DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 22 November 1939, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS

RAILWAY IMPROVEMENTS. AUCKLAND, November 21. Operations involved in the crossing of trains at important railway points near the city will be greatly facilitated through the installation of what railway authorities describe as “motor points.” This work is now in.hand at. Dunsandel, Riccarton and Papanui. . Details of this work were given in an interview by the Minister for Railways, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan. He said that the new motor points gave control of points from a central position in the station, thus facilitating train movements at stations and enabling the staff to effect more expeditious dispatch. The Railway Department is also engaged at the moment in installing automatic signalling between Rolleston Junction and Dunsandel. This is expected to allow considerable improvements to the handling of traffic along the affected line. It is also intended to provide electric libht’ng for the signals at Rangiora and Waipara, and to provide a Drewery tractor at Rolleston Junction to facilitate shunting and so reduce the time occupied by trains at that station.. At present, it was stated by the Minister, much time is lost by train engines at that station.

Mr. Sullivan also mentioned that as essential, assistance to the business and farming communities the building of 700 high-side LA waggons for the South Island was recently completed at Addington. These waggons would be of great assistance during the forthcoming wool, manure, and grain season, which, according to present indications, would be very heavy. FRUIT CROPS HASTINGS, November 20. With only one dissentient, about 60 Hawke’s Bay fruitgrowers decided, at a general meeting on Saturday night, to agree to the offer of the Minister

for Marketing (the Hon. W. Nash) to purchase 1,000,000 cases of exportable quality fruit at 7s f.0.b., provided its export was not going to embarrass cool stores unduly, or the requirements of local market sales, that charges on cool storage for export be on a parity with the average cool storage charge on export fruit for the lafet five years, and that the Minister provide facilities whereby a cash •advance of 5s a case could be made to growers to finance the portion of crops for the local market. It was pointed out that the door was still open for negotiations. Hawke’s Bay representatives of the industry on growers’ organisation, which have met the Minister, said that they were convinced that in a short, time some scheme would be evolved which would enable growers to carry on. Representatives of the industry were not out to “fleece” the Government, but they were not going to agree to anything unless it would give growers a reasonable standard of living.

DRUNKEN DRIVER AUCKLAND, November 20. “Drivers should now know what to expect if they will not refrain from indulgence in liquor,” remarked Mr W. R. McKean, S.M., in the Otahuhu Magistrate’s Court, when John Valentine Proctor, aged 24, described as a labourer and showman, pleaded guilty to a charge of being intoxicated while in charge of a motor-car on November 7 at Otahuhu. Accused was sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment. His license was ordered to be withdrawn for 12 months, and he was ordered to pay medical expenses s CHRISTCHURCH PHONE CALLS. CHRISTCHURCH, November 21. Since 1935, an increase of nearly 25 per cent, has been made in the number of telephone connections to the Christchurch telephone exchange. Comparisons of connections on March 31, 1935, and March 31, 1939 show that in 1935 they were 8990 and in? 1939 11.178, the percentage increase being 24.3. The percentage increase of the

number of toll calls in those years was 45.8, while the value had increased by 58 per cent. Tol s increased from 324,834 in 1935 to 473,497 in 1939, and the values rose from £26,708 to £42,206. RETURNED SOLDIERS. CHRISTCHURCH, November 21. Unemployable returned soldiers in New Zealand totalled 7604 at the end of September, according to figures contained in a circular from headquarters received last evening by the executive of the Christchurch branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. The figures were given in showing how the allocation of the £l5OO allowed from the Canteen Fund was made for July, August, and September. The ' Returned Soldiers’ Associations distribute the fund to their members, the amount decided on for each centre being base£ on a percentage of the total number of civil unemployed in each district. The circular showed the total unemployable men in New Zealand at 7604. Auckland had the highest total with 1693, and Christchurch was next with 1320. Dunedin was third with 878, and Wellington fourth with 645. The Christchurch allocation from the Canteen Fund was £256.