General News

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 September 1949, Page 4

General News

Roll Printed The printing of the main roll for the Westland electorate has been completed, and a limited number of copies are available today. The roll contains 14,150 names, compared with 12,775 at the last General Election. Overhaul Of Tug The annual overhaul.of...the Greymouth Harbour Board’s tug, Kumea, which was commenced last Thursday, took only one day, which is a record for the vessel. No important defects were discovered, it is reported, and the tug, which was taken off the lagoon slip-way on Friday, was ready for use again this morning. Schoolboy Injured In climbing a fence to chase a ball with which he was playing with other children in Bright street yesterday afternoon, lan McDonald, aged 11 years, a son of Mr and Mrs M. McDonald, of Cobden, received a bump which fractured his nose. He was attended at the scene of the accident by a St John Ambulance officer and later by Dr D. M. Logan. Two “Drunks” Arrested Two arrests were ffiade by the Greymouth police early yesterday morning, one in Mackay street and one in Guinness street. The' result was that two young men, both first offenders, faced charges of drunkenness in the Police Court this morning, before Mr E. O. Henry, J.P. Each was fined 10s, the amount of his bail. Collier Delayed Rough seas at the bar entrance have delayed the collier Gabriella in port at Greymouth since Friday morning, when she was scheduled to sail. The Gabriella has a cargo of coal, timber, and posts for-Welling-ton. It is hoped that conditions will moderate sufficiently tomorrow to allow soundings to be taken in the morning in time to permit the departure of the vessel on the early afternoon tide. It is also expected that the Omana, with coal for Auckland, will be ready to sail on the same tide. Tractor Driver’s Death

Mr F. F. Reid, S.M., of Christchurch, will preside at the inquest to be held at Greymouth on Tuesday, October 4, concerning the death of Walter Robert Watson, . aged 33 years, who was killed while driving a logging tractor at Hohonu on August 27 last. The inquest was opened before the District Coroner, Mr M. J. Fogarty, J.P., but after counsel for the Westland Timber Workers’ Union, Mr W. D. Taylor, had raised objection to the procedure, Mr Fogarty referred the matter to the Department of Justice. The ground of Mr Taylor’s objection was that Mr Fogarty was an “interested party,” as secretary of the insurance company which is the indemnifier of the employers of the deceased.

Illegitimate Births Notified During the 12 months ended March 31 last, 1655 illegitimate births were notified to Child Welfare Officers, stated a report on child welfare'and State care of children presented to Parliament. Of these infants, added the report, 808 were with their mothers, 47 with other relatives, 32 were committed to the care of the State, 378 were in registered foster homes or nursing homes and 302 were adopted. Adoptions completed during 1948 totalled 1254 compared with totals for the previous 11 years which rose gradually from 406 in 1937 to 1065, 1151, 1383, and 1285 in the four .years 1944-47 respectively. Applications to adopt infant girls usually predominated, but the orders actually made reflected the number and sex of children available. Last year the normal position was reversed and more boys (657) than girls '(607) were adopted. Of the 1254 adopted, 479 boys and 444 girls were illegitimate.

Mr J. Mann, our Optician, will be visiting-Hokitika on Wednesday, September 28.—J. Tennent, Opticians.— Advt. 1