CITY BUILDING SOLD

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25160, 24 March 1945, Page 6

CITY BUILDING SOLD

FORT STREET PROPERTY LINK WITH EARLY AUCKLAND An. Auckland company, which has yet to be formed, purchased for £35,500 the Roberton Buildings in Fort Street and a vacant section in Shortland Street, next to the IYA studio, when the properties were offered for auction yesterday by C. F. Bennett, Ltd. Mr If. W. L. Milne, barrister and solicitor, acterl for the company, and stated later that there was no intention at present of making any alterations. The two freehold properties embrace over 20,000 square feet of land space, with frontages to both Shortland and Fort Streets. Roberton Buildings, at Nos. 53 and 55 Fort Street, are built of brick and concrete and comprise four storeys and a basement. The section has a frontage of over 105 ft to Shortland Street. The Roberton family has been associated with the Fort Street site of the present Roberton Buildings since 1840, and the property was the site of the first spring well, which gave a water supply to the early settlement of Auckland. It is interesting to compare present-day prices with those of over 100 years ago. The properties are described as part allotments 9, 10 and 11. Allotment 9 was sold in 1841 for £240 16s, allotment 10 in 1846 for £321 15s, while allotment 11 was bought for £339 14s Hd in 1840 by Wilioughby Shortland, after whom Shortland Street was named. * FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY DEMANDS OF THIE FORCES 3,000,000 PAIRS SUPPLIED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Friday From the outbreak of war to the end of last year, New Zealand factories supplied 3,000,000 pairs of military footwear to the armed forces in the Dominion and overseas, Mr E. R. Norman, president, told the annual conference of the New Zealand Footwear Manufacturers' Federation. Recent orders for 250,000 pairs of boots for the Eastern Group Supply Council reduced any sharp tapering-off of military contracts in the near future, and for some time the industry would continue to make civilian ration requirements from leather left after the drawoff of best grades for the forces. Forty different types of service footwear were produced in quantity, said Mr Norman, covering six to eight different demands made by each of the three services, and other "specials" for different races and terrains. Typical specialities were wide-fitting boots for Tongan and Fijian force*, four types for the Indian Army, rubber-soler "Munson" boots for the United State; forces and light footwear for prisoners of war. Because of their great variety war contracts imposed a first priority on the best grade of practically at types of leather. "The provision of adequate supplies of some types of civilian footwear, particularly women's and children's shoes, and the lighter types of men's footwear, continues to be difficult, from both the raw materials and labour aspects," .Mr Norman commented. He hoped, however, that war contracts would begin to taper-off later this year, when manufacturers of footwear now in short supply would be permitted to increase concentration on civilian production. Present indications were that the end of war contracts would be met with a request for footwear for liberated countries overseas. This would be for civilian types, _however, and would not interfere with normal civilian production tc the extent that war contracts had done. HIGH AIR OFFICER RETURN FROM ENGLAND (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Friday In 1922 a New Zealand boy of 16 applied to join the Air Force, and was told there was none in the Dominion in which he could enrol, but that the Royal Air Force took boy mechanics. Sc the lad kept writing, and in 1925 he went to England at his own expense, joined the Royal Air Force, qualified as a pilot and was commissioned. Now he has returned to New Zealand—AirCommodore E. G. Olson, D.5.0., with more than 4000 flying hours to his credit., the honour of having commanded the famous No. 75 (New Zealand) Bomber Squadron when it was conducting its heavy offensive against the Ruhr, and the distinction of having held the appointment of Air Officer Commanding R.N.Z.A.F. Headquarters in London until relinquishing this position recently because of ill-health. AirCommodore Olson was accompanied on his return by 'his wife and daughter. His mother is Mrs P. G. Olson, of New Plymouth. X-RAY FROM AMERICA EXPORT LICENCE REFUSED (0.C.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Friday A licence to export from the United States a mobile X-ray unit for use in Taranaki has been refused, according to advice received by the director of the tuberculosis division of the Health Department, Dr C. A. Taylor. The unit is required for a Tarannki-wide tuberculosis survey of the Maori population, and later the European population, sponsored by the Taranaki Maori Trust Board and with the approval of the Health Department, which plans to use the survey as ah experiment before expanding anti-tuberculosis work. Dr Taylor said he did not think much could be done in the meantime, but the board has decided to inquire whether suitable X-ray units can be obtained from either Britain or Australia. TEACHERS' BACK PAY (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Friday The secretary of the New Zealand Educational Institute has been adrised that teachers' back pay on increases prior to March 31 will'be assessed for income tax as income earned during the year ended March 81, 1945, rrespective of when it is paid.