DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 September 1938, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] FIRES AT RANFURLY DUNEDIN, September 8. At four o’clock this morning, two fires occurred at Ranfurly, almost simultaneously, Black’s Service Stores and the bakehouse of .Jones and Company being totally destroyed. The buildings were 400 yards apart. With, no Fire Brigade in the district, it was fortunate that there was no wind, otherwise the adjacent buildings would have been in danger. The Service Stores building was insured for £BOO. and’ the stock for £1,200, in Ihe United Office. CONVERSION A LLEG ED WELLINGTON, September 8.

Francis William Watson, farm manager. Pitcaithleys. Stanley Grant Wills, motor driver. Lower Hutt, and Herbert Edward Barnes, service station attendant. Lower Hutt, were charged at the Lower Court, to-day. with wrongful conversion of a car at Hayward’s, the property of Oliver S. Goss; also with the theft of a distributor, electric petrol pump, set of tools, door handles, petrol cap, spare wheel clamp, luggage carrier, and various other parts of a car and accessories; also an overcoat. A remand was granted to September 15.

INSURANCE CLERKS

WELLINGTON, September 7

Agreement "was reached in the Conciliation Council in the Dominion insurance workers’ dispute. The new award will closely follow the old one. It. applies to employees earning up to £450 a year, £29 in the first six months to £340 in the fourteenth year for males, and to £l7O in the seventh year for females.

For fenrale clerks in the life, office, and industrial departments the commencing salary is from £l9/10/- at under 17, to £l7O in the eighth year, the same as the clerical workers’ award wages.

It will come into effect on October 1. The hours are 37?. a week, from Monday io Friday.

INSURANCE CO’S AFFAIRS

NEW PLYMOUTH, September 8

Ways of protecting their interests, in view of the recent demand for a levy of two and a half times the amount of the premiums paid, were considered last night, by the Taranaki policy holders in the Public Mutual Insurance Company of New Zealand.

A -well attended meeting, at New Plymouth, appointed a representative committee to act for the policy holders, and agreed to establish a fighting fund. This will comprise contributions of 1/- in the £1 of the levy on each policy holder, with a. limit of 10/-. The Taranaki group of policy holders intends to get. in touch with groups in other centres, with the object of co-ordinating activities, and LTamiiig a definite plan for all policy holders.

POWER FAILURE

■WELLINGTON, September 7.

Trams, trains, lifts and all electric-ally-operated services on direct current were halted in Wellington to-day. for several minutes shortly after 1.30 p.m. and again a few minutes later. The source of the trouble was a blow-out of an 11,000 volt brush at the Tuai power station, at. Waikaremoana. The blow-out caused a surge of power throughout the inter-linked systems of the North Island and in Wellington it had the effect, of cutting out the rotary condensers and shutting off the direct. power. Trams stopped unexpectedly, and lifts were suddenly stopped where, they were to the annoyance of business people returning to their offices from lunch. The services soon resumed, but a quarter of an hour later came to a second stop for a slightly longer period. This time, however, they resumed their normal operations for the rest of the day.