LOCAL AND GENERAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 January 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Motor registrations continue to increase in the Dominion. The number of motor vehicles licensed in New Zealand last year rose considerably, the total figure at December 31 being 265,362. In an interview yesterday, the Postmaster-General said that this represented an increase of more than 10 per cent, on the corresponding registrations for the previous year. The actual numerical increase was 25,129. Motor-cycle licenses decreased by more than 1100, or fully 5 per cent.

Legislation to enable rangers 'to search motor-cars will be sought by the Council of the South Island Acclimatisation Society, according to a decision reached at the annual conference, at Christchurch, . to-day. The action was taken as the result of the judgment given by the Magistrate at Greymouth, last year, where a defendant was charged with obstructing a ranger, who sought to search his car for game. The Magistrate held that the ranger had no authority to search the car. but could search parcels. — Press Assn.

Figures of the Post Office Savings Bank for the year show an increase in the number of accounts withdrawn, but. this is more than counter-balanced by tire heavier deposits which show a rise of £361,003 on 1936, to £2,498,018. The excess of deposits over withdrawals at £257,662 show almost one hundred per cent advance on the 1936 returns. The average amount at the credit of depositors for 1937 amounted to £77/6/1, an increase of £l/16/5 over .1936. The number of new accounts rose by 764 to 7444. The number of accounts open as at December 31, was 66,215 against 64,398 for 1936. The credit balance as at December 31, was £5,118,771, compared with £4,861,015 for the previous year.—Press Assn.

Ladies all pure wool swimming costumes to be cleared at 6/6 each. Good shades! Smart Style! This is only one of the many bargains at Ct. Smith’s Big Summer Sale!—Advt.

New Year hospitality will certainlny call for the best Whisky. Therefore wo earnestly recommend Dewar’s Imperial as tho New Year Spirit, ft can safely be said that each bottle of Dewar’s has seen several New Years before the lever is prised, and it is the ageing process that brings to Dewar’s that unique flavour which

appeals so greatly to all men who value good matured whisky. Griffin and Smith, Ltd., Distributors, Greymouth, Hokitika and Westport.—Advt.

The new Dennis engine, ordered by the Greymouth Fire Board, is expected to arrive fsom Christchurch, to-mor-row.

“That, of course, is only guesswork,” said the Prime Minister (Mr. Savage), when asked to comment, last evening, on the message from Australia suggesting the possible range of action to be taken under the new AustralianNew Zealand trade agreement. Mr. Savage said that the time was not right for any disclosure of the details, and described the Canberra story as “newspaper kite-flying.”

tn a report to the Grey Electric Power Board last evening, the Engineer Mr Sinclair Trotter, stated that from December 22, 1937 to January 17, 1935, eleven fresh applications for supply were received, seven new consumers were connected. Alterations and extensions to existing domestic installations numbered 19, and 15 radio sets were connected. The Engineer added that the total connected load was now 14,550 k.w.

Some commotion was caused at the Arahura Pah (says the “Hokitika Guardian”) as a result of a difference of opinion among the Maori residents over an alleged trespass. As an outcome it is alleged that one man shot a gooso that was wandering with others over this property. It was alleged that a young girl who was some 200 yards away was struck by a pellet, but this was not substantiated on investigation.

The previous decision of Westport, and of Buller district to hold their own local centennial celebrations, instead of joining in with Westland, was reaffirmed at a conference of the borough and county councillors yesterday. The Mayor (Mr. J. Kilkenny), who presided, said that since the last meeting he did not think anything had occurred that warranted the previous decision being altered. On the motion of the county chairman (Mr. D. J. Archer), it was resolved that the meeting had nothing to add to its previous decision.

A rapid development in educational work at the Auckland AVar Memorial Museum is promised by the appointment of Mr. R. A. Scobie, 8.A., of Auckland, as educational officer for the museum. The appointment is included in a list of appointments made at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board. “For some years we have been running school services,” said Mr. A. AV. B. Powell, acting-director of the museum, commenting on the appointment. “The object is to teach classes from city and suburban schools in natural history and to give them some idea of such subjects as ethnology.”— Press Association.

The story of how a 16-year-old AVestport girl, Miss Mary Potter, rescued a 12-year-old girl from drowning in the Buller river on Sunday was disclosed yesterday. The younger girl was playing in a canoe when it capsized and threw her into the water. Her plight was noticed by Miss Potter’s father, and he called out to his daughter, who was bathing nearby at the time. Miss Potter swam out and kept the younger girl's head above water until two boys, Jack Taylor and AVilliam Fleming, could come to her assistance and enable the young girl to be brought ashore. Miss Potter was exhausted by her efforts.

Recent reports from Australia have suggested that a conference is likely to be held in London in the near future to discuss trade matters as they affect the Ottawa agreement: but the Prime Minister (Mr. Savage) said yesterday that the New Zealand Government had not yet received any invitations to such a conference. If the conference were held, and the New Zealand Government asked to take part, Mr. AV. J. Jordan, the High Commissioner, was quite capable of attending to the matter. —Press Association.

China and Spain are not the only places in th© world at the present time whore a person is likely to stop a stray bullet, as two Greymouth men found this afternoon. Members of the Greymouth Aero Club, they were sitting in the club room, at the north end of the building in Preston Road, when a window a few feet away broke with a crash. An investigation disclosed that a rifle bullet had passed right through, leaving a hole of about threeeighths of an inch in diameter. The origin of the stray bullet, in a populated locality is a mydcry, the only apparent solution being som--* unthinking person, was shooting near the kowhai bush, on the eastern aide of the lagoon.

Mark Twain said, “Be good and you will be lonesome.” Yet you can be good and never be lonesome while you have a rich Port at hand. There are many good Ports, but Tintara Rich Port is alone in its particular place in the affections of wine lovers. If you are one of (he few who do not personally know the charm of Tintara, now is the time to get acquainted. Messrs Griffen and Smith, Ltd., Agents, Greyniouth, Hokitika and Westport.—Advt.

Under the heading “lucrative taxation racket to receive death-blow,” the “Standard,” official Labour organ, says that the Land and Income Tax Amendment. Bill, which will be introduced when Parliament meets again, will provide effective machinery for ensuring that the State is not deprived of revenue to which ii is morally, if not on strictly legal grounds at present entitled. It is stated that the report, of the Departmental Committee set up by the Government to investigate the incidence of land and income taxation is now in the hands of the Government, and that (he Minister of Finance, the Hon. AValter Nash, has declared that while it may not be possible to catch all the evaders under the existing law, the Amendment Bill will remove numerous injustices and anomalies. Steps will be taken to cir-l cumvent the efforts being made to avoid payment of sums legally due to the Taxation Department.

The first cheap edition of “The Poems of Francis Thompson.’’ is now available. Printed on good paper and bound in an attractive cloth board binding it is wonderful value at 4/6, postage 4d from B. Dixon’s, Ltd., Tainui Street. —Advt.