NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Issue 30, 4 August 1936, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Peace Restored.

The business of the Upper Hutt Borough Council proceeded harmoniously last evening, and on the appeal of a councillor, the Mayor (Mr. A. J. McCurdy)' and Councillor J. Purvis shook hands as a sign 'that a recent difference of opinion between them was forgotten. Councillor Purvis states that the incident on Friday was' not accompanied by the use of fists. Lighting Lorry Loads. Considerable discussion took place at the monthly meeting of the Automobile Association (Wellington) last night upon the question of floodlighting projecting lorry loads. The secretary, Mr.'W. .A. Sutherland, reported that he had taken up the question with the Assistant Commissioner of Transport, who was in favour of some form" of pilot light to indicate to other traffic the nature of the load. However, he was not favourably disposed towards the idea of a spotlight to shine on the side of the load as this might become loose on its fixture .-and cause confusion. Another member suggested that a spotlight might dazzle a following motorist. The chairman, Mr. E. A. Batt,' said that it was imperative that something should be done about projecting loads and he suggested that experiments be made to determine the most satisfactory form of illumination. It was agreed to test a proposed form of illumination, and, if it was successful, to invite a Transport Department representative to be present at a "demonstration. Cawthron Institute. The establishment of a Cawthron Institute Association is at present being organised.. Mr. T. Eigg, director of the institute; has • forwarded to various bodies a circular which states that with a view to establishing a more direct contact between the institute on the one hand and - primary producers and the general public on the other, it'has been, decided, if sufficient support" is: forthcoming,' to -form such an association. It was thought ,tha^ many who had received advice or benefit" from the .institute in the past would be desirous of keeping in touch with the work of the institute and of helping forward its research activities. .Membership of the proposed association would be.of two grades—ordinary membership,,' subscription £1 per annum, and fuUNmembership, £2 per annum. The matter has already come before the Eiwaka branch of the Farmers' Union, which decided to join, the chairman paying tribute to the work; of the institute in the interests of farmers.- s Unemployment Committee Disbanded. Pointing out that.it was the policy of the present Government to : assume direct control of all State activities, and that in. these circumstances it now became necessary for all employment promotion duties to be entirely administered by the Labour Department, a letter from the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) was ,read at last nights meeting of the Upper Hutt Borough Council: notifying the disbanding of the local unemployment committee. The letter was addressed to the Mayor (Mr. A. J. McCurdy), who was chairman of the committee. In the course of some complimentary statementSAabout the work of the, committee, the Minister of Labour wrote: "The services of the committee were of considerable value, in connection with various phases of the unemployment question, and the spirit which prompted yourself and. individual members of the committee to place at the disposal of ; the Government a considerable'amount of your leisure time lias been greatly appreciated." The Mayor said that councillors had done valuable work on the committee. "A Queer Age;" ' "It's a .queer age. The Red Cross organisation in Europe writes to the Automobile' Association (Wellington) asking for our co-operation in matters connected with road safety, and yet individuals in Europe are arming to the teeth to slaughter thousands, soldiers and civilians alike," said Mr.1 E. A. Batt at the monthly executive meeting of the Automobile Association (Wellington) last night, when a letter was received . from the International Red Cross Secretariat offering its cooperation in educating the public, and children particularly, to traffic dangers. Last month, said Mr. Batt, the machinery »f transport killed 47 people on New Zealand roads, and .yet the countries through which this letter had come were building, machinery to slaughter thousands. However, more than one life every day was lost on New Zealand roads, and it was likely that this figure would increase. The lives that were lost were valuable and the National Safety' Campaign, proposed some time ago, should bo proceeded with immediately. Every possible co-operation should be offered by the automobile associations.

Parliing at New Railway Station.

Appreciation of the courteous and helpful treatment received from the Railway Department and from the City Engineer's Office by the roads committee of the Automobile Association (Wellington) was expressed by Mr. E. Palliser, chairman of the committee, at a meeting of the association executive last night. Mr. Palliser said that there had been long discussions with the two organisations with a 'view to perfecting the parking arrangements at the new railway station, and throughout they had been treated in a really co-operative manner. The iinal arrangements, in the opinion of ihe committee, were very satisfactory, particularly as they allowed ample parking space for official cars, taxis,x and private cars. It was understood that the taxi interests had expressed their agreement with the proposal. Housing' for Upper Hutt. Attention to the lack of houses ■in Upper Hutt for letting purposesl was drawn by Councillor A. Howell at the meeting of the Upper. Hutt Borough Council last evening. Councillor Howell said he' understood that the Government would make money available to local bodies at low rates of interest for the building of houses for workers. The Mayor (Mr. A. J. McCurdy) said that some houses were available in the district for suitable tenants. Councillor G. H. Guthrie stated that if £ 10,000 was spent in the district on housing great benefits would ensue. Councillor Howell said he /understood a big factory was being built in the lower vajley and that would create a demand for houses. The Mayor said that i£ Councillor : Howell referred to the Ford factory, he understood the company concerned; had bought a, farm on which to erect 150 houses for its employees. It was decided to write to the Govern-; ment for more information on the housing scheme. / ■ . ' ■