Local and General

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 July 1944, Page 4

Local and General

Three building permits for . w° rk G ]^o U th £4OO were granted by the Gieymoui Borough Council during June. When reports that it is proposed to revert to the former price of sevenpence a quait lot milk in the Grey district, from the ised increase to eightpence, weie refeired to ;Vlr. F. G. Norton, this morning, he stated that at the present stage no announcement could oe made. The dairy interests held a meeting, last evening, but the discussions with the darkeiing Department had not yet concluded, tn a dav or two, added Mr. Norton, a full an-'ounci-ment would be made. ’‘Several things >r? pending," l.e added.

The Liverpool State mine, which has been idle three days this week, resumed this morning. All other State mines also worked, but as the quarterly cavils are being drawn today at all mines the production was not expected to be large. On account of the cavils and' the idleness of the Liverpool mine this week the Kaimiro, which was to have loaded coal for Auckland gasworks at Greymouth, has been diverted to Westport, where a coal cargo will be available. The Dobson Statemine will not be working to-morrow (a “back” Saturday) on account of the preparation of the mine for the double shift which will be commenced on Monday.

Eggs by the dozen or more were to be had for the asking in Auckland to-day. The position was unprecedented for over two years. Distributors were faced with far more supplies than they could get rid of through the usual channels, owing to the cessation of orders from many hotels, restaurants, and cafes, which are unable to provide egg meals, as there is no gas supply. Grocers’ shop had large notices in the windows advising the public of the unusual position, and in some cases bags of eggs were piled in heaps to facilitate the serving of customers. The price was 3/5 a dozen. There was a marked reaction to the gas famine at the city markets, when demands slackened markedly for green vegetables. In particular, cauliflowers dropped from 6/- to 15/- a sack yesterday to 4/6 to 7/- to-day. Cabbages were also cheaper, and carrots and pumpkins were practically a glut on the market.—P.A.

A special train, travelling at the restricted speed of 20- miles an hour, will leave Westport, this evening, with 30 coal hopper waggons which are to undergo repair. The train will continue its journey to Addington in the early hours of to-morrow r morning, taking the greater part of the day to reach its destination.

The Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr. Jones) said the recovery of the witnesses involved in the Mount Hope aircraft accident on June 30 has been less rapid than expected. It is therefore necessary to postpone the official inquiry until the condition of the witnesses permits their attendance, -P.A.

The monthly meeting of St. Paul’s Junior Guild Avas held last evening, Mrs. M. W. T. Moore presiding over a large attendance. A demonstration of smocking was given by Miss J. McNiven. The competition for a covered coat-hanger resulted: Mrs. F. B. Fitzsimons T and 2, Mrs. W. Coumbe 3.

The largest collection of motor-cars witnessed at an evening gathering,, apart from entertainments, in Greymofith for a long period was to be seen in Tainui Street on the occasion of the general meeting of the Progress League, at the Grey Main School, last evening. There were 19 cars—l2 on one side of the street and seven on the other.

“On representations by New Zealand and Australia Avhen I was in London arrangements were completed for a greatly improved air mail service to Italy and Egypt in the interests of servicemen and women attached to the New Zealand Division,” the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) said yesterday. He added that air facilities on the route would be trebled. — P.A.

During the year ended March 31 last, £11,615/6/2 Avas raised by sale of waste materials, collected by committees affiliated to the National Council for Reclamation of Waste Material. The money will be allocated to the local patriotic funds, according to credits earned by the boards and committees affiliated Avith the Waste Council. —P.A.

Under the will of the late Frederick Simon Steffan, taxidermist, Dunedin, sworn at £9500, beouests include £5OO to the Otago University for research in medicine or surgery, £2OO to St. John Ambulance, divided between Dunedin and Oamaru districts, £lso'to the Alpine Club for the erection of a hut in the Southern Alps, and £l5O to the Salvation Army.—P.A.

The Public Works Department launch which was slipped outside the Greymouth heads, last week, by the Gael, and had been tied up here since then,’ left under its own power this morning, for Jackson’s Bay, Avhich it is expected Avill be reached to-mor-roAV morning. The craft, which is a new one, is 28 feet long, and powered by a Diesel engine.

Fees totalling £l5O/18/9 were collected at the Greymouth Municipal Abattoir during June, when, according to a report from the Abattoir manager, the following stock were examined: Cows, 62 (two condemned); bullocks, 145; sheep, 342; lambs, 36; pigs, 21, calves, 96. According to a report from the New Zealand Refrigerating .Company the following stock was sent to the Greymouth district during June: Large cattle, four; pigs, five; sheep, 639; lambs, 237; boneless meat, 4,533 lbs.

Further machinery is on the way to Grevmouth to enable continued exploration to be made in connection with the discovery of oil at Dobson bv the Mines Department’s drilling rig. The first hole has penetrated to a depth of 1507 feet, and three more drills will operate shortly to further the preliminary investigation. Giving this information, this morning, the Under-Secretary of Mines (Mr. Benney) stated that no fresh developments were expected till the results of the present operations had been analysed.

Commenting that the present state of The Town Hall was not a credit to Greymouth, a letter from the head office of a Christchurch firm which has a branch in Greymouth was read by the local manager at last evening’s .meeting of the Progress League. The letter urged that the League take immediate action with a view to improving the state of the building, and asked that the sentiments it expressed be conveyed to the Borough Council. It added that the firm would be prepared to make a donation towards the cost of repair Avork. The matter was referred to the appropriate committee for discussion.

Cases have arisen of young women called for interview by the National Service Department at Greymouth being found ineligible for retention in the available pool of labour because of a change in their marital status. However, through failure to notify the Department of the altered circumstances —marriage or the birth of children —they have been called up for interview, when such is not necessary. An officer of the Department to-day pointed out the necessity of young women in the 18-41 group keeping the office advised of such developments. thus saving time and inconvenience all-round.

The President of the Westland District Progress League, Mr. W. D. Taylor, to-day sent the following urgent telegram to the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser):—“The Westland District Progress League emphatically protests against the diversion of timber vessels from Greymouth to Lyttelton on account of consequent substantial increase in building costs, which is payable by the public and the loss of wages to this district. Karu, since diverted, could have been loaded and dispatched as bar now in good working condition.” A copy of the foregoing telegram was also sent to the Shipping Controller. A similar protest has already been made by the Greymouth Waterside Workers’ Union.

“There are a tremendous lot of people round the town getting very slack,” said the Mayor (Mr. F. A. Kitchingham) at a meeting of the Borough Council last evening, in referring to the casting out of oddments of old motor cars and rubbish of all descriptions just off the main thoroughfares. He added that the people responsible should take such rubbish to the Council dump. The matter was raised when a letter was read from Mr. A. Kyle drawing attention to the fact that a vacant section in Richmond Quay resembled a rubbish dump. The letter was referred to the Inspector of Nuisances, who is also to be instructed to make a general survey of the town with regard' to the disposal of rubbish.

Historv tells us that King John lost his Crown Jewels in crossing The Wash. And bringing facts up to date, Crown Jewels are not the only things that have been lost! Many a woman has lost her good looks and helped to impair her health over the washtub. Standing in a puddly washhouse over steaming tubs is not exactly conducive to good health. And it’s not as though you save money by doing your own washing—When all things are considered, it will pay you to send your washing to the Westland Laundry. You’ll be very satisfied with the results. Try our No. 2 Thrifty Wash—lBlbs flat work com-j pletely laundered for 5/-. This represents the average family’s fort-| nightly wash. For further details ’phone 136. The Westland Laundry Ltd. Depot: 27 Albert Street—Advt.