DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 April 1933, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

[FEB PEESS ASSOCIATION.] N.Z. LEGION. INVERCARGILL, April 11. The aims and objects of the N.Z. Legion were outlined to a large and representative meeting here this evening by Dr R. Campbell Begg. At the conclusion of his address, a majority of those present joined the Legion and promised to further its aims in Southland. THE NEW MINISTER. MASTERTON, April 11. The first official work carried out by the Hon. J. Bitchener, the new Minister of Public Works, was the visit ho paid to-day to Kahutara, South Wairarapa, to inspect the stop-banks and meet the settlers. Mr. Bitchener was accompanied by Mr. Coates, and by two Public Works drainage engineers. „ There had been a difference of opinion between the settlers outside the Kahutara River Board’s area and tne Board, and it was with a view to acquainting themselves "with, the position that the Ministers and officials paid the visit. POST-WAR MALADIES. WELLINGTON, April 11. As time goes on, more and more who have suffered the rigors of war are breaking down, said Captain Galloway, the secretary, at a meeting ot the Red Cross Society, referring to increasing calls made on the funds by men who served in the Great War. . Captain Galloway explained that immediately after the war the society supplied twenty-seven ex-servicemen at Porirua Mental Hospital with coinforts. Gradually the number has increased, and there are now 132 ot these men in Porirua. MISSIONS’ FINANCE. CHRISTCHURCH, April 12. The shortage in congregational giving throughout New Zealand during the past five years is estimated .at £45,000, so was stated at the Christchurch Presbytery, to-day, when the difficulty of carrying on mission work was emphasised. The Treasurer General of the Assembly wrote referring to the gravity of the financial situation of the church mission work. It was urgently necessary to bring congregational giving to a higher level, or retrench, or call the missionaries home and restrict the work generally. , A committee was set up to investigate. STOWAWAY IMPRISONED. AUCKLAND, April 11. Arrested upon the arrival of the Monterey from Sydney, a labourer, Allen McDonald, aged 30, was later charged in the Police Court with, stowing away on a vessel at Auckland on March 27. Accused pleaded guilty. Detective Sergeant McHugh said a bad feature of the case was that accused had apparently threatened a ship’s officer. Accused asked the Magistrate to take into consideration the fact that he had been on bread and water during the voyage. Sentencing the accused to 14 days imprisonment, the Magistrate commented that seeing the accused was a stowaway, he had no grounds for complaining of his treatment.

HIGH SCHOOL STAFFS. INVERCARGILL, April 10. The position of secondary school teachers becoming unemployed through their particular schools suffering regrading was referred 1 to at to-day’s meeting of the Southland High Schools Board. Members regarded as hard and fast the present regulation by which when a vacancy occurs the Department can force a school to take on its staff any such unemployed master or mistress. It was decided that the Government be urged to amend the regulations so that boards when making new appointments should be given discretion to promote deserving members of their staff if their qualifications were equal or superior to those of an applicant who was out of work.