NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25797, 19 March 1945, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A WARNING against the danger to the South Island of an effort, which he said was being made, to centralise overseas shipping at Wellington was given by Mr H. L. Mair, retiring president, at the annual meeting of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce on Friday. Mr Mair said it was plain that Wellington was fighting tooth and nail to centralise shipping there. Wellington might be prepared to concede Auckland a portion of the shipping, but the South Island was le'ft out of consideration. “ Shipping companies may be only too pleased to accept that point of view if we do not look out,” Mr Mair added.

Love on Wheels The following advertisement appeared recently in a South Island newspaper: “ Owner of car would like to correspond with widow, who owns two tyres (525-20); object matrimony. Send picture of tyres.”

Liquor in Nurses’ Home Objection to the publicity given to the fact that liquor had been found in the nurses’ was expressed in a letter from the secretary of the Student Nurses’ Association, which came before the Auckland Hospital Board at its meeting last week. It was stated that the nurses felt that, in the interests of the profession, those who were foolish enough to break rules should be dealt with by the authorities within hospital jurisdiction, and that the board should discuss such matters in committee. The letter was received.

Absentees from Schools There were 10,000 .children absent every day from schools in the Auckland educational district, said the attendance officer, Mr ,G. M. Whitaker, giving evidence in a case heard by Mr F. 11. Levien, S.M., in Auckland on Friday. The total number of children in the district was 70,000. Of the daily absentees, 95 per cent, were away because cf illness or for other genuine reasons, but these excuses had to be checked. Altogether there were about 16,000 children who gave him trouble over school attendance.

Liquor and Crime It was impossible to say to what extent drink was a factor in crime, other than that in which intoxication was an ingredient of the offence, said the Commissioner of Police (Mr J. Cummings), giving evidence before the Royal Commission on Licensing. In his opinion, based on over 30 years’ experience, persons who committed serious crimes, such as murder, manslaughter, procuring abortion, house and shop breaking, major thefts, false pretences, forgery and uttering, and perjury, were not as a rule addicted to liquor. “In most cases it could not be said that drink was a contributing cause in the commission of crime.” the commissioner remarked. Reliance on State

That the public, without giving any serious thought to what was going on, was unconsciously becoming more State contrcl-minded instead of relying on individual effort, was an opinion expressed by Cr A. B. Shannon (chairman), at a meeting of the Oroua County Council, a few days ago. Mr Shannon was reporting on a recent conference on regional planning, where the order paper, he said, included “ cut and dried ” resolutions the conference was expscted to endorse. People appeared to be more and more relying on Government assistance for this, that, and the other thing, quite overlooking the fact that the Government could find money only by taxation, he said. Wellington Water Supply

The Minister of Works. Mr R. Semple, stated on Saturday that negotiations had been completed between the Government and the Wellington City Council and the Suburban Water Supply Board regarding a major water supply from the main Hutt River. The work, when completed, would provide a minimum of 11,000,000 gallons daily, partly to Wellington and partly to suburban areas contiguous to the city, which had either an insufficient or no permanet water supply. The Mayor (Mr Will Appleton), in a statement made at the same time as Mr Semple’s, said it now seemed that an early start would be made on the scheme, and there was a possibility that the new supply would be available in 1948. ■

New Motor Industry for Wales The important United Kingdom firm, Morris Motors, is to operate a large factory for the manufacture of motor bodies in South Wales. The London Daily Herald states that this is the fourth new industry to be introduced into Wales since the Government announced its plans in February for a balance distribution of industry. The factory is expected to be the forerunner of other industries in Wales connected with car manufacture. It will be set up in the Llanelly district. where both labour and raw materials will be available locally. The Llanelly enterprise is the third important proposed extension of the British motor car industry. Standard Companies have taken over the Government factory at Speke, near Liverpool, and the Rover Company is taking over’ one near Birmingham. Choice of Work

The question whether returned soldiers from the Middle East could chocse where they wanted to work arose at a sitting of the Industrial Man-power Committee in Auckland on Fridav, when James Patrick Corcoran, a boot operative, asked to be allowed to leave his employment with G. A. Coles and Co., Ltd., boot manufacturers. The appellant said he desired to go to another boot-making firm where his prospects were better. He understood that, having seen service in the Middle East, he was free to choose his own employers. The man-power officer’s representative, Mr J. Muncaster, intimated that returned soldiers had a certain amount of consideration, but where men had passed through a? trade schocl, as the appellant had done, it was desired to retain them in the industry. The committee dismissed the appeal. Shortage of Bakers The shortage of skilled man-power in the baking industry was so serious that in the event of release to the army without replacement of category A men held on appeal there would be justification for certain curtailments in production which would result in a bread shortage, said the president, Mr H. E. Fairey, at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Master Bakers’ and Pastrycooks’ Association, in Wellington last week. It was felt that such curtailment of bread production was the only way of bringing the seriousness of the matter home to the authorities. Mr Fairey said there appeared to be a great deal of difference in the manner in which the armed forces appeal boards handled appeals from category A, grade I, men in the industry. The boards apparently failed to realise the seriousness of the present baking situation. The meeting approved of a decision to wait on members of the Government in conjunction wtih the Wheat and Flour Controller. Wool Research

A plan to provide additional funds for wool research in Britain has been drawn up by a joint committee of hosiery, dyeing, and finishing industries of England and Scotland. It is proposed that these funds should be raised by a levy of one sixteenth of a penny per pound on worsted and woollen yarns delivered to hosiery manufacturers for machine knitting. A scheme is now being considered by the industry. If it is adopted (says the London Financial News) it will enable United Kingdom wool research to be expanded considerably, since, even on a pre-war basis of fifty million pounds per annum, the proposed levy would raise £12,500, and huge expansions are expected in the immediate post-war years. Wool research—essential to the maintenance of unvarying quality—has made great strides in Britain in recent years. An outstanding development is the production of unshrinkable wool. Owing to this development many new high quality British cloths will be available after the war. Great weight is also laid on research into new synthetic fibres which can be used in conjunction with wool, and not in competition against it. These will open new outlets for the utilisation of wool and also lead to lower production costs.