NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 106, 7 May 1938, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

In restocking itself with munitions of war the world demands the slaughter of more whales. The curator of the Canterbury Museum, Mr. R. A. Falla, said in an address to the Christchurch Businessmen's Club, that whale oil was a very important natural source of glycerine. During tha Great War tha demand lor glycerine for explosives hod caused an increas 'd d>:m:i? d for wh:»-a oil. *To some extent lJ\o increase in the making of armament'* and runitions lias a definite effect on the whale oil market," he said. ".She is the finest ship in the world and you can tell everyone that I said so," said Captain G. B. Morgan, who is in command of the Awatea while Captain Davey is on holiday, when ho | arrived at Wellington from {Sydney thifc week. "Here is another mail who thinks so, too," he added jocularly, introducing the only member of the New Zealand Anzao contingent who missed the troopships when they left {Sydney for Wellington on their return trip. “He missed the other ships so that he could travel by the Awatea! " It is estimated that the evidence submitted to the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Government's national health service and superannuation proposals comprised over 700,000 words. The committee's examination of the Government's scheme closed on Wednesday. The next meeting of the committee will bo hold next Thursday, when the committee will commence the task of preparing its report which is to bo presented to the House of Representatives within 28 days of the opening of the next session of Parliament. The committee heard 93 witnesses, and in addition received hundreds of letters. Heavy work will fall on the shoulders of the town clerk (Mr. J. R. Hardie) and his staff on the night of the local body elections on Wednesday next, for there will be no fewer than 94 booths under the supervision of the city's ad ministration. For the issues affecting voters in the city area there will be 36 booths, and for the Wellington Harbour Board election an additional 5S booths. For the Wellington Harbour Board election 29,300 voting papers have been circulated to these booths. The municipal roll stands at 14,927 voters and provision is being made for every person on the roll to vote.

Twelve years ago yesterday England began the biggest striko in her history —the general strike of 1926. The striko began On the morning of May 6, and lasted until the eleventh. Road, rail and sea communications were virtually at a standstill. Newspapers were reduced to a leaflet, which, by the way, were published with the help of returned soldiers. Hooligans ran rife in the East End of London, and property and what motor vehicles ventured on the roads wero seriously damaged. Convoys were organised to tranship commodities from ships to markets. The unloading of vossels was undertaken by troops, as no volunteer labour was available. A reminder of the privilege possessed by grand juries, although not very freely exercised, of making representations on any matter concerning the administration of justice, was given by i Mr. Justice Fair at the close of his address to the grand jury in the Supreme Court in Auckland. He said that such juries met only once a quarter, and they were entitled to bring before the Court any matter of the administration of justice which they desired should be considered. They were not obliged to make any representations, and grand juries in the past had, of course, only made them on matters to which they bad given some consideration beforehand, and about which they felt they should make representatione.