GENERAL NEWS REPORT ON PRIME MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 July 1946, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS REPORT ON PRIME MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Nash, who recently attended the conference of Dominion Prime Ministers in London, has' handed his ' report on that conference to the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, and it will be discussed in the House of Representatives soon when Mr. Fraser presents his report on the matters to come before the Peace Conference in Paris. A statement to that effect was made by Mr. Nash in Wellington lastnight.—(P.A.)

Colliers Delayed. Crew shortages delayed the departure of the colliers Wingatui and Poolta from Wellington. The Wingatui sailed at 11.30 a.m. on Saturday, having been scheduled to sail the previous night, and the Poolta, scheduled to sail at 11 a.m., was forced to i ; emain in port, through a shortage of four firemen. —(P.A.)

Heavy Week-end Rain. Heavy rain during the week-end, in the Grey district, especially yesterday caused no damage to rail or road routes and all services carried on normally. There was considerable street flooding in Greymouth. On Saturday 0.56 inches of rain fell and up to 9 a.m. this morning 1.76 inches fell, bringing the total rainfall for the year to date to 50.67 inches. American War Dead

A small American vessel, the P.S. 291, arrived in Wellington yesterday to take aboard about 70 United States war dead for re-interment on American soil. The ship had previously visited Suva and will call at Auckland on the same mission. The United States Government has undertaken to lift from foreign soil, if the next-of-kin wish, the body of any American serviceman for re-interment in American territory. An American Army party of two officers and 45 men have been carrying out this month the work of disinterment of soldiers buried in Auckland and Wellington.—(P.A.)

Hosiery Coupon. The Minister of Supply (Mr. Sullivan) announced in Wellington on Saturday, the extension of the currency of the hosiery coupon X2Ol until the end of August. Mr. Sullivan said this coupon was scheduled to expire on May 31, but through the shortage of supply its availability was extended for two months. To enable the coupon to be fully redeemed it was now being made available for another month. Coupons X2Ol and X 202 are, therefore, both valid for the purchase of fully-fashioned stockings of silk, art silk, or mixtures thereof, coupon X2Ol expiring on August 31, and coupon X 202 remaining valid until the end of November. —(P.A.) The Mouth of a Gift Horse. The manner in which a donation of £5O was made to the Wellington Hospital Board by the Wellington Indian Association was not altogether satisfactory to a meeting of the board. “This is a very generous way of showing their appreciation, but there is a complication,” said the chairman, Mr. H. F. Toogood. “By giving the money to us they are merely subsidising the Government. I would like to see it go in some other way.” Members agreed with ■the chairman, and it was decided that the association should be asked to give the money for some specific purpose, thereby preventing it from becoming part of the board’s general funds'. Catholic Memorial Project.

Immediately subscribing almost £4OOO, a meeting of Catholics filling the Regent Theatre, New Plymouth, to its capacity yesterday afternoon launched a project to establish in the district a college for primary and secondary boys. It will be a memorial to the Rev. Father Vernon Douglas, a former curate in St. Joseph’s Parish, New Plymouth, who was murdered by Japanese at Pila, in the Philippines, on July 10, 1943. Pledging loyal support for the undertaking, every individual at the meeting decided to become a member of an association to be known as the Vernon Douglas Memorial College Association. The chairman, Mr. G. F. Petheram, recalled that Father Douglas, who was a missionary, was tortured for three nights and three days in an unsuccessful endeavour to make him disclose what United States and Filipino guerrillas had told him in confession. — (P.A.) Principles of Justice. Legislation designed to indemnify a party to an illegal transaction and to secure him profit from the contract struck at the roots of justice and contravened the accepted principles _of law, said Mr. C. E. Clarke, lefening to the recent Servicemen’s Settlement and Land Sales Emergency Regulations. in an address at a meeting of the Auckland branch of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand. Purchasers now had the right to recover by civil action money paid in illegal transactions, and they were in addition indemnified, said Mr. Clarke. Not only were rights thus granted to wrongdoers, but the Evidence Act was amended to compel the defendant in a case to give evidence against his own interests and assist a transgressing purchaser. Such solicitude for transgressors was contrary to the accepted principles of British, justice. The recent action of the Minister of Lands, Mr. Skinner, in calling upon the chairman of the Hamilton Land Sales Committee, My. S. Lewis, to resign indicated a state’ of affairs which would destroy public confidence in the impartiality that applicants were entitled to expect from the committees. Once this confidence was lost,, the whole fabric of the British system of courts and justice was endangered.

For styles that are as modern as to-morrow; for fashions that are becoming; fashions that will look their best on you, you can depend on White’s Fashion Corner.—Advt.

Coloured Silk and Lambswool Pram Covers, in all pastel shades. Finished with animal motifs, 14/11 to 35/ —C. Smith’s.—Advt.

All-wool Felt Cot Blankets in pastel shades of green, blue, pink, fawn; size 36 x 54; 12/9 each.- —C. Smith’s.—Advt.