Local and General

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 December 1944, Page 4

Local and General

“The statement by the Prime Minister in the House on military defaulters will only add to the Association’s perturbation, said • n official, statement from the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association. “For the Prime Minister merely to say that the policy of the Government is contained in tne National Service Emergency. Regulations, 1940, will be viewed with considerable alarm and suspicion throughout the country,’.’ the statement adds. “For the Prime Minister to say + bere are clearly much more urgent matters of importance to the war effort which demand immediate and continuous attention is merely side-tracking the issue.”—P.A. “There is no reason why the pride of the citizens should be deteriorating at the rate it is,” said the Mayor (Mr. F. A. Kitchingham) at a meeting of the Greymouth Borough Council last evening. He added that heaps of coal and wood dumped all over the place and allowed to lie for days on end were unsightly and did not indicate pride in the town. He hoped that citizens would note his words and feel that they have a decent town and take some pride in it. The Council, he said, had had a long fight to see that rarages were not erected in advance of houses, and it should be an indication of what was desirable in people intending to erect garages that many people had double doors on the rear of their garages so that wood and coal could be taken right into the premises and not left in unsightly heaps on roadways

During November the Greymouth Borough Council issued seven building permits for work valued at £867.

The Ruru Post Office, which has temporarily been closed since October 16, will be reopened early in January. Mrs. T. A. Wells has been appointed Post Mistress.

On the recommendation of the General Committee the Greymouth Borough Council decided, last evening, to institute one-way traffic 1 in Werita and Waite Streets, north to south in Waite Street, and south to north in Werita Street.

The Postmaster-General (Mr. Webb) announced last night that Christmas parcels for the forces in the Pacific area posted by November 15 almost certainly would be delivered in time; but delivery by Christmas could not be guaranteed for heavy parcel postings which had occurred since then. —PA.

Mr. Nordmeyer, on behalf of the Minister of Supply and Munitions, announced yesterday that the Oil Fuel Emergency Regulations had now been amended to remove char from the rationing control provided by those regulations. This means that char will now be obtainable for gas producer oi- other use without a license being required.—P.A. As was the case last year picture programmes will be screened at Greymouth on the evening of Christmas Day. An application by the manager of the Regent Theatre for permission to screen pictures on that evening was granted, and it was agreed that should a similar application be made by the Opera House management it also be granted.

According to a report furnished to the Greymouth Borough Council last evening by the Librarians the following books were issued at the Municipal Library during November: Country Library Service, 1076; fiction, 2046; non-fiction, 493; juvenile, 136; rental, 526; total, 3751. There were 31 registrations and the total fees were £9/9/9.

The Abattoir Manager (Mr W. Hughes) reported that during November he following stock was examined at the Municipal Abattoir: — Cows, 52; bullocks, 124; sheep, 393' lambs, 40; pigs, 32; calves, 17; total fees collected £132/0/5. The New Zealand Refrigerating Company reported that the following meat was sent to the Grey district during the same period:—Large cattle, four; sheep, 601; lambs, 167; boneless meat, 3861 b.

“Hatters School got its name because of the diggers who lived alone in tents in the district and who were called ‘hatters’,” said Mr. A. Lawn, during a discussion at the Canterbury Education Board’s meeting yesterday. A request was received from the Hatters School Committee that the school’s name should be changed to Nelson Creek; but it was pointed out that a householders’ meeting was necessary before any permission could be granted by the Education Board.

As a result of the Navy Day appeal held in Greymouth on December 1, the committee have sent £l3O to the Gordon Anderson Memorial Hostel for Merchant seamen at Wellington, and £3O to the Christchurch Navy League for comforts for members of the Royal Navy. The balance, £lO, is being retained by the Greymouth Navy League committee for comforts for local boys who join the Navy.

The reissue of the Warrant of Fitness Emergency Order, 1944 (No. 2), in last night’s Gazette enables a warrant of fitness to be issued for 12 months not only in the case of private motor-cars, but also in the case of trailers and motor-cycles, and also in the case of those private vehicles which exceed 2000 road miles during the period of the warrant. The present position therefore is that a 12 ihonths’ warrant may now be issued for all motor-cycles, trailers, and motor-cars with a car label irrespective of mileage.—P.A.

“How far are local grocers putting themselves out for returned men?” asked the Secretary of the Armed Forces Appeal Board, Mr. G. G. M. Mitchell, at a sitting of the Board at Greymouth yesterday, when a • witness pointed out that to take a trade trainee into a shop would result in a financial loss to the grocer. Mr. Mitchell went on to point out to witness, who was supporting an appeal for the release from camp of a counter hand, that three returned soldiers, who were formerly grocer’s assistants, had been seeking positions in Greymouth recently but there had been no opening for them. They eventually had to be placed in Christchurch.

A cyclist complained, to a “Star” representative this morning of the condition of the road round the end of the Greymouth aerodrome. The road, he said, had been recently tarsealed, and in trying to cycle on the road this morning his tyres became so thickly covered with tar that he could not even wheel the cycle along. There was tar to a depth of at least two inches on the cycle, and his shoes were also thickly covered. When the complaint was referred to the Borough Engineer (Mr. A. J. Fairmaid) he said that the tar-seal-ing of the road was commenced only on Wednesday and the heavy rain had caused the trouble experienced by the complainant. Notices had been erected this morning warning the public of the state of the rbad."

The United States Army oil barge which drifted ashore on the West Coast 20 miles north of Kaipara Heads on Monday morning will be temporarily repaired on the beach by the small ships section of the United States Army, and after being floated into the surf will be towed to Auckland by the New Zealand Navy. A party of New Zealand Navy officers and an American Army officer have inspected the vessel. The tow will not be possible until the present high winds abate. It has been confirmed that the vessel broke loose from a tow at sea, but where it was lost has not been revealed. Its loss was notified at the time. It was stated that Mr J. W. Houghton, the farmer of Tangaihi who discovered the barge and made a claim, would “be taken care of,” and that he would be compensated for his work in making the derelict n aie.—P.A.

Following the practice adopted in previous years,, the Manpower Division of the National Service Department is paying the return fares of all workers going home for the Christmas holidays from employment to which they have been compulsorily directed away from their homes. This will apply to between 500 and 600 girls directed from other centres to the Wellington City and Hutt areas. The concession is being made general to compulsorily directed workers throughout the Dominion who are away from their homes; but it applies mainly in the Wellington district, to which most workers have been directed. Block bookings of railway seating accommodation were arranged through the Tourist Department where groups of girls from hostels or large parties of workers are travelling home together.—P.A. Girls’ Play Suits -with pleated shorts, in patterned linens. Size 12 and 14 only; 15/-. —C. Smith Ltd.—