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Evening Star, Issue 25344, 28 November 1944, Page 4

"Possession is nine-tenths of the law." That adage was not to be taken to be true to the full extent, so as to mean that the person in possession could only be ousted by one wnose title was nine tjmes better than his; but it placed in a stronger light the legal truth that every claimant must succeed by the strength of his own title, not by the weakness of his antagonist's, said Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., in an address to the Manawatu branch of the Justices' Association. For instance, he added, even if a claimant were able to show his descent for the granting of fin estate, perfect except in one link of the chain, and the man in possession was an utter stranger, the latter kept the estate. One block of, flats in Christchurch, at least, is owned by a person who can think in terms other than those of rents and profits.. When a middle-iigjecl couple answered an advertisement of a flat to let, the owner of the premises, a woman told them that, since parents with ;oung children were so generally discriminated against by property owners and therefore found it more difficult than other people to find accommodation, she would let the flat only to a couple with children. When the callers expressed surprise at such a reversal of the usual attitude of property owners, the landlady said that she considered their prejudice unjustified. The damaen done by the average child was usually quite negligible, and she had found parents very ready to make amends for it even without being asked to do so " After all, we were all children once.'" she added, " and we must have children. They are more important than iproperty." The following official statement of the movement's attitude regarding the proposed nationalisation of the- Bank of New Zealand has been issued by the New Zealand Social Credit Movement: —" The movement stands for the freedom of the individual and private enterprise. These two beliefs are inherent in. democracy. The following statement of Major Douglas will perhaps be sufcient to clarify our attitudo regarding the. proposed' nationalisation of tho Bank of New Zealand:—' Personally, I don't think that the nationalisation of the banks is either necessary or wholly desired. Unless done with great care, it would tend to ensconse in the bureaucracy of the nation something which ,is already tremendously strong and which, under these conditions, would appear to be wholly impregnable. I think it would be absolutely suicidal to nationalise the. existing financial system. If , ( it were incorporated in the governmental system without change, I see no earthly power which could reform it successfully without a military revolution.' "

In the Suprenfe Court .this morning Mr Justice Kennedy confirmedi the reduction of the capital of Aviemore Ltd., a private sheep.farming company, from £17,000 to £8,500, in the terms of a petition presented by Mr A. N. Haggitt.

"Another dock in addition to the graving dock at Devonport is essential for Auckland as a ship repair base," said Mr H. A. Butt, inspecting officer of the shipbuilding division of the Marine Department. Mr Butt, who supervised the building of the largest floating dock in the world—the 60,000ton lifting-power dock built at New-castle-on-Tyne by Armstrong, Whitworth, and Co. Ltd., for Southampton in 1923—claims that a 25,000-ton sectional box-type of floating dock could be built in Auckland with the use of Australian steel and w-ould be an excellent rehabilitation scheme employing at least 2,000 tradesmen and others for two years. A former Admiralty employee, Mr Butt served his time at the Portsmouth Dockyard. He was with the London firm of Clark and Stanfield, naval architects, and for five years was shipyard manager at Birkenhead for Cammell, Laird, and Co. Ltd. For eight years he was at the Calliope Dock. Mr Butt, who is now near retirement, has been engaged in the last two years on the Auckland war shipbuilding programme. Mr Butt visualises a 600 ft dock,' which could be lengthened at any time. Its cost in New Zealand would bo about £1,000,000. Sydney's new 1,013 ft graving dock cost nearly £7,000,000. Witnesses do not always give the answers expected of them, as in the case of a young woman who appealed against her direction to the dehydration plant at Pukekohe at a sitting of the Auckland Industrial Man-power Committee. " Will you tell the committee what the two girls at your shop said about the works?" asked Mr 11'. Lydford, representing the district manpower officer. "They said they would not work under the conditions for anything," was the reply. " You have got your answer,"'remarked Mr N. E. Crimp, a member of the committee. Mr Lydford, however, continued his questioning, and it was revealed that it was another of the firm's shops which he had in mind. Two girls at that shop, he said, had gone through the works and had stated at the conclusion of their inspection that if they had had their clothes with them they would not have returned to Auckland. " 1 think that the increase in the number of hospital patients is largely caused by people who think they are ill." said Mr F. London during a brief discussion on hospitals at a meeting of the Petone Borough Council. "It is largely psychological. We are getting too soft. One would think, by the increase, that Ave are a decrepit nation, but this is not so." Mr A. M, Macfarlane commended the work done in the medical and dental examination and treatment of school pupils. This would have its effect in reducing sickness in the coming generation, he said. A comparison of the prices of mouse traps made in Britain, the United States, and New Zealand has been made by the Bureau of Importers on a sample card distributed to business organisations. The card bears three mouse traps purchased, at two wellknown retail chain stores in Auckland on October 26, 1944. The British mouse trap is retailed at 3d. and the total import c.iarges are £B4 per cent., made up of £22 per cent, for duty, £26 7s 6d for exchange, and £35 12s 6d per cent, for landing charges, including freight and insurance. The retail cost of the American mouse trap is sd, the import charges being £67 7s 6d for duty, £26 7s 6d for exchange, and £37 15s for landing charges. The New Zealand mouse trap costs'ls. and the import charges are nil. The only imported material in the trap is the wire, and the Bureau of Importers says that if the wire.is British, it is duty free.

