NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 20, 18 October 1944, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF

Idle Mines. The Liverpool State mine was idle yesterday, the men considering the weather too wet for them to walk over the viaduct. The miners at Burke’s Creek colliery. Reefton. held a stop-work meeting and work was not resumed. The management declined to make any statement. —P.A. Workman Killed by Bus. Leonard Thorburn, aged 64, married, a Thamas Borough Council employee, was killed on Monday afternoon when struck by a bus travelling from Thames to Auckland. Air. Thorburn was working in a ditch in the main street carrying out repairs. Ths bus ran over the top of the ditch, striking him. He leaves a wife, son and two daughters. —P.A. Seed Testing Station. A motion supporting the proposed transfer of the Government seed-testing station from Palmerston North to Christchurch was carried .yesterday by the Otago provincial council of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. It was stated that the transfer was justified on the ground that approximately 90 per cent, of New Zealand-grown seeds was produced in the iSouth Island. —R.A. Rat ion Book Issue.

New series ration books totalling 1fi.992 were issued in the Wellington metropolitan area, which does not include the Hutt Valley and eastern harbour districts. on Alonday, the first day of the period in which special facilities are provided for their distribution. It is estimated that there are 127.5'54 books to be issued in the metro politico areg,. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. yesterday 7’569 books were issued at the temporary office in the Wellington General Post Office.

National War Savings. Following the closing of the successful Victory Loan, one important adjunct to it continues to function successfully. National War Savings quotas, which were' suspended during the loan period, were revived last week, and sixteen of the IS principal centres, as well as the satisfactory total of 243 towns throughout the Dominion, attained their objectives. This number is in keeping witii the total of weekly successes recorded before tlic Victory Loan. In all postal districts the full district quota was obtained Public Servants and War.

Over -100 public servants bad lost their lives, were missing, or were prisoners of war, said Air. A. 11. O'Keefe (president) in his address to the annual conference of the New Zealand Public Service Association held in Wellington yesterday. Alembers had contributed £20.000 to patriotic funds by regular salary deductions, and the association had contributed £1250 from its own funds. Public servants also played an active part in the loan campaigns. and the association had £12,000 invested in war loans. Theft of Watch.

Robert George Everett, labourer, aged 24, appeared before Mr. Stout, S.M., in the Alagistrntes’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, on a charge of stealing a gold watch valued at £lO. Accused said lie was prepared to return the watch Io its owner, and offered to pay for any repairs. “You have not. returned the watch yet. and seeing that you removed the back of the watch on which was the name of the owner, it. is obvious that you did not intend to return it,” said Air. Stout, iu sentencing Everett to prison for three mouths with hard labour.