Local and General

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 March 1945, Page 4

Local and General

An unusual decision was made by the Nelson Land Sales Committee in a . sitting at Westport yesterday, when, in giving consent to the sale of the Albion Hotel by A. D. Batt, they awarded nothing for goodwill, this usually being an item carefully assessed and constituting quite a considerable portion of a hotel’s value. The Committee, after hearing evidence on behalf of the vendor, who sought £BOOO for the hotel, license and goodwill, and the Crown, reserved its decision, ana later consented to the transfer subject to reductions in price as follow: Land and buildings £4650. license £750,0 stock and. chattels £lOOO, and license £7,500 stock and chattels £lOOO, and

’ The generosity of New Zealand troops who served in the Pacific has enabled the N.Z.R.S.A. to create a new trust fund for the benefit of men who serve in the present war or their dependants. It is called the Second World War Fund. The nucleus of the fund was provided by £6BO from the committee responsible for disbursement of regimental funds of the N.Z.E.F. Pacific force. This committee decided that a committee be set up with a view to publishing the unit regimental histories. The cost of these histories will be the first charge on the funds, and the surplus will be paid to the N.Z.R.S.A. for general purposes of the Association. It will be some time before the surplus is available, but it was decided that certain special funds, amounting to £6BO be made immediately available to the Association.—P.A. Despite the eradication of 17 acres of uneconomic orchards, New Zealand s crop of lemons in the past season achieved an all-time record at 141,000 cases. The previous record was the 1941-42 season, when 122,000 cases were produced. These figures were released to-day by Mr. A. T. Douglas, orchard instructor of the Department of Agriculture. 'lt is expected the crop now maturing will show a decrease of 30 per cent. The commercial production of grapefruit rose last season from 50,000 cases to over 60,000, and sweet oranges from 14,000 to over 20,000. The bulk of citrus in the Dominion is grown in Auckland, Kerikeri and Tauranga districts, as elsewhere frost handicaps successful cultivation. There are a few orchards in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, but the only citrus grown in the South Island is in the Nelson area. —P.A.

,The Greymouth Nursery Play Centre was officially opened in Wesley Hall this afternoon by the Mayor (Mr F. A. Kitchingham).

The “Westport News,” a daily morning paper established in 1868 at Westport, and for the last 47 years conducted by Messrs Walter Atkin and Company, has been purchased by a Dunedin syndicate, which will take over control within the next few months. The principals of the syndicate are Messrs F. Hinton. Moore, and Sinclair.

“Any proposal for restriction on sale of intoxicants to a person in charge of a motor vehicle but not in a state of intoxication would raise difficult points in regard to evidence, public policy, and mens rea; but, if enforceable and reasonable provisions could be conceived, it would be helpful,” said the Transport Department in a statement submitted to the Royal Commission on Licensing.

There were 10,000 children absent every day from schools in the Auckland educational district, said the attendance officer, Mr. G. M. Whitaker, giving evidence in a case heard by Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M. The total number of children in the district was 70,000. Of the daily absentees 95 per cent, were away because of illness or for other genuine reasons, but these excuses had to be checked. Altogether there were about 16,000 children who gave him trouble over school attendance.

. Over 100 delegates and competitors, representing 14 clubs, will be the guests of the St. Columba Literary and Debating Club, Greymouth, during the Easter week-end, when the annual conference and competitions, embracing debating . impromptu speeches, oratory, elocution, religious questions, lawn tennis, cable tennis and billiards, of the South Island Federation of Catholic Clubs will be held.Greymouth (2), Hokitika, Dunedin (2), Invercargill, Christchurch (7) and Nelson will be represented.

The form which the West Coast regional organisation for national development is to take, following the recent conference of delegates from all local bodies and other interests, will be discussed at a meeting of the committee, which was set up at the initial conference, at Greymouth next week. The members of the committee are:—Messrs F. A. Kitchingham, Mayor of Greymouth, who will be chairman, A. R. Elcock, M. Wallace, J. Barrow, W. Clayton, J. Stokes, AV. J. Ellis. C. J. Strongman, and G. D. Smart.

