LOCAL AND GENERAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Included in the Railways Depart ment programme for the current finan cial year are additional sidings at both station and wharf at Greymouth.

Retail prices of foodstuffs were slightly lower in July than in June, due largely to the fall in the price of eggs. Prices are generally higher in the North Island than in the South. The level has been rising fairly steadily since 1933. and .is about 25 per cent, higher than in that year.

A contract lias been let by the Public Works Department to the Dispatch Foundry Coy.. Ltd., Greyinouth. for the fabrication, supply and delivery of structural steel, iron work, and bolts, for a footway on the Buller River bridge, at Westport. The contract price was £678/17/-.

A fracture of the spine, and paralysis of the lower limbs' were suffered, yesterday afternoon, by Thomas Nicholson. 45, married, of Dunollie. Nicholson. who is a trucker employed in the Liverpool mine at Rewanui, was struck on the back by a fall of side coal. He was attended by Dr. W. J. Dickel, of Runanga, and admitted to the Grey Hospital in a serious condition. There was no improvement in bis condition, this afternoon.

As the first. Canterbury Automobile Association patrol to be permanently stationed on. the West Coast, Patrolman J. Chapman arrived last evening from Christchurch, and has taken up his duties, with headquarters at Greymouth. His work will include assistance to Association members in difficulties on the road, signposting, and enrolling of new members. The value of the? patrol was indicated yesterday, when Mr. Chapman gave assistance to three motorists, between Christ church and Greymouth.

Join the happy crowd at the Community Sing, Town Hall, to-morrow (Thursday) night.—Advt.

People are aiways ready to popularise something distinctive, and it is this that contributes to the grea jidl; ing success which Dewars I^ er J? Whisky is now meeting with. No whisky can compare with the rare ana aroeaUng flav ° ur , 1 iq mild and smooth to the paiaie, a ™“ irlen 4 to all men Yon would be' wise to procure a bottle ol uewar’s as its distinctive palatable flavour will meet with the greatest ann?oJal at all times. Messrs GtKfen and Smith, Ltd., Distributor?, Greymouth, Westport and Hokitika.— Advt.

Persons entering the Town Ha ll, last evening, could be forgiven fo reaching the the political address of Mr. E. B. E. Taylor, Nationalist candidate for W<esthand, was to be broadcast, as a quantity of electrical apparatus was visible on the platform. It was used in connection with a loud-speaker system, to ensure that the voice was heard, in all parts of the hall.

Ability to give interjectors an appropriate retort was shown on several occasions, last evening, by Mt■ E. _ B. E Taylor, during his political address m the Town Hall. While giving his views on health insurance, the candidate was persistently interrupted by a man at the rear of the hall, who was afflicted with a particularly husky voice. “That man is obviously m need of some health service!” remarked Mr Taylor, amidst laughter.

Much laughter was caused in the Town Hall, last evening, when Mr E. B E. Taylor made effective play on tlie Government housing scheme, by reading extracts from the instructions to tenants. The list of “prohibited activities included the driving of nails into walls, the erection of wireless aerials, the keeping of household pets, and even a warning against filling the copper too full, as it was liable to boil over! Outlining other restrictions, Mr Taylor declared that he, for one, would not care to be a Government tenant.

The Wellington Education Board has decided to send to the Health Department a. copy of the report presented to it by the secretary, with regard to the considerable preference shown by many school children for a smaller bottle ‘of milk than the halfpints at present distributed. The report indicates that a certain amount of waste is going on. A memorandum from the Education Department said that arrangements are being completed for a free supply of dried malted milk, for cocoa-making, to schools not now supplied with pasteurised bottled milk. —Press Assn.

Confidence in the future of the pinus insignis as a building timber was expressed by Mr James Fletchei at a meeting in Auckland. He mentioned that he had built a house of this timber at St. Clair, Dunedin, 26 years ago, and when he visited it recently he had found it as sound as on the day it was finished. Already, he said, builders were using 9,000,000 feet of pinus insignis annually in New Zealand. He predicted that when the State sawmills were in operation, 30,000,000 or 40,000,000 feet would be used in a year, and that in ten years New Zealand would be exporting pinus insignis to Australia.

Shouting “Good old Paddy,” a member of the audience at a meeting addressed by the Hon. P. C. Webb, Minister for Mines, at Hokitika last night, stepped to the front of the theatre during the Minister’s address, and insisted on a prolonged handshake. The Minister delighted the audience by cleverly removing a bottle of whisky protruding from his admirer’s hippocket, and told the audience that he was then prepared to finish his address, which he did. The man whose pocket the Minister “picked” later threw a 10/- note on to the platform, and said he had come from Bruce Bay. He reluctantly accepted the return of the whisky from the Minister after the meeting.

When the Government sought recently to have additional buildings erected at Westport under the State housing scheme, no tenders were received from Westport carpenters. They considered that the conditions were too severe, and complaints were made of slowness in payments for work done. However, the Undersecretary in charge of Housing (Mr. J. A. Lee) suggested that Westport builders co-operate in carrying out the contracts or the contracts would be let to outside firms, which might use outside men and material. This was considered by the builders, and the Westport Construction Company was formed, and has been granted a contract for the erection of five State houses in Lower 1 Palmerston Street, opposite the Westport-Stockton Coal Company’s office.

A distinct improvement in. the measles position in Auckland is reported by the Health Department. Returns from eight .city firms employing 3,787 employees showed that on Monday there were 62 absences, or 1.63 per cent., compared with 78 absences, or 2.06 per cent., in the previous week. At the Auckland Hospital on Monday there were 20 cases of measles, of these 14 being German measles, and only six of the more serious type. In two cases, complications had occurred. Last week a boy aged 14 died from pneumonia after measles. The Department states that there are still some school children being affected; but here, too, the position has greatly improved. Adults are also continuing to be affected; but it is considered that the epidemic is definitely on the wane. —Press Assn.

Listen, there goes the bell! No, it’s only the bells ringing out Kumara Five Brigade Ball. Friday, September 23—Advt.

In fixing this year’s general election for Saturday, 15th October, the Government has broken a precedent of many years’ standing in favour of Wednesday or Thursday. The election day will also be the earliest on record for 51 years. Parliament 'was formally dissolved on 20th September, and it is necessary to go back to the year ISS7 to find a dissolution date earlier than October. In that year, Parliament was dissolved on 15th July. Since the 1911 election, the earliest polling day has been 4th November, in 1925. Saturday has been election day for both Houses of the Australian Federal Parliament on the last seven occasions and probably many more. In New Zealand, however, five of the last seven Parliamentary elections have been held on Wednesday. The remaining two, in 1914 and 1922. were on Thursday. The change to Saturday has the important advantage that for most people in trade and industry the normal working week will not be interfered with. However, the closing of hotels at noon will lose them half the busiest day of the week. j