DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 22 October 1943, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS

WOMANPOWER QUESTION GISBORNE, October 20.

“The Gisborne Chamber of Commerce strongly urges upon Cabinet an immediate review of the callingup of womanpower throughout the country,” stated a telegram sent by the Chamber to the Prime Minister, following a protest at. a meeting yesterday. “The present indiscriminate calling-up of girls throughout. New Zealrind in important and skilled occupations, even if those occupations are not classed as essential industries, especially at this time of the year, so far as the retail trades are concerned.' and dispatching them to Wellington to work in cigarette factories is wasteful . and uneconomic, when there are hundreds of girls resident in Wellington in the armed forces who could, without loss to the efficiency of these services, be transferred to vacancies in essential industries. The Chamber protests against the refusal of Appeal Boards to hear employers’ evidence and urges that local Magistrates should act as appeal authorities. Finally, as stated by the appeal authority here, the subsidising of wages in a cigarette factory, definitely a luxury trade, in war time out of the War Expenses Account, which is financed by moneys loaned to the Government to help win the war, is a gross abuse of confidence and must act. deleteriously against future loan proposals.” COMMERCIAL. P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 21. Sales: Booth MacDonald pref. 8s 7d; Grey River 14s. Reported: Colonial Sugar (late yesterday) £57 15s. COAL IMPORTS FROM AUSTRALIA. P.A. AUCKLAND, Oct. 18. Steps being taken lo meet the possible curtailment of shipments of coal from Australia to New Zealand in view of the Commonwealth’s difficulties in maintaining its own supplies were discussed by the Minister of Mines (Hon. P. C. Webb). The annual importation of coal from Australia was about 100,000 tons. Mr. Webb said that in addition to endeavouring to build up reserves from the Dominion’s mines in the coming Summer months, the Government was examining several suggested sources of further supplies. Investigations were being made by departmental engineer's into the possibility of obtaining coal from deposits near Lake Kimihia, near Huntly. Bores were being sunk to find out the depth between the lake bottom and the coal seam and when completed a comprehensive report would be prepared for the Government’s consideration. The feasibility of raising coal from the bed of tne lake by dredge was also being explored. Suggestions that coal could be obtained from seams lying close to the surface in the Waikato district were also being examined. The deposits were almost outcrops which might be uncovered by bulldozers and expeditiously quarried from the open. It had been estimated that about 30,000 tons of coal could be obtained in this way, and consideration would be given by the Waikato Board of Control to reports, from experts. EGG MARKETING. P.A. DUNEDIN, Oct. 21. According to a Dunedin authority on eggs, a steady deterioration is developing regarding their marketing. More eggs than ever are going past the official selling merchants direct co consumers. According to this authority the selling merchants appointed have no authority to enforce the regulations, while the Department seems unwilling to see that consumers obey them. The position had been a muddle from the start, it was stated. The regulations had reduced production bv forcing out the small men, who were the industry’s mainstay, and the bigger men had never been able to make up that lost production. According to this authority, the position had reached the stage where the Government was afraid to go further. It feared that attempts to enforce the regulations would further reduce production, and had to apply the soft pedal. ASSAULT CHARGE. P.A. AUCKLAND, Oct. 21. A Wellington butcher, Augustus Stephen Parsons, 31, stood his trial before Judge Fair, to-day, on a charge of having assaulted a young woman, causing actual bodily harm, and alternatively, assault. Mr, Cleal, for the Crown, said the episode occurred on a Sunday evening at a party in a house in Mount Albert Road. The young woman was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, who was spending the week-end at the house. Evidence would be that accused asked her to go home with him, and she refuseci, and said she had decided to stay at the house. After ringing for a taxi, and being unable to get one, the accused returned to where she was, and struck her repeatedly on the face with his clenched fist. She had to be removed to hospital, where her nose was found to be broken. Accused later wrote a letter, expressing regret, and when interviewed m Wellington by the police said there had been some drinking, and when an argument arose between him and-trie man of the house, the girl got between them and was hit. The young woman said she was struck fifteen to seventeen times, and accused said that if he could not have her, nobody else would. In cross-examination, she, denied there had been any close friendship between her a,iid the accused.