GENERAL NEWS Westland By-election Within Six Weeks

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 October 1947, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS Westland By-election Within Six Weeks

The election of fill the vacancy in the House of Representatives brought about by the death of the member for Westland, Mr James O’Brien, will be held within six weeks. Mr Speaker, in the House on Tuesday, gave a direction to the Clerk of Writs to issue a writ for the election of a new member for Westland. The-writ will appoint the latest day for the nomination of candidates and a d a y f°r the polling to take place. Nominations shall close not less than 10 nor more than 17 days before the polling day. The elections must be held within 40 days of the issue of the writ, for at of this interval the writ, with the name of the successful candidate, is required to be returned.

Labour Day Holiday. • The Greymouth Evening Star will not' be published on Monday next, Labour Day.

Road Blockage The slip which yesterday blocked the main south road between Waiho and Weheka is more extensive than it at first appeared, and there is little hope 'of the debris being cleared by Monday. The latest advice from South Westland is that the road will be reopened on Wednesday. Buller Residents

When the supplementary roll for the borough of Westport closed this week, it was shown that 3202 persons are entitled to vote at the local body elections to be held next month. The number at the last elections, in 1944, was 2977, so that there has been an increase of 225. Post Office Hours

The Chief Post Office, Greymouth, will observe a closed holiday in all branches on Monday (Labour Day). There will be one despatch of mails, closing at 7 a.m., and airmails will close at 6 a.m. The private box lobby will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight. Telegraph attendance will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7p.m. to 8 p.m. The telephone exchange will observe continuous attendance.

Greymouth Building Activity During the past six months 95 building permits for work valued at £32,632 have been issued by the Greymouth Borough Council, exclusive of work performed for or on behalf of Government departments, according to a report made to the council meeting last evening by the engineer (Mr A. J. Fairmaid). During September 17 building permits for work valued at £2405 were issued. Noxious Weeds

The growth of blackberry and gorse on a number of vacant sections in Greymouth was reported to a meeting of the Greymouth Borough Council last evening by the council’s inspector (Mr J. Guerin). Members discussed the matter briefly, mentioning the fire hazard which such growth created during the summer months, and directed the inspector to serve notices on the owners of the sections concerned to have the sections cleared of such growth.

Warm Temperatures Yesterday was by far the warmest day experienced in Greymouth for almost a year. The maximum temperature recorded at the climatological station at Karoro yesterday was 71.1 degrees, which is between 12 and 15 degrees higher than the average temperature this month, and four degrees above the 67 degrees recorded on October 6, which was the warmest day since last summer. In comparison, however, the minimum temperature last night was lower than on recent nights, being 49 (air) *and 44 (grass).

Letting Of State Houses During September the total number of State houses let or re-let was 278, said the Minister-in-Charge of Housing (Mr Hackett) at Wellington today. Of these tenancies 143 .were granted to applicants eligible for the preference extended to certain classes of ex-servicemen. In the same month 1120 applications for State tenancies were lodged, comprising 421 to the Rehabilitation Department and 699 civilian applications. The applications on hand at September 30 totalled 53,809, including 14,820 from ex-servicemen. From tfie inception of the Government’s present housing scheme to September 30, a total of 23,798 new tenancies had been made available to applicants in both civilian and exservicemen’s categories.—(P.A.) The first race at Victoria Park on Saturday will commence at 11.30 a.m.—Advt.

Hot pies will be obtainable at the Trotting meeting at Victoria Park on Saturday.—Advt.