Local and General

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 January 1946, Page 4

Local and General

One more case of infantile paralysis was reported at Dunedin over the week-end, bringing the total to 21. It is now that none of the primary, secondary or P x *\ate schools shall reopen on February 4, the■pos - tion to be reviewed after a fortnight. 1 .A.

During the hearing of a case for Possession of a house heard before Mr. b. B. -t atei - son, S.M., in Hamilton, last week, a resident Railway Department engineer gave evidence of arrears of leave due to Railway Department employees. He said that in the Auckland district it totalled 16,558 days. Two hundred Wellington women, some of whom carried their own chairs to the nai, met on Saturday afternoon from 1.45 till iou o’clock and discussed present-day shopping conditions, including closing hours, shortages, prices and lack of. deliveries. They then formed themselves into a new independent non-party, non-political Housewivco Association. The chairman (Mrs. J. Hendeison) said the Association should be a valuab el force for the good of the community. W have realised for a long time, she said, that the legislation enacted in the last two years has benefited certain sections and has meant | sacrifice to other sections, a heavyburdent' to persons least able to stand it. After all,. the core of New Zealand is the mother in the home (Applause). Our attitude is not adverse to the 40-hour week, but we do not want one or two powerful groups to get it all their awn way.”—P.A,

The Diamond Jubilee of Otaki State School during the week-end was a great success. Visitors were present from Various parts of both Islands, including several ex-teachers. —P.A.

A Palmerston North visitor who parked his car in Wellington on Friday night received a shock when on Saturday he found the car resting on the axles, minus the wheels and tyres. The place where the theft occurred is close to a busy taxistand and the owner thought it' would have been too conspicuous for any pilferer. —P.A.

The National President of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, Mr. P. Johnson, who is making "’his first official visit to the West Coast, yesterday addressed a large gathering of railwaymen at Greymouth, on various subjects, including the operation of the 40-houi' week, the new superannuation bill, and the findings of the last tribunal. Mr. Johnson to-day left foi' Westport.

A motor-car, owned by Dr. W. A. Bird, was taken from Tarapuhi Street, Greymouth, on Saturday between 11 and 11.30 p.m., and was later recovered at Hokitika. As a result, Vincent Wright and Sylvester Raymond Edwards, farm workers, appeared in the Magistrate’s Court at Hokitika this morning on a charge of unlawfully converting the car to their own use. They were remanded to appear at Greymouth to-morrow.

In the Warden’s Court at Greymouth, this morning, before the Warden, Mr. A. A. McLachlan, S.M., Minnie Dalzell (Mr. J. W. Hannan) applied for a water-race and an extended sea beach claim in Block 2, Te Miko Survey District. An objection was filed by Basil Theodore Piner, but the objector did not appear. After hearing evidence from Denis O’Brien that the water applied for would not come from objector’s land but-from a County drain, the Warden recommended both applications to the Minister of Mines for his consent.

Wellington, with 1975.8 hours, was twenty-second in bright sunshine recorded for 1945 at 37 official stations in New Zealand. Tauranga was top with 2473 hours, then Napier, 2418.8. Next in order were Blenheim, 2386.4; Gisborne, 2385.7; 2334.1; Waipukurau, 2299.4. Other totals included Auckland, 2181 hours (8th); New Plymouth, 2093.9 (12th); Wanganui, 2078.4 (13th); Masterton'y, 2034.3 (15th); Wallaceville, 1876.7 (28th); Westport, J 796.0 (30th); Palmerston North, 1790.2 (31st); Hokitika, 1654.1 34th).

Second Lt. A. H. Tainui, of Arahura, who has been serving overseas wijh the Maori Battalion, returned home by Saturday’s express, accompanied •by Mr. T. Weepu, chairman of the Arahura Maoris’ Committee, and T. Tainui senr., who had met the Dominion Monarch at Wellington. The Mayor of Hokitika, Mr. A. R. Elcock, and the chairman of the Hokitika branch of the R.S.A. Mr. Fraser, extended a welcome to Lt. Tainui at Arahura, where a large crowd had assembled to greet him, including visitors from all parts of the WestCoast and from Canterbury. The visitors were entertained at celebrations held at the home of Mrs. Tainui senr., grandmother of Lt. Tainui.

