DOMINION ITEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 July 1945, Page 8

DOMINION ITEMS

TRAIN DERAILED WAIPUKURAU. July 26. Rail traffic on the whole of the Hawke’s Bay line was affected by a derailment which occurred at 8.45 last night on. a curve one mile south of Haturna.’ A north-bound goods train was involved, and ten vehicles were derailed. ' No serious damage was done, and no one was injured. The line was expected to be cleared early this afternoon. The cause of pie accident is unknown. MINISTERIAL CARS WELLINGTON. July 26. A recent Magistrate’s Court case at Oamaru in which a motorist who chased a Ministerial car was fined for exceeding the speed limit was mentioned in the House of Representatives to-day by Mr. W. A. Sheat (Opposition, Patea). Mr. Sheat asked the Minister of Transport (Mr. O’Brien) if he would arrange that Government cars carrying Ministers of the Crown on urgent business, and thereby exempt from the speed limit regulations, should carry a distinctive mark. Mr. Algie (Opposition, Remuera): A red flag. (Laughter). Mr. Sheat: So that other motorists may not suspect the drivers of such cars of committing a breach of the regulations. Mr. Sheat said that in the case at Oamaru the magistrate, on entering a conviction, said “the Court was placed in a most invidious position in such cases.” footwearTemployees CHRISTCHURCH, July 26. Notices “calling off the go-slow policy" on the instruction of the secretary of the New Zealand Federated Footwear Trade Association of Workers, and signed by the secretary of the Canterbury Union (Mr. G. Robinson) were posted in footwear factories in Christchurch to-day. Last evening Mr. Robinson said that he was not in a position to make a statement, other than that instructions had been received to call off the go-slow policy which had been under consideration (as result of workers’ dissatisfaction with wage rates). He assumed that- this action was Dominion-wide and also that a meeting between workers and employers was pending. Expressing satisfaction at the Union’s decision as disclosed by the notices, Mr. T. G. Shanks, chairman of the Footwear Group of the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association, said that no “go-slow” tactics had actually been applied in any Christchurch factory. His knowledge of developments. however, was limited to the ■statement in the notices, and he had no idea of any arrangement which might have been reached. SEARCH FOR YOUTHS. OPOTIKI, July 26. The police force in Opotiki was considerably strengthened yesterday from neighbouring towns for a search for two armed youths who held up a. car on the Otara rood, binding and gagging Cedric Horton and Miss Joselind Morice. All bridges and roads from the town were guarded during the day and last night. At first it was ■suspected that two youths, wards of the State, who had been travelling in this direction from Gisborne, were responsible for the hold-up, blit when a truck was located -in Rotorua and an elderly man was severely assaulted about the same time as the holdup in Opotiki, the police considered that the local hold-up was not connected with the youths from Gisborne. • Thefts of cars from Tirau and Cambridge are considered by the police to show the movement of these two youths, who arc armed with .shotguns and aimnunition stolen at Gisborne. One shot gun was recovered with the truck in Rotorua. The Inspector of Police for the Gisborne district is in charge of the investigations in Opotiki. OPOTIKI. July 27. Sergeant J. I. Isbister, in charge of the Opotiki Police Station, stated today that the matter in connection with the supposed armed hold-up on the Otara Road is now satisfactorily cleared up. The Police are satisfied that no armed hold-up has occurred in the Opotiki district. TRANSPORT TO U.S.A. AUCKLAND, July 26. Reasons for the delay in obtaining transport to America, for about 300 wives, children, and fiancees ol American servicemen in Auckland and other parts of New Zealand were explained by Lieutenant-Colonel L. W. Nickerson, special representative in this country of the commander of the South Pacific Area and Force. He said there appeared to be no immediate likelihood of a ship being made available. As from June, shipping had been rerouted to meet the altered war circumstances, and the position now was that no competent transport came within 400 miles of the Dominion. “Competent transport” was any vessel which fully complied with international requirements concerning lifeboat accommodation lor every passenger and crew member. Vice-Admiral W. L. Calhoun, commander of this area, had presented the situation as it affected New Zealand to the Chief of Nava) Operations, and asked that suitable shipping should be made available at the earliest possible elate to transport wives, children, and fiancees to the United Stales. A reply had been received from the Chief of Naval Operations, stating that no suitable shipping was in sight, but the first available vessel would be directed here. QUEUES FOR SWEETS, "CHRISTCHURCH, July 26. McKenzie’s Department . Stores, Ltd., were charged with wilfully obstructing the public thoroughfare in Colombo Street on July 6. Senior-Sergeant J. Abel said that in the afternoon the footpath was obstructed for about 40 yards by a queue of persons waiting to buy sweets from the store. They were blocking the frontages of adjacent shops, and two traffic inspectors and a police constable were fully occupied in trying to keep pedestrian traffic moving. The same situation arose when more sweets were put out in the evening. A police sergeant reported, interviewing the manager of the store who, he said, claimed that the forming of the queue was no concern of his. He rejected a suggestion that he should move the confectionery counter to the end of the shop so that queues could form up inside. The Magistrate (Mr. Raymond Ferner) asked what the firm had dome on the footpath to obstruct it. Senior Sergeant Abel said that it was submitted that the firm could put sweets on sale in the normal way and not reserve them for certain periods for which queues formed. When it was ascertained that the case was similar to a charge against Adams Bruce, Ltd., which had been adjourned until August 16 to allow counsel from Wellington to appear, the Magistrate adjourned the case before the Court to the same date.