LOCAL AND GENERAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 March 1942, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

For the fifteenth successive week, Greymouth has obtained its quota under the National Savings Scheme (£622) and the pennant is again flying on the Post Office.

The Liverpool mine, which was idle yesterday on account of a shortage of wagons, the effect of lack or shipping, will resume work on Monday.

The extension of Summer time to the Winter, which was introduced last year, will be enforced for a further term. In the ordinary course ol events all clocks would be put back half an hour on April 26, but the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) stated yesterday that steps would be taken to provide for Summer time continuously beyond that date.—P.A.

The question of mufti allowance for men discharged from the armed forces was again discussed at a meeting of the Auckland Metropolitan Patriotic Committee on Tuesday (states the “N.Z. Herald”). The distress and rehabilitation sub-commit-tee, reporting that it had 80 applications to deal with last month, said several were cases of hardship arising from the fact that no mufti allowance was granted to discharged Navy, Air Force, or home service men. It was decided to make representations to the authorities for a mufti allowance to Navy and Air Force men on the same basis as the Army, and to home service men up to £5 after 12 months’ service.

“Little information has been received so far about the position of tne Melanesian Mission, but as far as can be gauged, most of the missionaries in the Solomons, including all white women workers, have been evacuated,” states the March issue of the “Church News." “Meanwhile, however, Bishop Baddeley, Dr. Thompson, and Messrs Isom and Bullen have decided to stay at Fouabu for the time being at least. Bombs have dropped near there, but it is not yet. known if the hospital has been damaged. The irony of it is that through the generosity of friends in New Zealand the hospital had recently been equipped with all the latest appliances, and was a credit to the mission.”

Paying tribute to “the worthy role played by the Waitaki Boys’ High School in the life of the Dominion.” the High Commissioner for Canada in New Zealand (Dr. W. A. Riddell), in an address to the boys, said that Waitaki occupied a unique position among the secondary schools of the Empire. “our record is splendid both in peace and war,” he said, “and the beautiful Hall of Memories, with its score of flags from different parts of the British Commonwealth, is significant as the expression of a desire for solidarity—a solidarity which will be of profound importance in the world of the future.” Dr. Riddell remarked that Waitaki, probably more than any other secondary school in New Zealand, had appreciated wider Empire contacts, of which full advantage had been taken.

We have just opened a comprehensive selection of Bed Snreads. Cottage Weaves and Fancy Fabrics in all shades and sizes. Priced at 22/6, 26/6, 31/6.-C. Smith.—Advt. ’

The special train from Westport to Reefton, to-day, for the Reefton Trotting Club’s meeting, carried 600 passengers. On the special train from Greymouth there were approximately 100 passengers, but it was expected that another 100 would be picked up at intermediate stations. Between 60 and 70 people travelled from Greymouth on the regular early morning train.

The adjourned inquest concerning the death of Robert Lindley Rowse, 21, single, a snigger, who was killed in an accident at the Dobson sawmill on February 13, was re-opened at Greymouth, to-day, before the District Coroner, Mr. M. J. Fogarty, J.P. Sergeant R. Mcßobie, on behalf of the police, applied for a further adjournment, until next Saturday morning, and the adjournment was granted.

Advice has been received from the Education Department that because of shortage of paper and other difficulties caused by the war situation, it will not be possible to? issue the revised school text books for the State primary schools before the end of the war, reports “National Education.” The work of the school publications branch is to continue so that the material for these text books will be ready for immediate publication when conditions permit.

Stock consignments from the West Coast to the freezing works and market in Canterbury this week totalled 46 trucks of sheep and lambs and 20 trucks of cattle, being slightly less than the previous week. On Monday, four trucks of lambs and five of cattle were consigned to the works; on Tuesday, 23 trucks of sheep and lambs went to the works and the Addington market; on Wednesday, five trucks of sheep and lambs were consigned to the works and on Thursday, 14 trucks of lambs and nine of cattle were sent to the works.

