GENERAL ITEMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 25 October 1940, Page 4

GENERAL ITEMS

Price of Bread An application for an increase in the price of bread lodged by the New Zealand Master Bakers’ Association, is to be heard by the Price Tribunal. The date for their hearing has not yet been fixed, but confirmation that the application is being made was given in Christchurch by Mr C. E. Boon, president of the association, which has been making a complete investigation of the bread-making industry, to support the application. The increase is asked to cover higher costs, including the recent increase in wages. Mr Boon said nothing further could be stated at present. Bibles for Children Ways and means of seeing that the children leaving Great Britain for the Dominions under the evacuation plan shall have copies of the Scriptures are being considered by the London committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, reports the “Outlook.” It is hoped that this can be arranged in cooperation with the Sunday Schools and churches in England. The society’s total issue of Testaments for the King’s forces—land, sea, and air—now civ ec 1 , a million copies. Summer Bedding in Reserves The Superintendent of Reserves, Mr A. White, reported to last night’s meeting of the Nelson City Council that the summer bedding in the reserves was well forward, the following numbers of plants being used: Queen’s Gardens, 1488; Anzac Park, 8716; Church Hill, 2160; croquet lawn, 5808; Wigzell Garden, 3026; street reserves, 3360; new cemetery, 384. Fifty shrubs had been planted in the new cemetery, and 500 on Kirkpatrick’s reserve. The Fern Club had again given assistance in collecting ferns. Unclaimed Cycles Bicycles are possessions which in Invercargill are apparently held very lightly by their owners. If they are missing, little or no effort is made to recover them. This is the impression gained by the police, who have in their possession no fewer than three dozen bicycles found abandoned this year and for which no inquiry has been made. Some at least are good machines, which have been kept in excellent order and have reasonably new tyres. In February of each year* a sale of unclaimed property is held by the police, and it is usual for the accumulation to include several bicycles. On no previous occasion, however, has so large a number of machines come into the hands of the police within a few months. When the petrol restrictions were first imposed bicycles were in keen demand, but the machines are apparently not now valued so highly. “Staggering” of Hours The recent alterations in the daily working hours of the Government departmental staffs in Wellington have made things very much easier for the tramway traffic authorities (states “The Dominion”). In most large cities with a growing population the problem of coping with the traffic at rush hours has grown extremely acute in the last few years, and in nearly every case the solution has been the “staggering” of working hours. When all offices, factories and shops cease work at the same time, it is impossible to give satisfactory service, but when the starting and stopping of work is spaced out, the transport services have a chance to cope with the rush of passengers. That is what had to be brought about in Wellington during last winter, as it has become impossible to increase the services which run through mid-city at rush hours. Clothing Troops in New Zealand. Items of clothing made for the New Zealand Government in 1917 are being issued to troops in camp in New Zealand. Though some of the garments are marked with rust stains from metal buttons, they are in surprisingly good condition, considering that they are 23 years old. Tents made in the same year, and even earlier, are also in use. They, too, are in good order.