GENERAL ITEMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 30 June 1939, Page 4

GENERAL ITEMS

Chairman of Committees Succeeding the late Mr E. J. Howard, Mr R. McKeen, Government member for Wellington South, was unanimously appointed Chairman of Committees in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. The Acting Leader of the House (the Hon. P. Fraser) moved the appointment, and the Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. A. Hamilton) extended the good wishes of the Opposition to Mr McKeen and hoped that he would have a pleasant term of office. New Zealand Banknotes Not Wanted In consequence of the restrictions now applying to remittances of money out of New Zealand, overseas organisations with members and representatives in New Zealand have found it necessary to issue a warning against the posting of New Zealand banknotes in payment for fees and dues. It is pointed out that remittances should be made only by means of bank drafts or post office money orders, and not in the form of New Zealand currency sent through the post ‘‘We e/ould gladly accept New Zealand currency.” says one important organisation with headquarters in America, ‘‘if the Government of New Zealand would accept it back again through the exchange banks of the United States, but according to its ruling it will not.’ The effect of the change is not to debar members from making remittances, but only to require them to use the channels provided by the New Zealand banks or the Post and Telegraph Department. Price Advisory Committee A motion that the conference strongly oppose any suggestion of a change in the personnel of the Price Advisory Committee was carried without discussion at the National Dairy Conference in Wellington yesterday. The motion said that the dairy industry had implicit faith in Messrs Marshall and Agar and Professor Tocker as their representatives in arriving at a decision in assisting to fix the guaranteed price. In the opinion of the conference a change would not be in the interests of dairy-farmers of the Dominion, and it was their desire that the personnel remain unchanged. Increased Efficiency of Farmers A decision lo ask the Government to give an assurance that increased production arising out of improved efficiency of the dairy-farmers would result in a corresponding increase in the farmers income was made by the National Dairy Conference in Wellington yesterday. Fewer Sheep A decline of 521.225 in the number of sheep in New Zealand compared with last year is shown in the latest return of sheep up to 30th April, 1939, the present Dominion total being 31.857.549. compared with 32,378,774. The decrease in the North Island is 298.507. and in the South Island 222.718. Proposed Dairy Merger Proposals for the amalgamation of the two principal butter manufacturing companies in Otago as a single unit have been under discussion for some time in Dunedin, and those in favour ol the merger regard a conference held last week in private with the deputychairman of the Executive Commission of Agriculture (Sir Francis Frazer) as a hopeful sign. It is understood that the auditors of the two companies concerned have been instructed to produce a report on the proposal in one month, with particular reference to the savings in overhead costs that may be effected as a result of amalgamation. The companies which it is proposed should amalgamate are the Co-opera-tive Dairy Company of Otago Ltd. and the Taieri and Peninsula Dairy Company Ltd., and the object of the merger is to place the dairy industry in Otago on a basis similar to that which to-day exists in some northern districts

Driven from Germany The case of a German refugee now in England, Dr. Heinz Golzen, was considered this week by the mission committee of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. It was stated that Dr. Golzen was a doctor of laws, and became a Judge in Germany. On account of his having some non-Aryan blood, he was dismissed from his post. He took up the study of theology and was ordained as a pastor, but more recently he had been forced to leave his country. He was now in England seeking an opening in some other land. The mission committee decided that, provided permission could be obtained for Dr. Golzen to enter New Zealand, it would be prepared lo accept him for home mission work.

