£100,000 CLAIM

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24761, 8 December 1943, Page 4

£IOO,OOO CLAIM

LAND FOR DEFENCE LARGE AREA AT WAIOURU (P A.) WELLINGTON. Tuesday The taking of 67,4.50 acres of land at Waiouru for defence purposes was the subject of a claim for £100.307 against the Crown by Forests, Farms and Products, Limited, before Mr. Justice Johnston. The amount was given as the value of the land. It was admitted that £46,866 was owing to the Crown as the balance owing on a deferred payment licence. This left a sum of £53.441 to be received as compensation. The case is expected to last for several days. ROAD SERVICE TRIPS MADE FOR MINERS THE QUESTION OF PAYMENT (CLC.) WHANGARFJ, Tuesday Brought forward for review before the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority, Mr. E. J. Plielan, was tlie licence of Normans Motors, Limited, Hikurangi, in connection with special trips for miners between Hikurangi and Kamo. For the firm, it was stated that the service had been carried on for the past 18 months without payment of the subsidy agreed upon at a meeting between the Mines Department, the miners and the authority some time ago. Normans Motors had threatened to cease the service, but in reply to this the Under-Secretary of Mines had telephoned from Wellington to the effect that the service must be continued, as the miners would strike if it was discontinued^ That he had to report to Wellington on the position was made clear by the authority. He asked if Normans were prepared to continue with the service if paid at a reasonable rate. After a reply in the affirmative had been given, Mr. A. J. Murdoch. M.P., who, at the invitation of the authority, had listened to the discussion, said that the question was who was to pay. The position was that the Mines Department had undertaken to pay the subsidy, but later had called on the mine owners to foot the bill. "1 am not concerned with the question as to who pays," concluded the authority.