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Evening Star, Issue 26030, 19 February 1947, Page 6

The overhaul of the law relating to patents, trade marks, and copyrights in New Zealand is being requested by the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation. Moving a remit at the annual conference, Air W. A. Cunningliame (Wellington) stated that 90 per cent, of the patents used in New Zealand were owned overseas, and the wide-open conditions of tho New Zealand patent law constituted a serious handicap to the industry, which was liable to be held up by unreasonable terms and royalty claims. The question of a revision was brought up many years ago, Mr Cunninghame said, and he was appalled at the way in which it had been allowed to drift. The remit adopted requested the Government to review the law relating to patents, trade marks, and copyright, and expressed the opinion that the Patents Office should be administered under the same Cabinet portfolio as industries and commorce.

The party of four members of the Advisory Council of Western Samoa due in Auckland to-morrow will not now arrive until . next Monday, because of delays in the air service from the Pacific Islands. The Samoan visitors, accompanied by an interpreter, are to make a goodwill tour of the Dominion as guests of the Government.—Press Association.

As a measure of relief for the heavily taxed trans-Tasman passenger services, two special return chapter flights between Sydney and Auckland have been arranged by Tasman Empire Airways Ltd, The main purpose of the flights will be to bring home 57 members of J-Force now stranded in Sydney and Melbourne. The plane to be used will be a Skymaster of Australian National Airways, capable of carrying 42 passengers. A full load of servicemen will be carried on the first flight from Sydney, and the balance of 27 seats, on the second flight will be occupied .by civilians.—Auckland Press Association.

Last week 305 places obtained tlieir quotas of national savings, being three more than for the previous “ best week ” since the i commencement of the new year. All the principal centres were successful, and in each of the 20 postal districts the district quota for the week was fully subscribed. The annual quotas have now been attained at 254 places, and with only six weeks remaining until the close of the financial year, local committees and their helpers in the remaining 81 quota ■areas are' making special efforts 'to secure the balance of the full year’s amounts ivitli “ 100 per cent, success ” as their objectives. Gisborne is the latest chief post office centre to obtain more than double the full year’s quota. This makes four such accomplishments recorded to date, the others being Blenheim, Dunedin, and Nelson. The service in New Zealand hotels was better than.in those of Australia, said Air-T. G. Paterson, federal secretary of the Australian Automobile Association, in an interview at Christchurch. Air Paterson lias travelled fairly extensively in the South Island in the last week. He said he had found the courtesy and general efficiency of hotel staffs'on a higher level than in Australia. The table of the average New Zealand hotel was also better than in his homeland.

Permission to operate radio sets to keep ambulances in touch lvith their headquarters has been granted to the Wellington District Free Ambulance by the Post and Telegraph' Department, says an Association message. It was reported to the Free Ambulance Board at a meeting that the Wellington Fire Brigade v was experimenting witli different types of radio equipment for maintaining contact with its engines, and had promised information on. the results of the tests.. The board is to make other inquiries, and will purchase the necessary, equipment as soon as possible. Members considered _ that it would greatly increase the efficiency of the fleet,, and perhaps even save lives.

Charged with the murder of her five-year-old daughter at Clifden (Invercargill), on Decombor 2 last, Elsio Maud Jane Stuck appeared in the Supreme Court for trial, a plea of not guilty being entered. After a retirement of 20 minutes the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the ground of insanitv. Mr Justice Kennedy made an order “’that the prisoner should remain at Soacliff Mental Hospital. TIIO child was found drowned in a washtub -at her home.

