NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25069, 10 November 1942, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

pONCERN at the dllatorlness oj farmers in making known their requirements for the • services of secondary school boys in the long summer vacation was expressed yesterday by the secretary of the Otago Primary Production Council, Mr E. H. Calder. If immediate application was not made by the farmers. Mr Calder said, those boys who were seeking work in the holidays would drift into other occupations. Many boys had completed the application forms which were forwarded to all schools, in eacli of which a master had charge of the preliminary arrangements. Several inquiries had been made by farmers. Mr Calder added, for secondary school girls to assist in house work during the holidays, and he advised those who required such service to communicate with the office of the Vocational Guidance Association. War Savings Deposits

For the week ended last Saturday the War Savings deposits in Dunedin fell short of the quota by £ 1448, the deposits totalling £3899 9s 3d. Twelve new National Savings accounts were opened in the .Dunedin Savings Bank. Pavilion Thefts Sneak thieves of the type who make a specialty of raiding pavilions on the various sports areas were at work on Saturday afternoon, their victims on this occasion being two players at the Logan Park lawn tennis courts. The players changed before going on lo the courts, and one man on his return to the pavilion found that his trousers and a cardigan had been stolen from his suitcase, while the other lost a case and its contents. Demand for Seaside Homes

“There are many more purchasers in the market for seaside houses for the coming holiday period than in previous years.” said a Dunedin land agent yesterday. This was attributed to an expectation that restrictions, similar to those of last year, would be imposed on travelling. Rather than await an official announcement, ho added, people were buying houses at the resorts around Dunedin, and the demand was greatly in. excess of the number of houses offering.

Sales Tax Receipt* Sales tax receipts for ordinary revenue purposes amounted to £302,476 in August, compared with £321,062 for July and £303,643 for August of last year. Giving these figures, September issue of the Abstract of Statistics shows that the total sales tax receipts for August -were £948,272, of which £645,796 was for war purposes. Since the beginning of the present financial year approximately £2,646.000 has been received from this source for war purposes. Shining Cuckoos

Large numbers of shining cuckoos have been seen recently in the Makarora, district. The shining cuckoo, which is one of New Zealand’s migratory birds, appears here in summer, when its lays its eggs in the nests of smaller birds. In many respects, the shining cuckoo resembles the thrush, but it is distinguishable by its greenish colour and characteristic call. Its migratory path is not definitely known, but is considered to be New Guinea or Hawaii, where the long-tailed cuckoo spends the winter.

Right to Overtime Notwithstanding the fact that persons holding executive positions in offices and earning salaries of not less than £350 are not subject to the Dominion clerical workers’ award, such persons come within the scope of the Shops and Offices Act, and their right to overtime payment is governed by that Act and its amendment in 1936. This is the effect of a judgment given by Mr A. M. Goulding, S.M., in Wellington, when he awarded A. J. Bannerman the full amount of a claim for £155 for overtime worked wliile he was employed as an accountant by the Associated Motorists’ Petrol Company, Ltd. Callous Housebreaker

Commenting on the callousness of a young housebreaker who was before him for sentence in the Supreme Court at Auckland, Mr Justice Callan mentioned one incident which, fie said, made a very unfavourable impression. In a house that he had broken into this man saw on the mantelpiece three or four unopened letters. They were letters from a soldier abroad to a young woman in New Zealand. She never got those letters, because the intruder took them, opened them, read them, and burned them. “ That is typical.” his Honor said, “of his callous disregard of the feeling of anybody but himsdlf.” The man was sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment, with hard labour. The Useful Coconut

A large double coconut forms the centrepiece of a display of coconuts in the educational exhibit at the Otago Museum this week. The coconut, which is a freak, is large and oval-shaped, showing distinctly the two nuts which were joined to make the one. Included in the case are a magnificently carved coconut shell from Java, which is made to fit a modern gas light, but is traditionally carved, and a quaint spoon of coconut shell, which was recently purchased for the Museum from the Churchill Auction. The coconut is one of the most important products of the Pacific Islands because of the many uses to which it can be put. Newsletter for Soldiers

The expansion of the work undertaken by Mr” J. B. Grant, a former headmaster of the Musselburgh School, in preparing newsletters for regular despatch to members of the forces overseas, was referred to by Mr D. Forsyth at a meeting of the executive committee of the Returned Services’ Association last night. Recalling that originally the bulletins were distributed to old boys of the Musselburgh School, Mr Forsyth said that the demand had so increased that it was now hoped to send the newsletters to all the Dundin men who were serving overseas. The Rotary Club had already extended its support, Mr Forsyth added. The committee expressed its appreciation of the work that Mr Grant was doing, and decided to make a grant of £5 5s towards the cost.