DOMINION NEWS.

Grey River Argus, 23 June 1927, Page 6

DOMINION NEWS.

PUBLIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION. (Per Proas Association.) WELLINGTON, June 22. The Conference of the Public Service Association elected the following officers: President, Mr J, 11. McKay; Vice-Presidents: Messrs A. Burgess, G. C. M. Mitchell, and ex-officio the (’hairmen of the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago sections; and Messrs R. Thomas and F. Faid, General Treasurer, Mr T. G. Gilbers; Auditor, Mr G. C. Smith; Solicitors, Messrs Mazengarb, Hay and McCalister; Executive Committee: North Auckland, Mr Hardy; Auckland, Mr Macintosh; South Auckland, Mr Marshall; Waikato, Mr ruiel; Gisborne, Mr Thompson; Taranaki, Mr Broadman; Wanganui, Mr Burgess; Hawke’s Bay, Mr Browne; Palmerston North, Mr McKenzie; Wellington, Messrs Sw’and and Wakelyn; Marlborougr, Mr Butcher; Nelson, Mr Oldsson; West Coast, Mr Phillip; Canterbury, Mr Mitchell; South Canterbury, Mr Rankin; Otago, Mr Parsons; Lady Representatives, Misses Boyce and Barnett.

PAINTERS’ AWARD. i WELLINGTON, June 22. The Arbitraiton Court yesterday gave judgement in an application for the interpretation of a clause in the Dominion painters award. A firm of wholesale grocers in Auckland employed a man and two youths in painting w'ork and renovating after a fire, paying less than the award rates of wages The Court considered the firm was a subsequent party to the award, and bound by the provisions, the work being done on the firm’s premises, and undertaken in order to enable it to carry on business therein, that is, for indirect pecuniary gain, LICENSES HELD UP. DUNEDIN, June 22. At the annual meeting of the Dunedin Licensing Committee held a fort night ago it was decided to hold the question of the granting of licenses to the licensees of half-a-dozen City hotels until the matter of upstairs bars had been considered. At the meeting of the Committee it was decided to grant the license in each case. In announcing the Committee’s decision respecting upstairs bars, the Chairman (Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) said it had been represented that these bars were a necessary convenience to the | hotels for serving liquor tr guests in the dining-room, and also for the supplv I of liquor to lodgers, as they obviated I the necessity of opening the main bar There was no doubt that under the cir eumstances they were a great convLu.l ence, but the Committee was of opinion that they should be limited to the sun ply, and* not for the consumption of liquor.

RAILWAY HOUSES. WELLINGTON’ June 22. Negoations have been finalised by the Railway Department, for the pur chase of about twenty acres of land, seven minutes from Ngaio Railway Station for the purpose of .establishing a settlement for railway workers. An immediate start is to be made upon [its development oh town planning | lines, providing about one hundred sec tions, of approximately a sixth of an acre. Abort eighty houses are to be built by the Department for letting to railway employees on the basis of one day’s pay weekly. It is understood that the purchase price of the property is about £lO,OOO. SPEED BOAT BURNT. AUCKLAND, June 22. The speed boat. Miss X, owned by R. M. Hoyes, of Remuera, was destroyed by fire oil Orakei Wharf shortly after four o’clock yesterday afternoon. There were two men in the boat at the time. W. Turner, chief mechanic at Hoyes Motors, Ltd., and another mechanic. They were drifting from the wharf when suddenly an explosion occurred, and flames quickly enveloped the craft. The men dived over the side and swam to the wharf. The fire had such a strong hold that nothing could be done to suppress the flames. The men said they had been filling the benzine tank when the explosion occurred. They suffered no in jury, but the boat caught fire iminedi ately. What remained of the launch was* towed to shore by a fishing launch Mr Hoyes stated last evening that the boat was not insured, and he valued it al between £BOO and £9OO. The Miss X was considered to be i ne of the fast • •st speed boats of her class on th harbour. PLANT DISEASE LOSSES. WELLINGTON, June 22. A report prepared for the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research gives the following estimate of cash losses for Xew Zealand, due to plant disease: — Wheat, £137,500; oats, £140,000; barley. £10,000; peas, £24,000; potatoes. £80,000; turnips, £1,800,000;, mangolds. £30,000 —total, £2,221,500. These figures are based on total loss, and no account is taken of reduction in yield due to attacks of disease not sufficiently severe to cause total loss. Nor is account taken of losses due to reduction in carrying capacity, milk, wheat, and wool yield, caused by failure or partial failure of crops due to disease.

MOTOR VICTIM. WELLINGTON, June 22. The man who was knocked down bj a motor car on Hutt Road on Saturday evening, receiving head injuries and being admitted to the hospital in an unconscious condition, has been identified at Sydney Wenham, single, aged 37. who lives at Petone. He was reported to-day to have partially recovered consciousness and to be out of danger. SLIP ON HUTT ROAD. WELLINGTON, June 21. A big slip is reported to have fallen and completely blocked the Taita Gorge the main road to the Upper Hutt and Wairarapa. There are no particulars, but it is stated it will take some time to get the road clear. The Gorge was blocked by a slip for several days last winter. SPARROW SHOOTING. NAPIER, June 21. The Sparrow-shooting Championship of New Zealand was won to-day at Longlands by H. Best (Palmerston North) with a Dominion record performance of twenty-one consecutive kills. C. E. Grey (Masterton) with 19 kills was runner up. Six former eham< pions, including the winner, were among the forty competitors.