Island-grown Tomatoes A large consignment of Island-grown j tomatoes was to arrive at Auckland | from Cook Islands by the Matua yester- ! day, this being the first of the regular J winter shipments, although a small j quantity was brought last month. The : vessel has about 2400 cases of tomatoes, i in addition to oranges and bananas. j Butter and Cheese Prices The Government is to be asked to make up the price difference between butter and cheese for the 1937-38 season to 2d a lb butterfat. A decision to this effect was made by the National Dairy Conference yesterday, after discussion. Mr E. B. Corbett, Oxford, said the cost of manufacturing butter and cheese had risen, in the case of cheese as much as Id a lb in the past three years. Australian Fruit That there appeared to be no central control of the marketing of fruit in Australia was the opinion formed by Mr P. C. Frampton, of Invercargill, during a visit of four weeks to Australia. Occasionally, one read of oranges being bought for Is 6d a bucket. Mr Frampton said, but it had to be remembered that these oranges were bruised, wind-blown fruit sold direct to motorists. This year oranges were exceptionally dear in Australia because of a drought earlier in the growing season, but generally speaking the average price of oranges was not disproportionate to that ruling in New Zealand. The quality of South Australian oranges was superior to the quality of the fruit grown in New South Wales, which had Sydney as its main market. Improved Niglit Driving Since the regulation making compulsory the dipping of headlights to approaching traffic there has been a marked improvement in this respect, according to the observations of a South Island Motor Union delegate (Mr J. L. Passmore), when driving from Dunedin to Christchurch for the union’s quarterly meeting. ‘‘ln this direction driving was most pleasant after nightfall at Rakaia,” said Mr Passmore, ‘‘but despite our signals one car would not dip. and we found that it was an old model car with no dipping device. Such old models, however, will soon be off the roads, and this danger will not exist.” A remit to the Commissioner of Transport suggesting that the lights of such cars should be permanently dipped was adopted. St. John Ambulance Every year the St. John Ambulance Brigade set aside one Saturday in the winter sports season when a tally is taken of the number of members on duty on that date and the number of cases treated Last Saturday, 24th June was the date this year and following are the duties and cases performed by members of the Nelson Men’s Division: Rugby Football, 7 men on duty; Association football, 1; hockey, 3; cycle race, 1; ambulance driver, 1. The total cases treated were 19. Police and Doctors’ Evidence Comment on the validity of police evidence and the evidence of doctors in cases of intoxication while in charge of a motor vehicle was made by Mr R. C. Abernethy, S.M., during the hearing of a charge against a lorry driver in the Invercargill Magistrate’s Court. “Neither the evidence of the police nor the evidence of a doctor is necessarily conclusive in cases of this kind,” said the magistrate, ‘‘but if an honest and proved constable gives evidence as to intoxication, to the reactions of the driver, and to what he has done or seemed to do, it may well be that the evidence may weigh more heavily with the court than the evidence of the doctor who did not see the man when he was driving the

vehicle, but who examined him afterwards and satisfied himself that he had passed the usual tests reasonably well. Could doctors in these cases see the accused driving the vehicle they would he able to submit the driver to a crulcial test, but their evidence is given on an examination when the accused is not in charge of the vehicle. I have given close attention to the evidence in the case before the court,” added the magistrate. ‘and I am convinced that the evidence of the constables was not outweighed by the evidence of the doctor, even though the accused was examined soon alter he was arrested. Working for the State “The company works for the State on 200 days a year,” was the startling reply a shareholder of the Farmers’ Trading Company. Limited, received when lie asked at the annual meeting for information concerning taxation. The answer was put in this graphic form by the assistant general manager, Mr W. Calder Mackay, who amplified his statement by adding that for each day the companys stores were open for business, including Saturday as a whole day and omitting Sundays and holidays, the turnover had to attain £5700 to pay the Government’s taxation. In other words, the company did not commence to make a profit for shareholders cn cny day until £5700 worth of goods had been sold. Novel School Heating Further steps to have experiments carried out with a view to heating the Rotorua infant school by means of pipes from a hot pool, which was found in the grounds some time ago, are to be taken by the Rotorua Primary School Committee At the present time, pipes are sunk into the pool, and it is hoped that the water can be carried to the school building without an undue loss of temperature.

The pall-bearers at the funeral of the late Mr F. Henderson were employees of the Mental Hospital, of which the deceased was a member of the staff.