Advice that Navy personnel returning to their homes would be provided with transport like Army and Air Force members in future has been received by the secretary of the Otago Labour Representation Committee (Mr F. Percy) from the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, who wrote as follows:—"As a result of your many representations, I am now happy to advise that Navy personnel will be conveyed to their homes from the terminal points of their home towns in a similar manner to Army and Air Force personnel. In common with personnel of the Army and Air Force, naval personnel are now issued with free return travelling warrants to their home towns or places of enlistment." The organisation has been advised further that concession cable rates will also apply in future to Navy personnel. Evidently the question of the harmfulness or otherwise of using raffles as a medium for raising funds for school purposes has been receiving the attention of education authorities on the other side of the Tasman. In a recent issue of the Tasmanian ' Educational Record)' appears this notice, "republished for the information of teachers":_ — " The prevalence of raffles at entertainments organised in aid of school funds having been brought under the notice of the department, the Honourable the Minister for Education desires to point out to teachers and members of parents' associations the harm that may_ result to the children if this practice is continued, and hereby prohibits the raising of funds by this means.'.' In the Magistrate's Court this morning, before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., judgment was given for plaintiffs by default, with costs, in the following undefended civil claims:—Brnce Coal Company v. I. Webster, for £7 lis, costs £1 10s 6d; J. and A. Wilkinson Ltd. v. Albert William Edwards, for £23 10s 2d, costs £4 4s 6d; W T illiam Gardyne v. Mrs Dorothea McNeill, for £2O, costs £3 9s. On a judgment summons D. Hart, spinster, was ordered to pay to L. B. Ballard £6 10s, costs lis, a,t the rate of 5s a week.

Advice has been received by the Patriotic Fund Board from Colonel Waite that a block of six houses has been obtained as a leave centre for New Zealand personnel in London, reports an Association message from Wellington. The _ houses are in Lowndes Square, Knightsbridge, close to Hyde Park corner, and will provide beds and other amenities for New Zealarid repatriated prisoners of war visiting London, and other New Zealand personnel on leave there. Colonel Waite says they are good houses and will accommodate 150 beds.

It is revealed by the ' Birmingham Mail ' that the city suffered the highest mortality from air attacks of any single town outside' London. In 70 direct attacks 2,227 persons were killed, 3,021 seriously injured, and 3,689 slightly hurt. In all some 10,000 houses were destroyed and over. 100,000 damaged. From land mines the cfty lost 37 trams and nearly 50 buses. In view of the heavy capital cost, the annual cost, and the scarcity of building materials and of suitable staff, and in view also of the present satisfactory arrangements with Sydney, the annual conference of the New Zealand Veterinary Association has deferred consideration of the establishment of a veterinary school in New Zealand until, the motion said, it was clear that New Zealand intended to employ permanently 250 veterinarians, _ requiring an output of approximately nine graduates a year When consideration is given to the establishment of a veterinary school in New Zealand the primary thought should be efficient training, and consequently the association should resolutely oppose any suggestion of a school that was not adequately housed, properly equipped, and, above all, staffed hy men of the highest calibre.