NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 233, 30 June 1939, Page 11

NEWS IN BRIEF

Control Welcomed

Traffic control was instituted yesterday at a point in Wellington which has long cried aloud for such attention. It is the intersection. of Featherston Street and Bunny Street, where the traffic problem is complicated by the acute angled junction of Stout 'Street and Featherston Street a little to the south. The many streams of traffic which swirled past and round the officer stationed at that point kept him exceedingly busy, but drivers of all classes of vehicles were glad that the former danger point could be passed in such safety. Death At Sea.

Mrs. E. Hawkins, who was a firstclass passenger by the Rangitiki. which arrived at Wellington yesterday, died on the voyage out.

Three of the Christians. Three of the Christians of Pitcairn Island, Mrs. N. Christian, Miss E. Christian. and Master H. Christian, arrived at Wellington by the Rangitiki yesterday. They embarked at Pitcairn Island.

Lighting Outside Hospital. The Wellington Hospital Boarti decided last night to ask the Wellington City Council to have the street outside the main entrance to the public hospital better lit and also to make a compulsory tram stop at the hospital.

Increased Efficiency of Farmers. A decision to ask the Government to give an assurance that increased production arising out of improved efficiency of the dairy-farmer would result in a corresponding increase',in the farmers’ income was made by the National Dairy Conference in Wellington, yesterday. , .

Fewer Sheep. A decline of 521,225 in the number of sheep in New Zealand compared with last year is shown in the latest return of sheep up to April 30, 1939, the, present Dominion total being 31.857,549, compared with 32,378,774. The decrease in the North Island is 298,507, and in the South Island 222,718.

Stop-Work Funeral The funeral of the Wellington waterside worker who died on. Wednesday morning as the result of an accident while working on the Port Dunedin last Tuesday took place yesterday afternoon. In consequence of this; ail work ceased on the waterfront at noon, ships remaining idle during the afternoon and last night.

Island-grown Tomatoes. A large consignment of island-grown tomatoes will arrive at Auckland from the Cook Islands by the Matua today, this being the first of the regular winter shipments, though a small quantity was brought last month. The vessel has about 2400 cases of tomatoes, in addition to oranges and bananas. A Good Omen?

“I suppose there Is scarcely a time when all the ambulances are in the building and I hope it is a good omen that they were all there when you arrived,” said the president, Sir Charles Norwood, at the annual meeting of the Wellington District Free Ambulance Service last night. “It is always a pleasure to see them there and it is nice to know that they are not wanted.”

Teachers’ Appeal Board. Following is the personnel of the Teachers’ Appeal Board to hear appeals in connexion with the grading and classification of teachers: —(Messrs. J. W. Mcllraith and A. F. McMurtrie (Education Department), J. A. Colquhoun and T. G. McKay (secondary schools), L. R. R. Denny and G. W. C. Drake (technical schools), W.'F. Abel, G. F. Griffiths, R. McGlasheu and D. C. Pryor (primary schools).

Increased Farming Cqpts. The following motion was carried by the National Dairy Conference in Wellington yesterday:—“That the conference deplores the departure by the Minister of Marketing from the integral provision in the Primary Products Marketing Act that all increases in farming costs due to subsequent Government legislation shall be met by compensating adjustments in the guaranteed price.”

Butter and Cheese Prices. The Government is to toe asked to make up the price difference between butter and cheese for the 1937-38 season to 2d. a lb. butterfat. A decision to this effect was made by the National Dairy Conference yesterday, after discussion. Mr. E. B. -Corbett, Oxford, said th.e cost of manufacturing butter and cheese-had risen, in the case of cheese as much as Id. a lb. in the past three years.

New Football Ground. A new football ground this year is one hewn out of the hillside in Sutherland Crescent by unemployed labour. This full-sized ground has been made by digging away a hill and emptying the spoil in a ravine at the southern end of the zoo. There is still a small hill to be removed from the western end of the ground; when this is done there should be another ground available. The new ground, used for boys’ games, has been turfed with sods from the Town Belt.

Hutt Valley Sewage Drain. The Public Works Department has made a start with the construction of a main sewer through the Hutt Valley. The starting point of the work is just to the north of the ramped road which crosses the railway line on White’s Line East, Lower Hutt. The greater part of the excavation is on Railway Department property, beside the railway line, and already the work has been carried beyond Woburn station.

Price Advisory Committee. A motion that the conference strongly oppose any suggestion of a change in the personnel of the Price Advisory Committee was carried without discussion at the National Dairy in Wellington yesterday. The motion said that"the dairy industry had implicit faith in Messrs. Marshall and Agar and Professor Tocker as their representatives in arriving at a decision in assisting to fix the guaranteed price. In the opinion of the conference a change would not be in the interests of dairy-farmers of the Dominion, and it was their desire that the personnel remain unchanged.

Automatic Signal Lights. On a tally taken over many months the busiest city traffic point in Wellington is the large open area where lower Taranaki Street meets Wakefield Street and Jervois Quay. In order to control the traffic at that point more efficiently a system of automatic electric signal lights was ordered some months ago. This plant is to arrive in Wellington next week. No time will be lost in erecting the new lamps. This junction is an awkward one to adapt to the automatic light signal system, as five roads, instead of the usual four, converge there. However, the municipal authorities are aware of a similar case in Brisbane where the light signal system has been adopted with snccesty