A paragraph in the current issue of the Waikato Diocesan magazine says that the board of nomination had adhered to its recommendation of the appointment of Canon C. W. Turner, vicar of Te Aroha, to the parochial district of St. Aidan’s, Claudelands, and that Mr. Turner had accepted the appointment. A Letter from Bishop Cherrington to this effect was consided by the St. Aidan’s vestry and it was decided to inform the bishop that the circumstances had not changed and that his letter would be replied to when the parishioners’ petition asking the board of nomination to appoint a clergyman from the Wellington diocese to St. Aidan’s was answered. The vestry also decided to place the latest developments before a meeting of parishioners. In the meantime the Rev. W. C. Wood is carrying on the work of the parish.

Though the shoaling on the bar might have been removed to a certain degree, said the Harbourmaster, Captain H. Moar, this afternoon, he did not expect the fresh in the Grey River to make any difference —good or bad—to the depth in the river itself. For the second time in a week there was a run of six knots in the river yesterday and to-day three to four knots were still running. The force may scour the bar, but the removal of the serious shoaling that has occurred in the river will have to be carried out by dredging, and restrictions on the cargoes of vessels trading at Greymouth will have to continue. In the meantime, a rough sea on the bar is expected to hold up shipping, and vessels due to depart to-night will be- delayed until tomorrow morning at least.

The annual meeting of the Runanga State Miners’ Union was held at Runanga yesterday morning, and the following nominations for positions on the Union were received: President, Mr. G. English; Vice-President, Mr. B. Fisher; Secretary-Treasurer, Messrs J. Guy and J. Devine, jnr.; General Check Inspector, Messrs W. Connolly and J. Newton; Check Inspector, Liverpool, Mr. J. Jefferson; Deputy Check Liverpool, Mr. R. Nelson; Check Inspector, Strongman, Mr. J. Harrington; Deputy Check, Strongman, Mr. A. Shaw; Committee (five required), Messrs R. D. Scott, R. Thomas, A. Deardon, F. Thompson, R. Mitchell, J. Timlin and G. Stenhouse; Trustees, Messrs J. McPhee junr., and W. A. O’Neill; Weighman, Liverpool, Mr. W. Kinsella; Deputy Weighman, Mr. J. Deardon; Check Weighman, Strongman, Mr. C. Stephens, Senr.; Deputy Weighman, Mr. A. Shaw. Ballots will be necessary for the positions of Sec-retary-Treasurer, General Check Inspector and for the Committee only. After the week-end had commenced with fine weather, overcast conditions prevailed about; midday on Saturday, and by night Greymouth was experiencing its second severe storm of the week. Heavy rain continued from about 2.30 p.m. onwards and 3.22 inches of rain had fallen by 9 d.m. yesterday. A high wind and electrical disturbances accompanied the rain, and Saturday night road traffic within the town was

affected by flooded roads. In several cases cars and taxis were stranded near Victoria Park, where a dance was being held, and had to be assisted out of the water. Small slips occurred at several sites in the Grev County, particularly in the Camerons and Greenstone districts, buc uieyj were soon cleared. A larger slip occurred between Wainihinihi and' Jacksons on Saturday night, but the, road was reopened yesterday afternoon. The total rainfall this month' at Greymouth has now reached 12.09 nches.

RETURNED SERVICEMEN DURBAN CASTLE ARRIVES. WELLINGTON, January 27. The troopship, Durban Castle, sailed into Wellington Harbour early yesterday afternoon, bringing home 1050 New Zealanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force from service in the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Middle East. Forty-one wives of New Zealand servicemen, with nine children, were among the civilians. The wives were chiefly English girls. They were delighted with their first prospect of their new home. The 27,388-ton Durban Castle moved up the harbour in brilliant sunshine, with an escort of yachts and small craft. She berthed at Aotea quay soon after 3 p.m. The passengers included Mrs. Maria Clarich and her two daughters and Mrs. Manda Bilich and her two daughters and one small son. They are Jugoslavs whose homes were razed by Germans and Italians and who have come to live in New Zealand after spending two years under British care in Egypt. Also on board were 13 British servicemen who first came to New Zealand last year as released prisoners-of-war from the Far East in the hospital ship Tjitjalenka. They had all been granted demobilisation in New Zealand, and will settle here, nine of them having already planned •to marry New Zealand girls. News of i their permit to return to New Zealand was received when they were in Australia on their return home to the United Kingdom. The Durban Castle will remain in Wellington about a week to take her first cargo since she entered war service. She played a prominent part as an assault transport in the landings on North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, and France.