DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 29 August 1939, Page 4

DOMINION NEWS

FISHING BOAT MODELS. AUCKLAND, August 28. To the order of the Fisheries branch of the Marine Department, Mr E. P. Wild, of Mission Bay, Auckland, has completed models of two typical New Zealand fishing vessels, the steam trawler, James Cosgrove, and the Diesel-engined Seine boat, Margaret, both of Auckland. The mouels are intended to be shown in the Centennial exhibition at Wellington, and will be retained thereafter for purposes of record. Mr. .Wild has also been asked to make a model of a 40ft. Wellington line-lishing boat, to complete the series. INVESTMENT EXECUTIVE TRUST. ASSETS SOLD. WELLINGTON, August 26. The remaining assets of the Investment Executive Trust of New Zea-J land, Ltd., have been sold, states the annual report of the Public Trust Office, and as a result the Public Trustee has been able to pay a further dividend to debenture-holders. Since the commencement of the liquidation, eight dividends amounting to 12s in the £ have been paid to debenture-' holders, involving a distribution of asum of over £300,000. Continuing, the report states that there are several outstanding matters requiring attention before the company can be finally wound up, the most important being a settlement in respect of certain transactions in New South Wales.

It is anticipated that there will be a Bnal dividend in the vicinity of 4d in the £, but as it is necessary to await the receipt of certain funds from New South Wales, it is likely to be some considerable time before this dividend can be paid and the liquidation completed. The report adds that the liquidation of Sterling Investments Co. (New Zealand) Limited, is also well advanced, and that, further dividends have been paid, but as it is a holder of debentures in the Investment Executive Trust of New Zealand Limited, the completion of the liquidation is dependent on the receipt of the lined dividend from that company.

“The assets of most of the companies have now all been realised," ' continues the Public Trustee, “and there is little remaining to be done to complete the winding up. In six cases all the assets have been realised, ! the proceeds distributed, and orders I of the Court obtained releasing the Public Trustee as liquidator, and finally dissolving the companies, steps are now being taken to have them wound up and dissolved.” PUBLIC TRUST. WELLINGTON, August 26. “At the close of the year there were 93,152 wills on deposit, showing a substantial increase of 2678 over the ] number at the beginning of the year, which constitutes a record in the history of the office,” states the annual report of the Public Trust | A total of 4919 wills were deposited by testators in the past year, repre- 1

seating a substantial increase over the previous year.

During the past year 3089 estates and funds of a total value of £6,314,532 were accepted for administration, as compared with 2934 of a value of £5,966,359 in the previous year. There was, therefore, an increase in the number of new estates and funds, adds the report, and the aggregate value showed a satisfactory increase over the previous year’s new business.

The total number of estates and funds under administration at the close of the year was 19,224 of an aggregate value of £61,715,713 as against 19,068 valued at £60,815,306 at the end of the previous year. Although the administration of many estates was completed during the year, there was an increase in both the number and value of estates remaining under administration at the end of the year. The investments completed during the year, states the report, totalled £1,794,121, which represented an increase of £327,190 on the corresponding figure for the previous year. The total investments completed by the office and still held at March 31, 1939 inclusive of special investments on behalf of estates and funds, amounted to £37,654,612, which represent an increase of £870,305 compared with those held to the same period last year.

It is reported that the gross revenue showed an increase while ordinary expenses of management decreased when compared with the corresponding figures of the previous year. After losses and expenses had been charged, the profit and loss account disclosed a small profit of £266, adds the report. HOLE-IN-ONE AT RUSSLEY. CHRISTCHURCH, August 28. Playing in a friendly match at the Russley’golf links during the weekend Mrs H. A. Penn holed her tee shot at the third hole—a distance of 121 yards. This is the second occasion on which Mrs Penn has hoieu-in-one.

CAMP WORK REFUSED. CHRISTCHURCH. August 28. i When 102 married men were offered work on the Main Trunk Railway during the past week, only eight accepted it. The Public Works Department has jobs for fifty men at Aniseed and fifty at Oaro on the South Island Main Trunk Railway construction. To work on the main highway, fiftv single men are to be sent to Hundalee. Work' can be found for about one hundred men on school grounds, sixty in the 1 city, and forty in country districts, I while there will shortly be vacancies for thirty or forty men on the MidCanterbury irrigation works. Under the Act by which it was' established, the Social Security Department nas power to terminate the claims for sustenance of men who have refused “without a good and sufficient, reason, i to accept any offer of suitable employment.”

