DOMINION NEWS WELLINGTON MAN MAY HAVE WON £10,000

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 September 1946, Page 9

DOMINION NEWS WELLINGTON MAN MAY HAVE WON £10,000

There is a clqapey ip a \Vellipgtpn theatre to whom, for tlie Iqst’ week, every minute has seemed like an hour, and every day like a year. He live with £1Q,00,0 qlniipst withifl grasp.' Everything ppipfs tp Irs having won first prize in a sweep, drawn in Australia on September (3, and he awaits his ticket by surface mail to verify the nuipbier. Sp fai% all |re fias to go on is the nopi-dp-plume, “Soldier’s Luck,” and t|ie fac't that the winning ticket belongs to Wellington. The prize' list ,’was sent to him by air, but the ticket is expected by sea—(P-A.)

Teachers’ Salary Scale Conferences on a pew scale Ql salaries and revised conditions fpr primary school teachers have beep held in Welhpgtop jn the last two, days among representatives qf the Government, the Stabilisatipn Commission, and the New Zpaland Edllr qational Institute. It is undth'stoqd that good progress hqs ben made, but no announcement of (he results ol the meetings is available yet.—(P.A.)

Squatters Not Encquraged. No squatter in any house in the Hut Valley Electric Power Bqqrd’s area, which includes many State houses, will be supplied with electricity, it was decided at a meeting of the board yesterday. The decision was upanimous, and arose from a discussion on whether a squatter should be asked to pay in advance for his electricity because of the uncertainty of his tenure, and the possible abruptness of his departure. The discussion show r ed that no member ot the board felt that a squatter shqpld be supplied with power anyway.—(P.A.) Food and Drug Regulation?.As indicated yesterday by the Minister of Health (Mr. Nordmeyer), food apd drug (temporary) regulations providing for the sterilisation of powders were gazetted last night. The regulations also provide for continued teinppvary relaxation. of Governipept control on certain foods such as ice-creams, which were found necessary during the war. Provision is made for the use of a liniited amount of saccharine to be used with fruit syrups,’ etc., etc., in place of sugar." Another clause in the regulations defines compound mustard as a preparation containing 85 per cent, qf mustard mixed with flqur, and'with qr'without the addition of turmericTimber Output Lower. Increases in the average selling price of rough-sawn timber at the mill' from 19/3 a 100 ft in 1940-41 to 22/4 in 1944-45 are recorded in the latest Abstract of Statistics, which reports that the increased activity in the sawmilling industry shown by the 1943-44 figures was not maintained dbring 1944-45, . the salient features of a comparison of the two years being a decrease of 1.3 per cent, in the number of mills operating and a 3 per ceptr decrease in the output of rough-sawn timber. The mills numbered 447, and the average number of persons engaged was 7765, or 41 fewer than in 1943-44, but the salaries and wages paid increased by £65,487, or 2.5 per cent. Added value rose by 1.6 per cent., the value of the products being £6,993,494.

New Cheque Design. New Zealand banks have decided to redesign their cheque forms and adopt standard features, so that cheques can be handled by bank officers and others as expeditiously as possible. This advice has been received by the Bank Officers’ Guild from the Associated Banks. The maximum size of cheque forms provided by ..the banks will be Bin by 3 Ain, and the minimum 6,’in by 2Jin. The main feature of the change in design is that the amount in figures will be on the right hand side,’ so that the four main essentials—the datq, “or bearer,” the amount in figures, and the customer’s signature—will be grouped together. This will assist ip listing, checking, and posting cheques.' It is expected that it will be some months before the new cheques are' available, but in the preaptime every effort will be made to bring special cheques within the standard requirements. —(P.A.) Prisoner Seeks Compensation.

Compensation for the loss of his right arm in an accident while serving a military prison sentence was sought by Roy Meyers Johnstone, of Waikuku Beach, in a petition presented to the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr. AV. H. Gillespie (Oppn., Hurunui). According to the petition Johnstone, in March, 1943, was sentenced by a courtmartial to 18 months’ imprisonment with hard labour. In October, 1943, he was working with other prisoners in a quarry in National Park. A portion of the quarry face came down without warning, and Johnstone’s hand was caught against a truck, leading to amputation of the right arm belo\v the elbow. The Justice Department denied liability under the Workers’ Compensation Act, or otherwise, but paid the cost of an artificial arm, and made representations to the Social Security Department, which provided a benefit, now amounting to £2 a week. Johnstone could not get a military pension.— (P.A.)

Interest in N.Z. Education. Vital changes brought about i in New Zealand in recent years were awakening intense interest in Australian educational circles, and documents explaining New Zealand’s new curricula ans amended organisation were eagerly sought, said the Senior Inspector of New Zealand secondary schools (Mr. H. Henderson), who-re-presented the Education Department at the recent congress of the New Zealand and Australian Association for the Advancement of Science, in Adelaide. “The authorities in Australia are keenly interested in the New Zealand experiment, particularly in the intermediate school system, accrediting for university entrance, and the new programme for postprimary schools. The multilateral school, too. presents an aspect of education which is full of interest to Australians. Provision made in New’ Zealand for education is much in excess of the provision made on a pgr capita basis in any of the States of the Commonwealth. The New Zealander visiting Australia is struck by the diversity of systems of education in the Commonwealth, and their differences from the system in New Zealand. All States have a much more centralised system than that of New Zealand, New South Wales probably going farthest in this direction. All tlie States have set up tribunals to consider new . salary scales for teachers. New South Wales has put into practice a new agreement, which appears to be giving satisfaction.”— (P.A.) .