Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 25634, 7 November 1945, Page 4

When a draft of men who had been prisoners of the Japanese was _ being entertained recently at a function at Port Chalmers, one of the guests persisted in taking cover from the public gaze at the rear of the hall, and after being finally persuaded to be introduced to his hosts the embarrassing discovery was made that he was garbed like a castaway in a motley assortment of American clothing. Eelating his predicament at the executive meeting last night of the Dunedin Returned Services' Association. Mr D. Forsyth said that this man had been the chief officer of a merchant navy vessel, and through someone blundering when the men were re-ecpiipped at Melbourne his needs had been overlooked. " Tliis situation," said Mr Forsyth. " was soon adjusted. " The joint efforts of Iho R.S.A.. and the Otago centre of the Red Cross Society resulted in him being fitted with a complete outfit cf civilian clothing the next day. Botli organisations should be congratulated for their prompt action in rectifying an unfortunate state of affairs."-

A reyersal of the Government's policy of encouraging and developing transport mergers is indicated in a submission made by Mr 11. T. Dixon, legal officer of the Transport Department, Wellington, at a public sitting of the No, .3 Transport Licensing Authority, Mr T. H. Langford, at Nelson last week. The authority was concerned with the hearing off aif application by the Nelson Transport Ltd. for a renewal of its continuous goods servico license, involving 55 continuous vehicle authorities and one seasonal authority. '•' My instructions from the department, are," Mr Dixon said, "that from the experience of the department of private goods service amalgamations over some years if is not considered desirable in the publio interest that they should. remlin , in the position of being the sole service available to the public in their area or a large part of it. When the opportunity arises for other services, and when a company's stability and thereby, the public interest will not be seriously imperilled, it is the department's view that it would frequently be in the public interest for other services to' be granted." Two hundred and forty-six cities and towns attained their National Savings quotas last week. # This is 14 more than in the preceding week and the highest aggregate recorded in any week during the last three months. All the principal centres were successful, and in each of the 20 _ postal districts tho full district objective was attained. -In the Dunedin postal district a special and highly successful " Thanksgiving National Savings Week" was staged, the splendid total of £65,000 being recorded, compared with the district's normal weekly quota of £6,030.

Severe restrictions oh the use of gas in Auckland were reimposed today. No supplies were available whatever for industrial consumers, while gas was available for domestic purposes only for two short periods in the morning and evening. The coal stocks in Auckland •_ are almost exhausted, and are considered insufficient to last until Saturday, which is the earliest date by which fresh supplies can arrive from the South Island. Heavy seas at'Westpdrt since Sunday have prevented the departure of the Karepo with a full cargo of coal. The following message has been sent to Generalissimo Stalin by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, on the occasion of Soviet National Day, which falls today:—" On the occasion of the anniversary of the foundation of the Soviet State Government, the people of New Zealand extend their hearty greetings to the Government and peoples of the U.S.S.R. This national day will be recorded in history as one of special significance. Through common dangers and by our common exertions, throwing all our resources into the conflict, regardless of the sacrifice, the free peoples of the world have emerged triumphant. "We in New Zealand will always remember with gratitude ihe magnificent, contribution to victory made by the peoples of the Soviet Union. 'Now that this struggle is past, we look forward to a bright future, confident that our united efforts, which were so successful in war, will be no less successful in peace."

Twelve people were killed or died from injuries received in motor accidents during October. This is. the greatest number of motor fatalities in any month of October since 1939, when 13 deaths occurred. Eight of those killed were occupants of a motor vehicle; there were three motor cyclists, and one of the victims was a pedestrian. There were four collisions between _ motor vehicles, one collision with a train at a level crossing) one with a power pole, another with a safety zone pylon, and a further instance where a pedestrian was struck. One of the motor cyclists fell from his machine, while in. the two remaining accidents the. motor vehicle went over tho bank, two lives'being lost and a number of other passengers being seriously injured in the second' case. Eight of the accidents happened in the North Island and three ia the South Island.