A meeting of unemployed at the Trades Hall agreed that married men who wished to do so were free to accept work in camp, bur. expressed tne opinion that men should not be fore-, ed into camps or penalised if they refused camp work. “There are married men without families and perhaps living in rooms with no furniture of their own. to whom camp would mean no disrup- 1

lion of their way of living,” said Mr J. Rodgers, the chairman, Mr H. G. Kilpatrick, secretary of the Canterbury Freezing Workers’ and Related Trades Union, in a joint statement after the meeting. “But there are men who, after a long search nave secured houses and, after a struggle, have collected some furniture. It is definitely unreasonable to expect these men to throw their gains overboard to accept three months’ work in camp before the freezing season opens. The general public will appreciate that once a man vacates a house in the present housing shortage in Christchurch, it is almost impossible for him to secure one again. “It is this type of men who find the camp work unattractive,” they said. “Camp wages give an uneconomical margin by the time the men endeav-. our to keep two homes going—one for themselves in camp and the other for their wives with small families and worldly goods.” BURGLAR TRAPPED. j DARGAVILLE, August 27. A courageous plan by a married woman to trap a burglar in her home at night was carried into effect at Dargaville. It worked . with success until the burglar made a dash and evaded capture on account of his fieetness of foot, though not before he was struck over the head by a woman with an axe handle. The woman was Mrs M. Peko, residing in Victoria Road. She usually leaves the house unoccupied on Friday evening to relieve her husband in his shop for tea., About two weeks ago the house was' entered during this interval. Lastj evening Mrs Peko evolved a plan which she operated on her own with 1 a marked degree of success. Instead of going to the shop she left her front i bedroom window open, extinguished the lights and remained in the dark-1 ness of the passage. Everything was still until about 6.45 p.m., when she heard an intruder approachng the front of the house. She then heard him enter a bedroom by the window' which was left open. She approached! the bedroom, switched on the light j and saw a young man, a stranger to, her.

“You have got me this time an f ] I suppose you are going t 0 ring the police,” he said. Mrs Peko turned to use the telephone to inform the police. While doing so the man hurriedly escaped. She picked up an axe handle and chased the man who dashed across to the op* posite side of the road. His bicycle was lying against a hedge. As he was mounting, Mrs Peko had made ground and succeeded in striking him across the head, although the blow did not prevent the man from escaping. Her call for assistae was answered by neighbours. Sergeant F. Culloty searched nearby streets and roads in various directions. No trace of the man could be found.

THREE MEN MISSING. OTAKI, August 28. Leo Cudby, Arthur Wootton, and Don Cudby, are reported missing in the Tararua Ranges. They went searching for Peter Wootton, who has since returned. Search parties are being organised.

CROSSING FATALITY. ROTORUA, August 28. Archibald Fabling, married, 26. died

in the Rotorua Public Hospital, yesterday, as the result of serious injuries sustained in a collision at the Pukuatua Street level crossing, on Saturday, between his car and an out- ! ward-bound goods train. The car was ; completely wrecked, and Fabling, who i was alone, was picked up critically injured. SUDDEN DEATH. DARGAVILLE, August 26. John Lawrence Long Lupton, married, 58, a hotel proprietor, of Tangiteroria, collapsed while working and died at 4.30 p.m. yesterday. £l,OOO WINNER. CHRISTCHURCH, August 28. The winner of the £l,OOO prize in the “Pot Luck” art union is Mr. Ron McCormick, aged about 26 years, single, who has been employed driving a bulldozer on road construction work in the Taihape district for more than a year.

OTAGO AIR SQUADRON. WELLINGTON, August 24. An Otago squadron of the Territorial Air Force is to be formed next January. This announcement was made to-day by the Minister tor defence (the Hon. F. Jones), who said that the construction of buildings at Taieri aerodrome for the use of (he squadron was under way. A , double timber hanger, 125 feet by ’ 250 feet, was half completed, the i Minister’ said, an f ] tenders were to be called next week for the erec- ' don of a number of other buildings that would be required. I These would include a building ■ for the accommodation of personnel, I is well as a combined mess for officers, non-commissioner officers, and airmen, and an institute building for studios and recreation. “It is not known yet what the ! strength of the squadron will be; i but it will probably be in line with j that of Wellington, Auckland, and ■ Christchurch squadrons, whch have I already been formed. In Auckland, I the squadron consists of 20 officers & 77 airmen, and in Wellington of 18 officers and 96 airmen, and in Christcurch of 17 officers and 92 airmen.’ Duties in which the Territorial Air Force would be used include local defence of ports and the coasts of the Dominion, in which the cooperation of aircraft with other defences forces would be called for. Such co-operation, it is stated, is likely to entail in the aggregate a great deal of flying, and it would be unsound t o tie up the regular squadrons in that class of work. For local patrols and escorts, and for attacks on hostile! vessels in coastal waters, territorial souadrons provide a satisfactory and economical force.