CABLE BREVITIES BRITAIN’S FUEL PROBLEM LESSENS

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 March 1946, Page 6

CABLE BREVITIES BRITAIN’S FUEL PROBLEM LESSENS

“The fuel difficulties of Britain are not as great as a fetv weeks ago,” said the Fuel Minister, Mr. E. Shinwell. There was then grim expectation that factory production might have to close down on a large scale because of lack of fuel, but, fortunately, many difficulties had been overcome. “At the same time,” he said, “we cannot relax our efforts for a single moment, if we are to come through the Winter. If we fail to produce on the highest scale ; we are going to go short.”—London, March 3.Uranium Found in Cornwall.

Small quantities of uranium had been found in rocks in Cornwall, said the Director of the Britsol Museum (Dr. F. Wallis) at a conference of the Association of Scientific Workers. — London, March 3.

Seafire Planes Collide. Two Fleet Air Arm Seafire planes were practising attacks on each other near Londonderry, when they collided in mid-air. They burst into flames. Both pilots were killed. A third Seafire pulled away just in time. —London, March 2. Bound for New Zealand.

The big Douglas Skymaster plane Amana will leave for New Zealand to-day, carrying 44 passengers and 50001 b. of freight. After an early morning flight from Melbourne, she is expected to leave Mascot, Sydney, later for Auckland. Her trans-Tas-man trip is expected to take five and a half hours.—Sydney, March 3.

Gold Mine Tragedy. A fall of earth in a gold mine at Mount Magnet caused the death of two mine officials and a miner. The men were standing in a stope when a fall of about 50 tons came down. It was three-quarters of an hour before a rescue party could reach them. —Perth, March 3.

Explosives Washed Up. At least six cases of signal flares, apparently dumped from a ship at sea, have been washed ashore at Maroubra and Coogee, near Sydney. At high tide more cases could be seen near the shore, but they floated out. The police have issued an alarm to coastal stations to look out for cases of explosives coming ashore bn the beaches. —Sydney, March 3,

Plane’s Crash Landing. An aircraft flying actihg-Lieutenant-Gerieral Crawford to Greece to succeed Lieutenant-General Scbbie as Commander-In-Chief of the British forces in Greece, made a crash landing at the former Anzio beachhead in west Italy. The plane was destroyed but none of the occupants was seriously hurt. General Crawford said: “The skill of the pilot saved us.”— Rome, March 2.

Smallpox from Far East. For the second time in two weeks, smallpox is reported aboard vessels arriving from the Far East. The Duchess of Richmond is quarantined in the Mersey with nearly 4000 passengers aboard. She is carrying four suspected cases. The Georgic has also arrived carrying a suspected case. All the passengers on both ships are being vaccinated. —London, March 3.

Death Aboard Ship. The U.S. Army has reported that Mrs. Marjorie C. Bealek, a passenger on the Monterey arid wife of Fideas Bealek, of Baltimore, died while en route to America.' The body will be cremated at San Friricisco. Mrs. Bealek, came from Sydney.—San Francisco, March 3. ' UNO's New Home.

Hunter College, in Bronx, the northernmost of New York city’s five boroughs, will probably become the United Nations capital for the next! three to five years Until tiie. completion of a perihanent home. This fact is learned by the “New York Times?’

The Mayor of New York (Mr. William O’Dwyer) already) has granted the United Nations permission to use two Hunter College buildings and the cafeteria for the next Security Council meeting.—New York, March 1.

Sydney Milk Zonirig. I The Milk, Ice-carters’ and Dairy!men’s Union, is threatening to run out lof business any vendor who sells milk outside of a zone. The two men who have already defied this ban are ibeing supported by the Housewives’ Association. This ban is the milk vendor’s attempt to re-impose the zoning system, which was recently abolished, following action by the house- , wives.—Sydney, March 3. Musicians Seek Work.

) The Musicians’ Union has given notice to the 8.8. C. terminating the '1942 agreement for repetitional broadcasting of bands and orchestral performances by recordings. The agreement, which will expire in May, .was made when London and other Towns were being bombed and the 8.8. C. found it difficult to maintain (broadcast services without reebi’dlirigs. The union now considers that I “live” orchestras should replace recordings and thus provide work for |many musicians returning from the forces. —London, March 3.

Motor Workers’ Strike. The United Automobile Workers’ Union has proposed to the General Motors Corporation that the 100-day old dispute be submitted to an arbitrator to be named by President Truman. The union leaders said that if the corporation accepted arbitration, they would recommend the men to return to work under terms of the corporation’s latest proposals, pending a report by the arbitrator, whose decision would be binding on both paries. The corporation’s offer inclltded ISA cents an hour of a wage rate increase. The union has been insisting dn the standards recommendations of President Truman’s Fact-finding Board, including 19 J cents hourly increase.—New York, March 2. Cycling to New Zealand?

A London toolmaker intends to speed up his emigration to New Zealand by using a push-cycle for most of the journey, says the Press Association. He was advised that he would have to wait for at least two years for a ship. The intending migrant is Mr. E. J. Cooke, who is 36 years old. Mr. Cook has decided to cycle across England to Scotland, and travel to Ireland by sea, and then cross the Atlantic, either by sea or by air. lie intends to cycle across Canada, and thence down to Los Angeles, where he anticipates that he will have less trouble in getting a. ship to New Zealand. Mr. Cooke will leave London to-day (Monday).—London, March 3.

Gastric Ailments.

“Britain’s new ‘headache’ is in the stomach,” says the Daily Mail. “Gastric ailments are now responsible for more absenteeism than the common cold.’ Medical scientists blame the increase on continued food rationing, monotony of diet, and war reaction. Four hundred workers at one factory alone, which employed 4000 workers in 1945, went off' suffering from stomach Ulcers. The ailment is also havirig an effect on production. One Midlands engineering firm reports that oUtpUt a ihan is 35 per cent, less than before the war. Statistics f0r’1944-45 show that 7 per cent, of workers were laid up as a i’esUlt of gastric trouble, while colds and respiratory complaints accounted for 6.5 per cent.”—London, March 3.

Constitution of i.L.O. The United Kingdom draft proposals for the amendment of the constitution of the international Labour, Office has been ’ issued as a White Paper. The united Kingdom proposes that membership of the United Nations should entitle any State to merribetship of, the 1.L.0., upon formal acceptance of . the office’s constitution, and., also, that no member of the 1.L.0. Should be al-: lowed to withdraw without two years’)

notice, and without fulfilling all the financial obligations of membership. —London, March 2.

Government Advertising. The directors of the London publishing firm of Benn Brothers, Ltd., have declined to accept further Government advertising for their 15 trade and technical journals. They say that while the war lasted it was considered necessary to accommodate Government announcements, but, with the paper shortage still as serious as ever, it was no longer possible to allow Government departments to occupy advertising space so badly, wanted by business concerns struggling to win back their position in the markets.—London, March 1.

National Planning of Shipping. The president (Mr. J. P. Maclay) told the annual meeting of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom that the continuation of private enterprise should not exclude

the possibility or desirability of national planning by the ship owner, or in consultation with the Government. “I think it is imperative for our industries to work in constant ■ co-operation with the Government. We should be able freely to discuss problems' between ourselves and the Government, without constant fear.” Industry needed, to. watch that the international co-operative schemes were not merely a means of enabling other nations to try to obtain a larger ‘ share of British trade.—London, ’March 2,