General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 10 February 1944, Page 4

General News

A Pessimistic View A pessimistic view was taken by an appellant before the Auckland Manpower (Industrial) Committee when he opposed the manpower officer’s decision not to grant him permission to leave his employment as a labourer at the city abattoirs. The appellant said that work on concrete floors affected his legs and he could not continue working on concrete. “If I am sent back to the abattoirs I will be dissatisfied.” he said. “A dissatisfied worker is no good. If I do not go to work 1 will be fined. I will not have enough money to pay the fine and I will go to gaol.” The dl'eputy-chairman, Mr H. Campbell: “Then you will be on concrete floors again.” The decision was reserved until appellant had been medically examined.

Load on Land Speaking at a meeting of the Masterton County Council. Cr. G. Moore said that out of revenue from the land, hospital. road and rate levies had to be met, in addition to Government tax and social security. The demands were ever increasing, till all the revenue was going. It was hardly possible to maintain the land, let alone improve it. Cr Moore said he did not know how the land could carry rates levied by a catchment board. Chimney Fire at Nurses' Home The Nelson Fire Brigade was called at 8.52 o’clock last evening to attend a chimney fire in the nurses’ home at the public hospital. The fire was extinguished with bucket pumps before any damage was done. Boysenberry Menace The Department of Agriculture is to be asked to classify boysenberry as a noxious weed and prohibit its sale, according to a decision reached at a meeting of the Waikato Sub-Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union. It was stated that the berry, which is a cross between the loganberry and the'blackberry, is an underground runner and is more difficult l 0 eradicate than blackberry. Bull in Charge

A bun, Wh eh has been wandering on the Westport-Greymouth coast road near Brighton, has been causing consjdeiable annoyance and inconvenience to motorists. On e day last week h e had five cars bailed up for some time, and yesterday two women tourists, on their way to Nelson, were held up for two hours before they decided that discretion was the better part of valour and returned to Greymouth. Egg Shortage Fear

“If the Government does not consider increasing the price for eggs paid to the poultry farmer at present, it is quite evident that, there is going to be a shortage of eggs next spring and summer, and I believe also that there will be ito eggs in New Zealand for making pulp.” said Mr C Ferguson, chairman of directors of the Canterbury Central Egg Floor, when commenting on the production of eggs in Canterbury. “I make that statement because of the figures for the half-year at the Egg Floor, which show a decline of 250.000 dozen in the number of eggs received, compared with the same period last ycaV.” Mr Ferguson said that the figure should show an increase because of more efficient organisation mid the institution of the depot method of c« llecting eggs. In his opinion the decline was caused by the difficulty of obtaining poultry foods, the reduction of manpower, increased costs of production and too low a price for eggs A report on the poultry industry prepared two or three years ago showed that eggs were being produced in New Zealand at a loss to the poultry farmer That in itself was sufficient evidence to show that the price to the poultry farmer should be increased

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Wellington-Ly Helton Service The Union Steam Ship Company announce that in addition to the cancellation, previously announced, of sailings of the Wahine from Wellington and Lyttelton, it is now found necessary, on account of the limitation of passenger traffic through the railway restrictions, to cancel further sailings from Wellington on 24th and 26th February and from Lyttelton on 25th and 28th February. Passengers booked for the cancelled sailings should communicate with one of the company’s offices. New Drink in India “The cup that cheers but not inebriates” may need some revision if the new India-made cider, recently perfected by the Army Canteen Directorate takes on with the troops in that country. The new drink —called teacider—is brewed from tea, but it is claimed that no one would ever guess its origin. With the taste ancl alcoholic content of normal English fruit cider, the army’s new drink may be the answer to the toughest problem facing the Director of Canteens—how to fill the gap caused by the acute shortage of beer i/i India. In cruder form the new drink has been made the subject of research by chemists of the Canteen Directorate, and in December last was being put to the vote in voluntary canteens at Bombay. where verdicts can be collected iT'om a wide range of men in all the various branches of the armed services. Teaciders’ biggest wartime asset is extreme simplicity of production. The principal raw materials, tea, sugar and yeast—are, unlike apples, freely obtainable everywhere in India. At present only one teacider plant is in production, but if the new drink fulfils expectations, a chain of factories will be set up throughout India by the army authorities.

Christmas Card Design “It is an insult to the men in the Pacific% area to depict them like that,” said Mrs A. D. Campbell at a meeting of the Auckland Metropolitan Patriotic Committee recently when displaying a copy of Christmas cards supplied by the National Patriotic Fund Board to the servicemen in the Pacific for posting to their friends iu New Zealand. The committee decided to ask the board how many cards had been printed and how much they had cost.

Council Dissatisfied at Loss of Rates Following receipt of a letter from the Public Works Department regarding the taking of further land in the Manawatu County for defence purposes, general dissatisfaction in regard to the position of rates on such land was expressed at a meeting of the county council at Palmerston North. Cr. H. J. Fagan, said the Government was taking this land and leasing large parts of it. It was getting money for this, but was not paying any rates on it. The county clerk, Mr A. K. Drew, said that manv county and borough councils were in the same position. “The Kairanga County Council is worse off than we are, said Cr. Boyce. “It has Massey College and a military camp in its area, and the position is hard on the ratepayers as they have to find all the rates.” Cr. R. A. Wilson said that the Ma"nawatu County Council also had the Government flax area in its district. Government was leasing the land and not paying rates on it. Cooking and Mechanics

“Is she something of a mechanic?” asked counsel in the Supreme Court at Auckland, of a witness whose wife was said to have bought a motor-car for £25. ‘ She cannot even cook,” came the scornful reply. “I don’t know that that ought to be accepted as an answer to your question,” commented Mr Justice Callan. “Perhaps if she paid more attention to domestic duty she would not know so much about cars.” Later witness said his wife was a good driver and knew -the value of a car engine.

Where Was Little Boy Blue? Among the amusing reminiscences recounted at the FI rime Guard reunion at Takaka was one concerning the signallers when they were very busy during battalion manoeuvres. At the time they had received a great deal of up-to-date equipment and were keen to give a good account of themselves. Everything was going well and messages were pouring in, when the signals officer was handed a message from the front line that dumbfounded him. The message was from an n.c.o. at .a good observation point and read: “Tell so-and-so to take his cows out of my hay paddock.” When he had recovered fi om the shock of such a message in the midst of a mock battle, the signals officer, a farmer himself, detailed a man to get in touch with the offending farmer, and the battle continued.