NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 90, 13 October 1939, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Unsatisfactory Proof. "It is a pretty worthless way of proving service," said Mr. Justice Callan in the Auckland Supreme Court on Wednesday when a husband with some hesitation identified handwriting on an affidavit of service, states the "New Zealand Herald." "Some day someone is going to fall in about it," his Honour continued. "This business of the spouse standing up and saying, 'That is the handwriting of the other spouse,' is developing into a meaningless farce, and some day it will be pronounced insufficient." Special Force Vacancies. The various units of the first echelon of the Special Military Force are up to full strength with the exception of Divisional Signals, which still has vacancies for skilled men. An official statement issued by Army Headquarters states that wireless operators, telegraphists, drivers, dispatch riders, and communication equipment technicians are wanted. Any men with experience gained in the radio trade, the Post and Telegraph Department, or elsewhere may apply. Footpaths on Highways. "There are thousands of unemployed | who are paid by the Government working on roads at the present time," said. Mr. T. Y. Love at a meeting of the Otago Automobile Association, "and I think they would be better engaged in the formation of footpaths along main highways," reports the "Otago Daily Times." '' "I contend that for every mile of highway built , there should be a mile of iootpath constructed, as pedestrians walking.along highways constitute a danger. Through such places as Macandrew Bay and Waitati it seems essential that there should be footpaths." After a short discussion, it was decided that the matter should be placed before the South Island Motor Union with a view to having the Highways Board take action in providing footpaths along all highways. Gardeners Busy. The appeals made recently to people to grow more flowers, and especially more vegetables, seem to have struck home. It may be that the petrol restrictions have something to do with it, allowing, more time to be devoted to the garden, but the fact remains that, judging by the quantity of seeds and plants being sold by seedsmen, gardening is undergoing a boom just now. The present season is always a busy one in matters horticultural, but this spring seems to be a busier one than ever. The sale of gardening tools, as well as seeds and plants, has been very brisk, and not because there is any desire on the part of the buyers to beat their ploughshares into swords. They are using their new gardening implements for the purpose for which they were designed, and it looks as if Wellington's vegetable and flower crops this year will beat all records. Short-term Awards. That parties to industrial disputes in these days seldom agree on awards for a longer period than twelve months was commented upon by Mr. M. J. Reardon, Conciliation Commissioner, when presiding over yesterday's dispute in the printing and related trades. He said that he had been over three years in his present position, and did not think that during that period there had been more than five cases in which parties had agreed to an award for a longer period than twelve months. "When I was an interested party fifteen or twenty years ago," he added, "we often agreed to a threeyear term." These short-term awards, he suggested, contributed to the congestion in the Arbitration Court's work. It seemed clear to him that the Court had made up its mind as to a certain course of action, and he thought thai they were wasting their energies in going to court when they knew what the Court had said they would get. One of the workers' assessors suggested that conditions were different compared with what they used to be: they were now much more fluctuating, Reaping the Harvest. The provision of sufficient farm labour to achieve the desired increase in production, particularly during the harvest season, is causing concern in many parts of Taranaki, states a New 'Plymouth correspondent. Various courses of action have resulted in an endeavour to meet the position. Perhaps the most novel is that taken at Inglewood, where a meeting of townspeople framed plans to help farmers in the Inglewood County. An endeavour will be made to organise weekend gangs of townspeople, who. it was believed, would not require any payment for the unskilled labour they would supply during the harvest. It was suggested that voluntary workers be organised on a roster and that their work might come within the scope of the national reserve. The employees of the Inglewood and Waimate West County Councils are to give assistance to farmers if necessary, according to decisions reached by the councils authorising the engineers to release men for the purpose. The Inglewood Council decided to maintain roads with a skeleton staff, making all other men available, and agreed that a committee would deal with applications from farmers and decide priority where necessary. Annual Whitebait War. An "annual war" between upstream and downstream whitebait fishermen, resulting in interference with the Styx floodgates, was brought to the notice of the Waimakariri River Trust on Wednesday by its engineer CMr. H. W. Harris), states the "Press." With the advent of the whitebait season further requests have been received to tie open the Styx, floodgates," Mr. Harris reported. "As has been previously reported, an annual 'war' takes place regarding these gates between the upstream and downstream fishermen. Complaints have been made of interference with the working of the gates, and several warnings have been given to persons suspected. I cannot recommend that the floodgates be tied open, as they cut off some two feet of the spring tides from going up the river. If this were allowed to pass, the drainage of adjacent areas would be seriously affected, and flooding of low-lying areas would result, to the detriment of the ratepayers whose hiter.ests we are in duty bound to protect." "Do the gates stop the whitebait?" asked Mr. W. P. Spencer. Mr. Harris said that as far as he could make out, the man who was making so much fuss about it was getting more whitebait above the gates than the fishermen*below them. The only ones who seemed to benefit were the fishermen immediately below the gates. If the gates closed on obstructions placed by unauthorised persons there was a danger of damage to them. The gates cost £100 each, and there were 20 tons of water against them. At the engineer's suggestion it was decided to put warning advertisements in the newspapers.