STRIKE AVERTED

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 16, 20 January 1944, Page 6

STRIKE AVERTED

AUCKLAND BUS SERVICES

P.A. ' AUCKLAND, This Day. I The threatened strike of Auckland bus drivers at the weekend has been averted and normal operations, including the Sunday services, are assured as the result of a largely-attended stop-work meeting of the omnibus drivers' section of the Drivers' Union this morning. The meeting was addressed by executive members of the trades council of the Federation of Labour. j Mr. W. Ashton, secretary of .the | council, in a statement after the meeting, said that the drivers had considered the whole position,, and on the recommendation of the council executive had agreed to suspend action to permit the council to reopen negotiations with the Government. Mr. N. B. Spencer, president of the 1 omnibus operators, said that his association was pleased there would be no further inconvenience to the public. The operators were willing to meet the union at any time with a view to an amicable settlement of the differences.

THE HERMITAGE

RETURN TO STATE CONTROL

The Hermitage at Mount Cook —one of three State hotels in the Dominion to carry a liquor licence—will revert again to the control of the Government at the end of the present month. This was announced today by the Minister in Charge of the Tourist and Publicity Department (Mr. Parry), who said that the Department would be responsible for the administration of, the Hermitage and its various undertakings in the interests of the tourist traffic. Mr. N. Wilde, at present attached to the head office of the j Tourist Department, will be the manager. He had a wide experience of hotel management before joining the Department some two years ago. The present building was erected by the Tourist Department in 1914 on a terrace of Governor's Bush, about two miles from the old site. In 1922 the building and adjoining reserves were leased to the Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Company, the lease expiring on September 30 lost. The company had since carried on the control of the Hermitage under arranger ment with the Government. The present season at the.Hermitage, the Minister said, had been excellent in spite of war conditions, and there were indications that when rail restrictions were lifted the business would continue to be good. It was intended to provide improved amenities.