NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 63, 12 September 1945, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

WEATHER FORECAST Forecast to 5 p.m. Thursday: Fresh north-westerly winds. Weather fair to fine. Cool night but moderate day temperatures. Further outlook fair and mild. An anticyclone is moving- slowly eastwards across North Auckland. A trough of low pressure lies over the western Tasman Sea. Full moon, September 22. Temperature at 9.30 a.m., 54 degrees. Rainfall for 24 hours to 9.30 a.m., ail. Rainfall from August 12 to date, 2.08 inches. High water today: 9.36 p.m.; tomorrow.' 9.52 a.m., 10.16 p.m. Sun sets today: 6.7 p.m.; rises tomorrow, 6.27 a.m., sets 6.8 p.m. Prisons Board. The number of cases considered by the Prisons Board last year was 974, compared with 957 in 1943. Remission'of sentence was x*ecommended in 559 cases, as against 521 the previous year. Since the board started to function in 1911 it had considered no fewer than 32,777 cases up to the end of 1944. Good Haul In Harbour. A party of fishermen obtained an excellent haul with a net off the Oriental Bay beach last evening. Kawhai made up the principal catch, but there were several flatfish, a sizeable barracouta, and a few very small sharks among the haul. The sharks received short shrift from the fishermen. The Seat Of Government. "Where is Blenheim?" facetiously asked a member in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, when Mr. C. M. Williams (Government, Kaiapoi) gave notice to ask the Prime Minister whether, in view of the increasing congestion in Wellington and the probable development of air transport, he would consider the question of moving the seat of government to Blenheim, which was the natural centre of air communications in New Zealand. "That's a good question," commented Mr. E. P. Meachen (Government. Marlborough). Ex-servicemen's Clothing1. "Will the Minister take the steps necessary to enable servicemen upon demobilisation who desire to retain their battledress to do so on reasonable terms so that it may be dyed and utilised as civilian clothing?" asked Mr. C. G. E. Harker (National, Waipawa) in a notice of question to the Minister of Defence in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. Harker said that the provision of an adequate supply of civilian suits for servicemen an demobilisation was becoming an increasingly difficult problem. Longer Taxi Runs. By a recent decision of the Wellington Taxicab Control Committee, taxis may now run from Wellington as far as Upper Hutt and Paekakariki, and each company may use one-third of its cabs to carry race-goers to Trentham on race days, said the chairman of the committee (Councillor R. L. Macalister) yesterday afternoon. The committee has proposed to the Commissioner of Transport that it should now be disbanded, as its members believe that controls should be removed now that the war is over. Atomic Bomb "Too Humane." "I think the Allies made a mistake in using the atomic bomb on Japan." said Professor J. Rutherford, professor of history at Auckland University College, in speaking to the Auckland Rotary Club. "My reason is that I consider it too humane. It dealt a quick, decisive blow to the Japanese war machine, and actually did less damage than ordinary bombing over a wider area would have done. It unfortunately gave the Japanese a good pretext for getting out of the war with their country .relatively unbombed." Girls For Wellington. An advertisement published in Southland promising highly-attractive conditions to women who would leave their homes to work in a Wellington factory was quoted by Mr. G. R. Herron (National, Awarua) in the House of Representatives yesterday. He said it would be preferable■ if those girls were trained for work in the home, and there should be an institution to give that instruction. He did not think any Government had ever taken that in hand, but it was worth trying. He knew of one mother in his district trying to bring up a frjrily of eight children. She could noc get any assistance in the home, ar/ it did seem unfair that that position should exist. Standard Mark. "There is a growing appreciation on the part of manufacturers of the value of the Standard Mark as a means of protecting them against the false competition of inferior goods which simulate high-quality goods." says the annual report of the New Zealand Standards Council, which was presented to the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. "The Standard Mark is also demonstrating its value as a means of establishing fuller confidence and more harmonious relationships between producers, distributors, and consumers. Finally, consumers are showing a keen appreciation of the facility offered, which enables them to know and compare the quality and utility of the commodities they purchase." Railway Finances. The financial position of the Railways Department was mentioned before the Railways Industrial Tribunal yesterday when a claim for increased annual leave was being considered. One of the grounds of objection to the claim was that the Department's finances had deteriorated since the previous representations on the subject. "If the Department had adequate supplies of coal, would its financial position be better than it is at present?" asked Mr. E. Casey, Government representative on the Tribunal, of Mr. K. G. Reid, the Department's -advocate. "I would say yes, at the present moment," replied Mr. Reid. "I am not speaking of future trends of traffic." He agreed that the financial deterioration had been evident during most of the time there had been a coal shortage. Day In Parliament. Proceedings in the House of Representatives yesterday were dull, the outstanding feature being the presentation of a number of departmental reports. After formal business, the Budget debate .was resumed, and was carried on to the adjournment at 10.25 p.m. without any notable contributions. To date 49 speakers have taken part, 24 each from the Government and Opposition, and one Independent. The lack of Ministerial speakers was commented upon by Mr. W. A. Bodkin (National, Central Otago). There have been only three Ministers so far —the Minister of Supply (Mr. Sullivan), who followed the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Holland) on the opening night of the debate, on August 21, the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Roberts), and the Minister of Works (Mr. Semple). It is likely that the debate will concLude this week. Mr. C. H. Chapman (Government, Wellington North), who has been on the sick list for a long time, made his reappearance in the House during the day. Boy Scout Award. I The award of the Medal of Merit lof the Boy Scouts' Association to Mr Frederick Mclvor, Wellington, for his good services to the Scout Movement has been approved by the GovernorGeneral in his capacity as Dominion Chief Scout. Mr. Mclvor is at present the acting Dominion secretary, and has been actively connected with the movement since 1932. He has given meritorious service to the movement His first appointment was as a district commissioner in 1932, and, upon the reorganisation of the Canterbury district in 1937, he was appointed metropolitan commissioner for the Canterbury area. From 1939 until 1942 he was county commissioner, and in this capacity gave outstanding service in the organisation of the movement within Christchurch City, and later in the outlying areas. He established the Canterbury County Headquarters, instituted the campers' cup competition, and represented the association in the Canterbury area on- many organisations. He is a holder of the s.Cub Wood Badge. Upon the entry of the secretary into the Armed Forces in 1943. Mr. Mclvor became the acting Dominion secretary*