" People do not want their private business shouted from the housetops," declared Mr L\ C. Kidd (Nat., Waitaki), in the House of Representatives yesterday, when he was discussing the work of the district land sales committees. He contrasted this with what he called "the hush hush policy "'which was followed when the Government bought land for servicemen. This, he added, was all done behind closed doors. The Minister of Lands, Mr Skinner, expressed the opinion that when a transaction had been completed and came to the committee for approval he could see no objection to publicity. Only a email percentage of the cases was reported, though in Dunedin, when the Act first opsrated. applications were reported in full. This practice was not general throughout the country, and if there was a report it was usually brief. The publicity he objected to was when negotiations with a vendor were still going on.—Parliamentary reporter. The extent of the loss of R.S.A". badges, partly attributable to the unsatisfactory method af affixing them by means of a pin to lapels, is indicated by the fact that the number of reissue badges distributed ; from April to October was 2,396 throughout the Dominion. At present, _ with so many returned servicemen being discharged and joining the Returned Services Association, the demant for the badges exceeds the supply. I'ntil the manufacture of miniature safety pins is resumed, it' is certain that the high rate of losses will continue, for not all members have availed themselves of the makeshift device for securing the badge that has bem rcommended by the headquarters of the association. In any event, according to advice received by the Executive Committee of the Dunedin Retimed Services Association at its meeting last night, no applications for a reissue .of badges that have heen lost are to be accepted in the meantime. With its first year's euote restricted to 30 pupils, the New Zealand Library School, which will begin its first term in Wellington early nex-, year, has had to exercise a careful policy in selecting students. A _ Selection Committee will sit in Dunedin next week to interview local applicants. The committee will consist of Miss M. Parsons, Mr G. T. Alley, and Mr W. J. Harris. Miss Parsons, who is the director of the school, is also librarian to the United States Office of Information, Wellington, while inc'.uded in her overseas library experience was The position of director of the American School of Librarianship in Paris shortly after the finish of the Great War. Mr Alley is director of the National Library Service, while Mr Harris is librarian and lecturer in librarianship at the "University of Otago. Miss N. I. Gordon has heen granted a sear's leave of absence from the Otago University to accept a position on tlu staff of the Library School. A former cataloguer at the Otago Univcrsit,\ librnry. Miss M. [•'lemming, has bem selected to attend a course of libra'ianship at Columbia University, and oi her return she will he appointed seniir lecturer in bibliography at tho Lbrary School.

The House of Representatives spent yesterday's sitting on the Estimates, with an hour's interval while a question of discipline was debated. The member for Waitomo, Mr W. J. Brcmdfoot, was the principal figure in this incident, the merits of which were debated at length. It ended with his withdrawal of a statement to which exception had been taken, and his expression of regret. The votes of the Rehabilitation Department, totalling £218,459. Lands and Survey Department (£503,270), and Land for Settlements Account (£169,245) were passed. Ministerial answers to questions are being debated! this afternoon. The Prime Minister stated that the Social Security Amendment Bill would be committed this evening, andl the debate on the Bank of New Zealand Bill would be commenced on Thursday evening.—Parliamentary reporter.

. The value to Dunedin financially of the University of Otago was described yesterday by Mr James Fletcher, of Wellington,' who is at present, visiting the city, as being worth four or five industries. These remarks followed a, reminder by the speaker that the agitation in the North Island to have the Medical School shifted from Dunedin to Auckland had not subsided, and Mr Fletcher urged that every effort to resist such a move should be made. A number of returning Otago and Southland servicemen who reached the Dominion by the Wahine from the Pacific area arrived by the night goods train this morning. There were eight men for Oamaru, one each for Lawrence, Balclutha, and Clinton, two for Gore, and 24 for Invercargill. Breakfast was provided at Dunedin for the men proceeding south. An additional 30 servicemen from the Pacific will reach Dunedin by the express at 5.1 p.m. to-day, four having alighted at Palmerston. There will be no next-of-kin enclosure at the station, and the E.P-S. will provide the men with transport to their homes.

A resolution, passed last night by the Otago Commercial Transport Association was embodied in a letter read by the No. 4 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr G. V. Raines) at this morning's sitting of the authority. It was resolved that it be the policy of the association to support the retention of all existing licenses, and to oppose the granting of new and temporary licenses except where it was proved that the license was necessary and desirable in the public interest, and where it was proved also that the license was necessary _ through a natural expansion of business. "It is our intention," said the letter, "to place on any applicant for a license the task of proving to the satisfaction of the court that the license is necessary in terms # of transport licensing." The first applicant opposed as a result of this resolution was a group of exservicemen seeking to form a transport company, with contracts pending for the cartage of coal from the open-cast mine at Wangaloa to the railhead. The meeting at which the resolution was passed, was called to discuss the question of post-war policy.

The Otago Carpenter and Joiner Apprentices' Society held its monthly meeting on Tuesday. There was a good attendance of members present. Considerable criticism of the Builders' Association was voiced at the failure to pay to apprentices the tool allowance which had become payable due to the separation of the tool allowance from wages in the carpenters' award. It was decided to ask the Carpenters' Union to give assistance in obtaining recognition of this claim. Details of the competition on roofing with the steel square were dealt with, and it-was decided that the examination would take place on Tuesday. December 4. The secretary reported that the response from employers would enable a very attractive) prize list to be provided.