Another 16 names of prospective New Zealand husbands were sought by Englishwomen in letters /received by the Mayor of Auckland, Mr J. A. C. Allum, on " Monday. There were eight letters, a, number, of the writers asking for names of two men so that they could hand one on to a friend. One writer agked for tho names of six New Zealand men cm behalf of the girls with whom' she worked in a Birmingham office. Referring to a statement by the Director-General of Health that there had been a distinct falling-off in child nutrition since 1940, Mr W. H. Fortune, M.P., chairman of the Auckland Central Health Camp Council, said it was unfortunately true _ that many parents, some in good circumstances, did not appreciate their responsibility. Children were allowed to go to the pictures several nights a week, to sit up late listening to radio thrillers, or to read cheap, exciting, low-class literature. As a result, they could not sleep. Regular habits of daily hygiene were not encouraged, and the results were pale, debilitated children of low vitality, who were an easy prey to all forms of disease. ,If such children were put under what should be their normal conditions, Mr Fortune concluded, marked improvement, including better colouf. gain in weight, and resistance to disease, could bo achieved in an incredibly short time.

The proposals that dustbins should be collected from inside the gates of houses and returned when emptied t-q the same place came before the meeting of the committee of the Dunedin Amenities Society again yesterday. Writing on the subject, the town clerk stated that the council’s Works Committee was anxious to make every possible improvement in its refuse collection service, and to that end the society’s suggestion bad been referred to the city engineer for a report. _lt was agreed to defer further discussion until the city engineer’s report and the council’s decision had been received.

The respective merits of trolly buses and. trams were debated with more than usual heat in George street yesterday, when a heavy lorry came to a sudden stop across the tram tracks at 4.30 p.m. The back wheels were locked rigidly, due -to a pin shearing arid jamming the brakes, and efforts to drive and tow. the vehicle out of the way failed. Very soon a long line of trams, which were 1 carrying home residents of the northern suburbs, piled up behind the lorry. Over 25 minutes later the lorry was shifted by the breakdown. van, but not before many passengers in the 13 trams stopped had elected to walk. The effects of the stoppage were felt on the whole, of the tramway system, and it was some time before schedules returned to normal.

“A, lessened support of the Oull commercial course has now .become as evident in Dunedin as in every bther centre in the Dominion,” stated the principal of the Dtfnedin Technical College (Mr W. G. Aldridge) in his monthly report to the board of managers. It would be foolish, to speculate on the reasons for this marked change in preference for occupations, continued the report. The important fact at the moment was that skilled clerical assistance was becoming increasingly difficult to find.

At the meeting of the committee of the Dunedin Amenities Society yesterday the secretary read two letters from Mr .L. C. Greig, engineer-man-ager of the Dunedin Corporation transport department, and also several letters from the various ratepayers’ associations, all of which warmly supported the suggestion that electric clocks be installed at bus and tram termini. Mr Greig’s letters indicated, that a certain amount of provision had already been made, but that the high cost of securing and erecting the clocks presented a difficulty.. He promised that the whole question would be kept under observation. It' was agreed that any clocks installed would hav.e to be synchronised, and the bus and tram drivers instructed to keep strictly to the time shown. Aftfir further discussion the report was received. The sale of the Braemar Hospital by Henry Blair Smytho and Jemima Smythe to Charles Penman, acting as trustee for a company to be formed, was approved bv the Otago Land Sales Committee yesterday. The sale price of £6,800 included sums for goodwill and chattels. . The new company will take oyer this George street hospital as a going concern.

Under a scheme organised between the New Zealand Returned Services Association and the British Empire Service League, the parent body of exservicemen’s organisations throughout the Empire, the R.S.A. is sending a 'regular supply of parcels to ex-service-men and widows In the United Kingdom. Parcels will be sent to 100 towns. Edinburgh has been appropriately ' allocated to the branches of the R.S.A. in Dunedin and Invercargill, two New Zealand cities with a Scottish background. The Dunedin association has already forwarded one lot of 120 parcels, and an appeal is being made to individual members (for contributions towards tbe cost of the effort, which will be continued monthly. A good response has been made to the appeal. £4lO having been received to date, and it is anticipated that this amount will be considerably increased. "The food parcels are packed with goods purchased from grocer members of the association.