About 30,000 children are daily attending 105 national fitness play centres in New South Wales: Another 27.000 children are attending vacational swimming schools at 112 metropolitan and country centres. Children aged five to 15 attend the play centres, which will remain open until the new school year on January 27. Daily programmes for the children include sports and games, hobbies and handcrafts, art, folk dancing and impromptu concerts. A special play centre was set up at Nanima, in central New South Wales, to provide supervised recreation for aboriginal children. Another centre at Lake Cargelligo is attended by both aboriginal and white children. About 1500 New Australian children from migrant hostels conducted by the Department of Immigration are attending a dozen special play centres. * * * Two Lakes Entrance (Victoria) fishermen who discovered a rich copper mine in the Snowy mountains near the New South Wales border are keeping its position a secret. The fishermen, brothers Frank and Kevin Mitchelson, found the copper in dense scrub. They now have a team of men digging the ore. In a week they dug about 35 tons of copper ore. Of this, between 15 and 20 per cent, is copper, worth about £3OO a ton. The mine js called the Black Snake Copper Mine. The Mitchelson brothers are trailed by prospectors whenever they come down from the mountains, but they say all the prospectors will find in the bush country are black snakes. * * #

A group of graziers in the Mittagong district of New South Wales has offered a £lOO reward for the Scalp of a killer dog. The dog has killed more

than 300 sheep and lambs in the last six months. All efforts to catch the killer have failed. Poison, traps, and organised drives with other dogs have been unavailing. $ «c # Australia’s population will reach 10 million in the next three months. The latest official figures show ,the Commonwealth had a population of 9,896,526 at September 30 last. Sydney’s population is now in •xoeu of two million.