STATE MINES IDLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24302, 17 June 1942, Page 2

STATE MINES IDLE

TBANSI'OPT DISPUTE "TOO COLD TO WAIT" ANOTHER DAY'S WORK LOST (0,C.) GREYMOUTH, Tuesday Because of insufficient room in a bus provided to take men from Greymouth to the mines, the Strongman and James State mines were idle yesterday. An arrangement was made following the recent dispute over transport to and from the Strongman and James collieries and the Runanga railway station that the Greymouth men would be taken to the mines by bus, temporarily. This arrangement has been working for the past few weeks and two buses have been more than sufficient. This morning, however, only one bus was waiting at Greymouth and as there were more men than usual and the one bus was not able to take them all they decided not to travel in it. Meanwhilo, the men from the Runanga district who work at the mines affected had reported for work, but they did not start. A statement that two buses would run to-morrow and that the mines would resume was made to-day by Mr. C. J. Strongman, Superintendent of State Mines. The proprietor of the bus service, Mr. C. R. Wvlde, said: "For the past three weeks the men have been conveyed from Greymouth in two buses with a total carrying capacity of (51. One bus carried an average of 24 and the other an average of seven. In the afternoons, however, one vehicle has proved sufficient to take them homo. When a bus under repairs was again placed on the road one vehicle was withdrawn from Greymouth, which meant that 31 men wore expected to ride in ono vehicle. "This morning, tho first morning Hint one bus was to operate, 43 men turned up for work anc\ these men refused to wait while another bus was procured from Blaketown or Runanga, a matter of 15 minutes at J,he most. The reason for this was that they considered the roadway too cold in which to wait. At 8 o'clock, one hour later, these men were still standing awaiting instructions from their union."

LAST PLATES LAID NAPIER-GISBORNE LINE IMPROVED PROGRESS MADE (0.C.) GISBORNE. Tuesday After many years of patient waiting, Gisborne is at last linked with the Main Trunk railway systems of the North Tsland. At present the link is more technical than effective, but the fact that actual rail connection has been made leads to hopes that a regular service between Gisborne and Napier will not be long delayed. Following the recent decision that a six-day week should be worked on the construction of the line, improved progress has been made, and by the end of last week the last plates were laid in the mile and a-half gap on which the work latterly has been concentrated. Although the line is not, of course, ready for traffic, it has already been used for the transport of a waggon load of goods from Gisborne to Wairoa. the trip being made within a few hours of the rails being joined.

ESCAPE FROM MALAYA A HAMILTON SURVEYOR (0.C.) HAMILTON, Tuesday A former Hamilton resident, Mr. T. R. Blackman, has returned after 14 years' work as a surveyor in Malaya. His wife and family returned ten months ago. Mr. Blackman was employed in Kuala. Lumpur, near the border of Thailand, when the Japanese attacked Malaya, and when Singapore capitulated he was one of 2000 men who attempted to escape. Most of them succeeded. and Mr. Blackman and another New Zcalander reached Sumatra in a small sailing vessel. They crossed the island and were picked up by a British vessel, which landed them at Colombo. Eventually they secured a passage lo Australia. SUPPRESSION OF NAME INNOCENCE ESTABLISHED (0.C.) NEW PLYMOUTH. Tuesday Commenting that it should not he necessary, Mr. W. H. Woodward. S.M., suppressed tho name of an accused person when a charge of attempted theft had been heard in New Plymouth and had not been proved. The magistrate had, at the opening of the case, declined a request for suppression made by accused's counsel, Mr. Bennett, who said tho charge would be completely answered. After the accused had given an explanation. which Mr. Woodward said carried all the indications of honesty and had established his innocence, Mr. Bennett again applied for suppression. People were not very charitable, he said, and although accused's innocence had been established there were many who would not believe it. "It should be a 'sine qua non' that ho is innocent when a charge is dismissed," he added. "1 do not wish this to become a practice and 1 want the public to know that when a charge is dismissed, the defendant's honesty should be believed iu. M said Mr. Woodward in making the order. BODY ON RAILWAY LINE

(0.C.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday The body of Mr. Henry Hichard Hunt, aged 77, an inmate of Central Park men's hospital, was found on the railway line near the entrance to the Johnsonville yard by the driver of a multiple unit from Wellington. The body was found on the track over which the train iiad passed.

HEAVY QUARRY BLAST (0.C.) GREYMOUTH, Tuesday Following a heavy blast, over 20,000 tons of mostly first-class stone was deposited on the floor of the Cobden quarry at Greyniouth. Nearly 1401b. of gelignite was needed for the job. A good deal of the stone will be used in completion of the north breakwater and half-tide training wall.

INJURIES PROVE FATAL (0.C.) PALMEKSTON NTH., Tuesday The death has occurred in the I'almcrston North Hospital of Mr. William Macey, contractor, aged 56, of Hastings, who had both legs broken when the lorry lie was driving crashed through the protective railing in the Manawatu Gorge a week ago and dropped 60ft. to the river-bed. Deceased leaves a wife and three sons. THE MERCHANT NAVY "All. merchant navy personnel on hoard my ship have been given the gift parcels which you were kind enough to send me for distribution," writes the master of a vessel to the Auckland Naval and Merchant Navy Patriotic Sub-committee. "I need scarcely say how delighted everyone is at such a very useful gift which will ho most welcome in all our homes. It is a grand thought to know that the services of the merchant navy are not forgotten." The letter was written at sea on a vessel that left Auckland early in the year and arrived safely at her destination*