NEWS AND NOTES

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4605, 4 October 1934, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES

The repairs to Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's 'plane having required more time than it had been hoped, it is understood that the airman has abandoned his intention of participating in the air race. An official statement has confirmed this.

The Western Australia State Budget was presented by the Deputy-Premier and Treasurer, Mr. McCallum, in the Assembly. The revenue for 1934-35 is estimated at £8,846,607, and the expenditure at £9,491,059. The deficit for the year 1933-34 was £788,912.

Brigadier-General William Mitchell, retired, giving evidence before President Roosevelt's Aviation Commission said: "Our most dangerous enemy is Japan and our aeroplanes should be designed to attack Japan." He stated that 50 dirigibles could destroy Japan within two days if war broke out with the United States.

The Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Main, states in the Assembly that 32,000,000 acres in New South Wales had been infested by the grasshopper pest. A Brisbane message says the pest is reaching serious dimensions in the Goondiwindi and Wollumbilla districts, where swarms are attacking extensive belts of wheat.

"I completely forgot the local motor train," said a signalman, William Bluer, giving evidence at-the inquest on the 10 people killed in the Winwick railway smash on Friday. He has been a signalman for 33 years and has not had an accident.

The unemployment figures for August of this year, compiled by the Commonwealth statistician, show the lowest percentage of unemployment recorded in Australia since May, 1930. The August figure was 20.4 per cent. In May, 1930, the figure was 18.5 per cent.

A wireless message from the Byrd Antarctic expedition at Little America states: *'The expedition's autogyro crashed arid was wrecked on Sunday in landing after an atmospheric sounding flight. The pilot, William McCormick, suffered a broken left arm and bo'dy briuses, but his condition is not serious.

At the Labour Conference at Southport, Mr. Arthur Henderson introduced the joint report of the executive and the Trade Union Council on war and peace. He said it was impossible to stop the race in armaments unless they built up a system of collective defence within the League of Nations.

Germany is tightening her belt against the oncoming winter. The effects of food regulations are already shown in ever-increasing prices. Tea is 7s a lb, pork 2s 3d a lb, coffee 5s a lb, and clothes cost 30 per cent, more. The boards controlling trade are doing their best to prevent a sudden rise.

The decapitated body of a railway guard, Mr. Alan Dunsmuir, was found in the wreckage after a collision at Newmarket on Monday night between a train bound from Henderson to Auckland, which was being backed into the western side of the platform and a stationary rake of trucks containing cattle consigned to Westfield.