BUILDING CEASES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25052, 16 November 1944, Page 4

BUILDING CEASES

NO TIMBEE AVAILABLE

WHANGAREI STATE HOUSES' (0.C.) WHANGAREI. Wednesday ' • Owing to the impossibility of the contractor securing building timber State bousing construction has come to a stop in Whangarei and men who ha V d been employed on the work have been dismissed or put 011 to other jobs where building timber is not required. This position was made clear to representatives of the Returned Services Association. Rehabilitation Committee, Xy St . of-Kin Association and the Carpenters' Union who waited on the contractor Mr 0. Haigh, today, seeking the reason for the stoppage of work on the houses Mr Haigh said that his firm was p er l turbed regarding the position of State hou6o construction iu Whangarei. "ty e have the labour and all necessary materials except timber," he continued "All electric ranges and appliances are available, the plumber has all his materials, yet we cannot get ahead with the building. We have the con. Crete foundations in for all the houses in our contract. These have been in for so long that the grass haa grown higher than the concrete." There was a first-class plant for speeding up the work, but it was just lying idle at present for want of timber. "If all timber cut in the north was left in the north the position would be eased and eventually right itself, but not immediately," Mr Haigh added; At present about one-third of the North-1 land timber was going out of the area "If timber was available our firm could complete the block of 95 State houses within 12 months," said Mr J. Haigh, a member of the firm. A resolution was carried that'"in view of the practical stoppage of State housing construction in Whangarei through the shortage of timber supplies this ineetingjof interested organisations requests the Minister of Supply to use every effort to prohibit the exportation of riniu building timber from the north in order that all available supplies may lie used in housing; that the Minister be requested to instruct the appropriate controllers to this effect, giving, urgent priority for the milling of housing timber."

ENGINE OR PIG FARM RAILWAYMAN'S CASE DEPARTMENTS STAFF PROBLEM (0.C.) HAMILTON. Wednesday The shortage of operating staff of the Railway Department in the Auck-' land district was emphasised in a stateinent made before the Auckland Manpower (Industrial) Committee in Hamilton today by Mr W. R. Butcher, district locomotive engineer, who said that 16,700 days of leave were outstanding to railway employees of that category. Mr Butcher was appearing for the department to oppose an application by C. T. F. Morrell, aged 43, of Frankton, for termination of his employment with the department, after 20 years' service, to undertake the management of a pig farm. I Mr Butcher said that Morrell was a fireman acting-enginedriver. Two htmdred men were held under appeal by the department and 146 of tnem were firemen. Morrell said there was no one available to work the pig farm on which he was living. He had left the department two months previously without permission from the manpower officer He added that he would be better off financially on the farm. Decision was reserved. LOCAL AND GENERAL ■ < Compensation Court The Auckland session of the Compensation Court, which opened ber 12, ended yesterday. During that period it disposed of 58 cases, two of which were heard in part at Whangarei. The Judge of the Court, Mr Justice O'Regan, will leave for Hamilton this afternoon, and hold & sitting of the Court there tomorrow. Whitebait Season Ending

Exceptionally good catches of whitebait in most localities have been made this year, but as the season draws to ft close supplies have steadily decreased. The season, which opens about _ July t began poorly, and it was not until September that large runs were reported in the Waikato and Waitara Rivers and whitebait areas round Whakatane. Postal District Confusion

Residents of parts of Grafton every reason to be doubtful of toe postal district in which they live, tor instance, while the Post ana Telegraph Department recognises the greater part of Grafton Road as being in L.l, the City Council's street signs, prominently displayed 011 various telegraph posts, call ttie same portions of tue street C.3., . |S

Olympic Swimming Pool That the Olympic swimming pool at Newmarket will be as popular• sa ever this season is shown by tps figures for last weekend. A total or 1000 swimmers visited the pool 011 Saturday and 1300 011 Sunday. The takings amounted to about £47. These figures compare well with those for the nrst ten days of the season; when lew people were at the pool, revenue amounting to £32.

Board's Travelling Allowance j Although travelling allowances IB most Government departments bad wen increased because of the higher cost 01 living, there bad been no rise in tne lOd an hour allowed for members, 0 education boards, said the chairman the Auckland Education Board, Mr. J. Campbell, at a meeting yesterday. He said it was impossible to defray, expenses at present on the allowanc made. It was decided to recommend t the Education Department that allowance be increased to is hour. ' '

Religion In Schools • _ .. ,A report that the number of s ?". oc > which made provision for_ rw° activity had risen from 200 in 1929 1300 in 1942, was received by the Auckland Methodist district synod y &st ®" day from" its public questions .CO * mittee. The report said the number schools still outside the scheme * 800, and it was decided that, wni recognising the importance of the improvement made, the synod should urg the Government to make provision r Bible teaching in the system of educ - tion, and all teachers who so desir should be free to give Scripture sons in State schools. War Savings Increase . National war savings receipts mJ Auckland postal district since the c * ing of the Victory Loan on Octon have been well maintained, the wees J average being £16,656, as against quota of £16,123. The total of savings for the financial year to da 1 exclusive of Victory Loan receipts. £653,303, a surplus of £137,367 0 the proportionate amount °t , annual quota to date. In the Auc.si metropolitan area, receipts durmg , past five weeks amount to • j bringing the totai for the year to £512,609. This is £127,009 111 • • cess of the proportionate aniount 01 annual quota.

School Journals and Race Cards . There, was not sufficient school 1° " nals printed for each child to have and children were not permitted to copies home, said Mr G. K. Hamilton, at a meeting of the Auckland . tion., Board yesterday. He said excuse had been shortage of P a P e ' j. he noticed that plenty of race were on sale in the ** e . ,_f no objection to that, but, in V 1 , 0 the fact that more race cards * he printed in future, thong . . number of school journals C( ?"vJ trJu-' creased. It was decided to ask the j, cation Department to ' iare . journals printed next year v> . each child a copy*