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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 12 June 1939, Page 6

Waterfront Work 1 “I have not had an adverse report I of work on the waterfront since the j c conference was held in Wellington, and ) i committees were se + up,” said the Min- j i ister of Labour, th'- Hon. P. C. Webb j 1 at Auckland on Friday. “That indi- i cates that a very much better feeling 1 exists,” he added. “Also I have bee*a < assured that a higher standard of work 1 prevails.”

£IOOO in Fines Speaking at a farewell function at Taumarunui, Sergeant S. G. Clist said with regard to sly-grog cases in the year from December, 1937, to December, 1938. that the police had established a record that would be hard to beat. In the 12 months the revenue of the State from fines was no less a sum than £IOOO. The police had done their best to clean up a business that was a curse to the town, said the sergeant. Town Hall Gesture Many thousands of miles from the spot where King George and Queen Elizabeth made history by entering United States territory, the flying of the Union Jack and the star-spangled banner of the United States from the tower of the Auckland Town Hall on Friday symbolised the significance of their crossing the Canadian border. The sight of the two flags created considerable interest in the city, and the gesture was not lost upon a number of American passengers in the liner Monterey, which arrived in the morning from San Francisco. Firemen Surprised Christchurch firemen, or at least a few of them (states the “Star-Sun”) are not possessed of a very rtrogn sense of humour, and they take their work seriously. This is the opinion of Mr H. A. Young, S.M., expressed after he had had a surprise visit from an engine from the Central FDe Station shortly before 2 o’clock in the afternoon. A call was received i.t the station to the Magistrate’s Court building, but when the engine arrived, the men were surprised at the levity of the magistrate, who asked them if they had come to “bail out” one of their number, when they believed the court house to be afire. A thorough search could reveal no outbreak, and it was decided that the false alarm must have been due to a defect in the alarm system. “The ‘cooler’ ought to be a good place for a fireman, anyway,” laughingly remarked Mr Young later “In Good Running Order”

A bright interlude occurred in the Dunedin Police Court on Friday when a defendant was explaining why he had not notified the authorities of a change of ownership of his motor car (reports the “Otago Daily Times”). “I sold the car for £7,” he said, “and the buyer undertook to fix up the papers. Yes, the car was in good running order,” he replied to a question from the magistrate (Mr H. W. Bundle. S.M.). The only thing is that it had its engine out. I had taken it to pieces and could not get it back again/ That’s why I sold it so cheaply.” Chief Inspector Avery said that the reason why the case had been brought to court was that the car was jacked up in the street and causing an obstruction. The magistate said that the new buyer seemed more at fault in the matter and refrained from imposing a fine. Tax Strike Inadvisable “I would not advise a strike,” said the Dominion president of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union (Mr W. W. Mulholland), in an address at Oreti when asked whether a farmers’ tax strike would te effective as a protest against excessive taxation. Before striking a body needed to be reasonably sure that it could win, but the Government had so many legal remedies that it would be difficult to make a strike effective. The Government could take a farm and sell it to recover taxes. Price of Potatoes Potato prices have advanced £4 a ton in the past nine days and are two times and a half as dear as in June last year, according to New Plymouth grocers (states a Taranaki paper). Table potatoes sold in May and June last year, at £5 a ton f.o.b. South Island ports, while to-day’s price is £l3. Freight charges and allowances bring the present price to £l6 a ton. ‘‘This is 16s per cwt. to the retailer and the price is ridiculous,” said one grocer “The irony of the position is that June, July and August are the months when potatoes are in big demand by the housewife and she will be denied them because of the high price. Then at the end of the season, when new potatoes are available, it will probably be found that South Island potatoes will be selling at any old price and a g od part of the crop will probably be dumped. The question might well be asked,” he said, “if this latest rise of £4 has been referred to the Price Investigation Tribunal and justification proved, for the public will want to know if the high addition to the cost of living is justiAn Auckland merchant told the “Star” that the high price of potatoes was due to the keen demand and shortage of supplies. South Island potatoes could be obtained f.o.b. Lyttelton at £lO 10s a ton and the Auckland wholesale price to-day was £l2 to £l2 10s a ton, more than twice what it was at this time last year.

Skis from Southland Beech The manufacture of skis from Southland beech has been undertaken in Invercargill, and it is expected that 50 pairs will be ready for delivery next week. Jt is reported that more than half that number have already been ordered from Dunedin, and that inquiries have been received from firms in Australia. The restrictions on the entry of imported skis have caused some concern to ski clubs, but so far there has not been an acute shortage. Skimaking experiments have been conducted over the past two or three years by an Invercargill sports goods firm. They have now almost completed the first large batch of 50 pairs, all the work in connection with which has been done in Southland. They have experimented with miro as well as Southland beech, and are believed to be the only makers ni skis in New Zealand at present, though joinery firms in Dunedin and Christchurch made trial lots some years ago. Each pair of skis is fashioned from one piece of timber, so that the wood wil! be uniform. The timber for skis must be hard and of the best quality, and the wood used is similar to that which has been shipped from Southland to Australia for the making of expensive wine casks. The bonding of the wood, which has been seasoned for two years, is done by steam, though the makers have met with success in bending by other means wood which has been rendered pliable by impregnation with oil. It is possible that a considerable New Zealand trade may be worked up from Invercargill.

Destruction of Rats | A week of rat destructnon in the city and suburban areas was to com|mence to-day. Sponsored by local bpdj ies in the metropolitan area and busi- | ness organisations in the city, the cam;paign is designed to draw attention to j the menace to health and the enormous damage caused by these vermin (states the “New Zealand Herald”). In Auckland there is a rat for every person, and it costs more than £1 a year to feed and house that rat. Of this huge colony of rats, an officer of the Auckland City Council destroys 600 a month. Private I homes and business organisations also | account for many of the vermin. To combat this menace, intensive operations will be carried out next week, bringing under the notice of householders the best means of checking rats. Free poison baits will be available at the offices of all local bodies in the metropolitan area. Already a good response has been made to the appeal made by the committee of local bodies and business organisations. Window displays will be common in the city, and circulars have been distributed.