Members of the National Disputes Council arrived in Greymouth yesterday, and after considering a number of points in dispute between the Grey mouth branch of the Waterside Workers’ Union and the employers this morning took the opportunity m address members of the branch, there being no shipping working the poix. The members of the Council, whe pay periodical visits to. various ports when a number of disputes await settlement, are Mr T. Hill (General Secretary of the . Union), Captain Holm, Mr Belford (Employers’ representatives) and Mr Langford (Railways Deoartment). The visitors are expected to leave for Westport tomorrow evening.

A statement that the'Government’s family income proposals would mean taking another £9,500,000 a year in taxation from the people was made by the Minister of Finance (Mr Nash) in an address to supporters of the Labour Party at Gisborne. If we take it from the top there will be none left,” he added. This is taken in Labour circles to mean that this sum will be financed from portion of the 1/6 wages salary, and income tax at present used for the Wai Expenses Account. The family income legislation is expected to provide that a man and his wife will receive a total income of at least £“1 a week; any lesser earnings, pension, benefit, or income being increased from the Social Security Fund to that figure.

Recognising the claims of Kumara residents for daily transport to Greymouth to facilitate their taking up work in the town, the Minister of Transport Mr. O’Brien) has written to the Westland District Progress League, which made representations on the matter, stating that he would be pleased to take the matter before the Minister of Railways (Mr. Semple) for a better railcar service between Kumara and Greymouth. The matter of a roadservice, he stated, was tied up to the supply of petrol and rubber and at no time in the history of New Zealand had petrol and rubber been in such short supply. This meant that no new road services could be started until things improved. Still, there was no reason why rail-car services should not be inaugurated. The matter of public telephone call boxes would be taken up with the Postmas-ter-General, the Minister added.

Some information about New Zealand’s overseas indebtedness was given by the Minister of Finance (Mr. Nash) in an address to supporters of the Labour Party at Gisborne. The ordinary overseas debt was given at £160,000,000 and the overseas war debt, which he said might not have to be paid, at £80,000,000. Mr. Nash recalled his visit to Britain in 1939 to borrow £17,170,000 “to pay debts incurred by other governments.” The last instalment of this loan had been repaid in January of the present year and the Dominion now had £50,000,000 in England for use in the purchase of machinery after the war. The cost of the war had been paid for with the exception of £80,000,000, the amount set aside in Britain pending a decision whether the Dominion would be required to pay it. At the same time, the country’s overseas debt had been reduced by £10,000,000. “That debt is still a terrific load of £160,000,000, and we intend to reduce it to a minimum, and eventually to wipe it out,” the Minister said. “That will take about 30 or 40 years, and we hope we will be on the Treasury benches during that time.”

At a sitting at Hokitika of the Westland Land Sales Committee, on Monday, the following applications for consent to transfer properties were granted:—E. J. Truman to R. J, Truman, subdivisions 4 and 5, D.P. 564, Palmerston Street, Greymouth price £2,600. O. I. Lochore to J. C. Lowry, lot 2,' D.P. 244, High Street, Greymouth; price £BB5, subject to reduction to £B6O. Executors in Estate of J. K .Buchanan (deceased) to P. Symons, one-eighth share in coal lease; price £lBO, subject to reduction to £l5O, including plant and chattels. H. J. and Mrs E. Hill to A. Bradley. Kowhai Street, Karoro; price £825. N. Peat to F .A. Dalton, Lot 6, Moana Extension, No. 3; price £3O; subject to reduction to £25. N. Peat to R. Dalton, Lot 7, Moana Extension No 3; price £3o;’subject .to reduction to £25. E.' I. Shuker to F. Wall, section 1143, Hall Street, Hokitika: price £1350. Executors of S. Christensen (deceased) to C. James, part section 811, Bealev Street, Hokitika; price £550. J. C. Malfroy and Co. to F. H. Martin, section 1719. Waimea S.D ; price £lO. L. M. Wise to E. Collie, Lot 1, D.P. 354, and part section 2 of Res. 128, Seddon Street, Kumara: price £250. J. F. C. Moore io J. Freeman, section 24, town of Punakaiki; price £35. To Reefton residents: Mr Stanley Ausiin is your local agent for W. W. Buchanan, Florist, Greymouth. Wreaihs and all floral work at shortest notice.—Advt. Eminently desirable are the Autumn Fashions now showing at White’s Corner, Your Fashion Centre. —Advt.