NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25455, 9 February 1944, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

rpHE Government has decided that -l school dental clinic buildings established or extended after April 1 next are to be wholly paid for by the State, which will also meet the cost of the initial standard and non-tech-nical equipment. The Minister of Health, Mr A. H. Nordmeyer, said yesterday that in the past the clinics had been required to contribute one-third of the cost of the buildings and the whole cost of the technical equipment. In view of the need for extending dental clinics for the purpose of ensuring service for children the time had arrived when the whole cost should more properly be borne by the Government.

Discrepancy in Valuations During the hearing of a case by the Otago Land Sales Committee yesterday counsel for the vendor, Mr J. Brunton, said that, judged by the reports he had seen in the press, there appeared to be such a discrepancy in the valuations submitted to the committees that little reliance could be placed on them. It appeared as if many Government valuers wanted to see the price of property reduced. This, however, was not the purpose of the legislation, which sought the stabilisation of property values. The chairman, Mr E. J. Anderson, said the committee had noted the discrepancies in the valuations submitted. He added that the committee had to weigh- the evi« dence as it was given, and those parties who were not satisfied could appeal against its decisions.

The Greymouth Bar In spite of a fresh of four knots in the Grey River last week, which it was hoped would have improved conditions on the bar, heavy seas have served to accentuate the shoaling. Soundings taken on Saturday, although not accurate because of the rough sea, indicated that a foot has been lost on both the inner and outer bars, giving a low-water depth of 7ft on the inner bar, or 17ft at high water. With the Grey bar remaining unworkable, large tonnages of coal are still being railed to Westport for shipping. On Saturday evening one train took 450 tons. Another 240 tons went forward on Monday, and 700 tons were despatched yesterday. The swell on the Westport bar on Saturday morning had fallen sufficiently to allow vessels to cross it, and four ships which had been waiting in the roadstead entered port. Two which had been delayed were able to leave.

Put to the Test When two unopened bottles were produced by a police witness during the hearing in the Supreme Court, Hamilton, of a case alleging the sale of liquor in a proclaimed area, Mr Justice Blair asked if there were any evidence to prove that the bottles contained liquor, reports the Waikato Times. He added that he had known of a case that had failed through lack of evidence as to the contents of bottles produced. Mr J. R. Fitz Gerald, who prosecuted, suggested that the contents of the bottles must be beer, as the bottles were unopened and bore the brewer’s label. There was no bottleopener in court, but one was obtained shortly afterwards, a later police witness being invited to open the bottles and sample the contents. » The sergeant did not unauly hesitate, and after a while announced that the contents of both bottles were indeed beer. Prefabricated Classrooms To alleviate the serious overcrowding in Auckland schools the education authorities have ordered the construction of 45 prefabricated classrooms. The Auckland Education Board does not know whether this number will be increased further. The design of the prefabricated rooms was determined some months ago in Wellington, when the Education Board architects met in conference. The rooms will be compact, with a stove in one corner, and will have a northerly aspect, being lighted by five windows. They will measure 27 feet by 24£ feet, and should accommodate 50 pupils. The outside walls will be of three-ply covered witli malthoid, and the inside will be panelled. The rooms will be easily removable from one school to another as the necessity arises. It is expected that the first of the rooms will be in use this month. The Adventurer*

Away back in the twilight of history your forbears and my forbears belonged to the same racial group,” said Mr R. W. Pomare in an address to the New Zealand Founders’ Society in Wellington. Mr Pomare explained how the ancestors of the Maori race had branched out from Egypt and the Euphrates-Tigris Valley thousands of years ago till they migrated through Indonesia and across vast stretches of sea to their heliolithic stage of development in the Pacific. “At that time you pakehas were fortunate to make contact with many races superior to your own, thus acquiring the arts and sciences that have made you the leaders in this so-called civilisation,” said Mr Pomare. “My people were adventurers and explorers,” While you drifted to the plains and forests we set south by canoe. We went to sea —and we have been at sea ever since.” <

Army Harvest Labour There were three principal reasons why all the army harvest labour had not been fully utilised by farmers this season, said the president of the North Canterbury Executive of the Fanners’ Union (Mr A. M. Carpenter) in a statement to the Christchurch Press. The first was the calling-up of the remaining grade 1 men on the farms in the spring of 1943, when there were few, if any, grade II men to take their places; the second was the unusually wet spring, which had an effect on the area of land down in' crops; and the third was the dry summer which followed, making the harvest light in most parts of Canterbury. “ For these reasons, heavy crops of oats, hay, lucerne, etc., just have not been about this season, and that answers why the army labour has not been fully utilised, said Mr Carpenter. “I want to take the blame off the farmer; he cannot help it, and he has done a magnificent job in the circumstances. I know of farmers who did no ploughing for the reasons mentioned, and others whose crops had to be fed off to fatten their lambs.”