DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 October 1944, Page 2

DOMINION ITEMS

MISSING FISHERMEN. ' DUNEDIN, October 30. Throughout last week, lapge parties of police and local residents searched Lake Mahinerangi at Waipori, vainly for the bodies of four men belieyeq drowned there last Monday. The lake’s bottom is stumps and there are deep mining holes, so that dragging operations have proved difficult.

PIG AND FOWL FOOD. WHANGAREI, October 30. Mr. Barclay, New Zealand High Commissioner at Canberra, told a reporter during a flying visit to Whangarei,’ that owing to the tragic drought in Australia, one of the worst in the Commonwealth’s history, he sees little if any prospect of maintaining the importation from Australia of pig ana fowl food to the Dominion this year. As a matter of fact, ' Australia has searched for fodder to keep stock alive, and some quarters advocate inquiring whether New Zealand can supply barley and other animal foods.

CORVETTE’S ARRIVAL. AUCKLAND, October 28. H.M.N.Z.S. Arbutus, the second of two corvettes presented by Britain to New Zealand, has now arrived at a New Zealand port after a passage of more than, two months from England. Except for a minor mishap, requning some repairs, the voyage was imported by the captain LieutenantCommander J. A. Rhind, R.N.Z.N.V.R. Lyttelton, to have been uneventful. Pier sister-ship, Arabis, wmeh arrived some fhonths ago, is aheady taking part in Pacific operations With other ships of the Royal New Zea and Navy, and a similar role will be play ed lay Arbutus when the normal overhaul and leave period is over All the officers are New Zealandeis, as are 75 per cent, of the ratings, die remainder being Imperial ratings. AIRMAN’S FATAL INJURIES. AUCKLAND. October 28. Flight Sergeant Archibald Malcolm Alexander, wireless operator and air gunner of the Ventura which crashed near Whenuapai, on Thursday morning, died in hospital at 2.10 this morning as a result of burns and injuries. Four other members of the crew were killed outright. , L , Flight Sergeant Alexander enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in June, 1941, and qualified as wireless operator-air gunner. Before his enlistment he was employed at Christchurch. He was 24 years of age. He trained in Canada and returned to New Zealand for duty, serving in a torpedo-bomber squadron and later a bomber reconnaissance squadron m the Pacific. He was married m Canada and his wife arrived in, New Zealand recently. His mother is Mrs. E. L. Alexander, Christchurch.

RAILWAYS TRIBUNAL. WELLINGTON, October 30. The Railway Tribunal dealing with the A.S.R.S. claims heard representations, to-day, that penal rates should not be taken into consideration in computing the guaranteed minimum waee. Mr. Mcllvride said that if they were so included, the extra payment allowed for special conditions of the work involved was nullified., The worst and most frequent practice of the kind was in connection with night rates. In peacetime, the Department forbade employees to engage in other occupations so that a person booked off after a short week at penal rates was really an economic unit not utilised to capacity. The Department’s reply was to the effect that if an employee received payment equal to that due for 40 hours ordinary rate, its obligation under the regulation was satisfied.