A proposal to alter the days of the express service between Greymouth and Christchurch is under consideration by the Railways Department. At the present time, the expresses run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, but in order to facilitate traffic in certain directions, it is proposed to run the expresses on Wednesdays and Fridays, in place of Tuesdays and Thursdays. The proposal has been placed before various interested parties and it will be discussed by the Greymouth Borough Council at a special meeting on Monday.

The hope that, after the war, New Zealand would again take up the question of receiving Dutch immigrants was expressed by the Consul for the Netherlands (Hr. M. F. Vigeveno), addressing the English Speaking Union in Wellington. There would be difficulties at first; because of the number of returning soldiers, but he thought the Dominion would be wise not to concentrate exclusively on soldier settlement. That, ne said, could well go hand-in-hand with immigration. By bringing in more people New Zealand would create a market for much of its own produce and would incidentally help its own.

“The people of New Zealand are spending an immense amount of time and thought on holes to hide in, when they should be thinking about the defence of the country,” declared Mr. M. G. C. McCaul, at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, when objecting to a discussion on a defence matter being held in committee. He held that questions relating to the defence of the country should be discussed in public; Mr. F. Luckie questioned whether it should be discussed at all; but the president (Mr. R. H. Nimmo) saw no reason why it should not be discussed in committee, and this course was followed.

A policy of designating blocks of State flats by a name, using the term “place” instead of “flats,” has been notified by the director of Housing to the Auckland City Council. The council decided to offer no oojection to the system, but agreed that the department should apply to the council for suitable recommendations or for approval of the department’s recommendations. A name, the Director of Housing stated, might be chosen by adopting that of the owner of the land, providing he was well known and closely associated with the life of the community in the district. For instance, flats being erected in Wellington on property for many years occupied by the late Sir George Hunter were to be called Hunter place. In other cases, blocks of flats might be named after V.C. winners in the present war. Local centennial committees might be able to suggest names of historic or public worth.

“There is a possibility of cotton factories coming into existence in New Zealand in the near future, and we wish to protect workers entering such an industry,” said Mr. W. W. Batchelor, advocate for the New Zealand Federated Woollen Mills and Hosiery Factories Employees’ Association, before the Conciliation Council in Wellington, when asking that workers engaged in cotton manufacture be covered by the new award sought. Mr. A. S. Cookson, Dunedin advocate for the New Zealand Woollen Mill Owners’ Association, replied that there would be time enough for such inclusion when the industry began. To make the inclusion now might save time later, said Mr. Batchelor. He believed that cotton factories might come into existence before the existing award ran out. The employees’ association did not wish to make employers away from their work for more proceedings. The inclusion requested was agreed to.

The salaries paid in some branches of the Civil Service for key men With high technical qualifications were the subject of a passing remark by the chairman of the Armed Forces Appeal Board, Mr F. M. Luckle, at Wellington, when the Director of National Service appealed on the ground of public interest on behall of three officers of the Department of Industries and Commerce. One man who had his M.Sc. degree was said to be getting £305 a year, and the same salary was paid to another man who had his B.Com. degree and been with the Department since 1933. The third man, who had his B.Com. degree and part of his B.E. degree, was getting £335. He had been with the Department for 12 years. “You need the best steel for razors, you know.” Mr Luckle remarked to the Department’s representative: “I am not sure you will get it at these salaries.”

The question of what kind of tree provided a power pole which was featured in a damages claim cropped up incidentally in the Supreme Court at Auckland. ' The pole had been broken off at the ground when a workman was working on it at a height of about 20ft, ana had released wires on one side, causing extra tension on the pole from wires still attached to another side, and the break had shown that the pole had decayed at the core. One electric line “’ganger” of long experience said he did not know just of what wood the pole was, but he was convinced that it was not ironbark. A forestry expert expressed the view that the, pole was of Australian red gum. Later an engineer was able to state from records that the pole was one of a shipment from Australia in 1916, and that it bore on its butt the customary brand of the New South Wales Forestry Commission, signifying that it was an ironbark pole. It had been in the ground about 24 years, and showed I little sign of decay from the outside. ’