NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26543, 19 August 1947, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Road Safety Campaign A small procession of vehicles designed to assist in impressing on the public the necessity for road safety traversed the centre of the city at mid-day yesterday. With two traffic inspectors on motor cycles in the lead, the procession comprised two breakdown vans towing wrecked cars, two trucks carrying battered pieces of vehicles and a liberal selection of posters, and finally an ambulance. While the advice inferred by the procession was excellent and a useful adjunct to the general Road Safety Campaign, it was suggested by several onlookers that the procession would have been considerably more effective if the wrecked vehicles had been mounted on trucks so that they would have been more conspicuous, and if the pace of the procession had permitted a more complete absorption of the grim details offered. The campaign i.s also being advanced by appropriate window displays in several city and suburban shops. Unusual Charge “ On August 2 at Dunedin he did unlawfully and without colour of right convert to his own use one baby carriage. valued at £18.” was the wording of an unusual charge, which was on the list for hearing in the City Police Court yesterday. The case, which concerned a male defendant, was adjourned until Monday next. Pensioner’s Offer A letter from a pensioner, aged 72, who states that he is prepared to give Britain £5 and to lend another £5 free of interest if it would help in her time of trouble, has been received by the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash. The pensioner added: “If everyone does the same according to his means it might help a bit.” Ho asked that his name should not be given. Cost of Morning Teas Illustrating his point that New Zealanders were only nominally working a 40-hour week, Mr Haskell Anderson, president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, said that in Wellington alone 60.000 hours were lost to production through morning teas. Mr Anderson expressed approval of the Government's action in removing subsidies from industry. The country could not continue to bear the cost of these subsidies and industry eventually would have to stand on its own feet. / Removal of Trees When Cr McMillan asked the chairman of the Reserves Committee. Cr Jolly, at last night’s meeting of the City Council, when the remainder of Ihe trees shading private property at Chingford Park, and others at Woodhaugh growing against houses in Queen street, were to be removed. Cr Jolly said that he would refer both ouestions to his committee. He added that some of the frees at Woodhaug’n ■would be cut down when opportunity arose so that the /effect of their removal could be observed. Machine Tools from Germany Only 11 of the machine tools allocated to New Zealand as part of her share of reparations from Germany have arrived in the Dominion. This information has been given to the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation by the secretary of industries and commerce (Mr G. W. Clinkard), who says that several other machines have been allocated to New Zealand, but it is not yet known when they will be shipped. So far 46 machine tools of various types have been allocated, including drillers, lathes, presses, and grinders. ' Tahuna Park Sewerage To give drainage facilities for the grandstand and other motor camp accommodation to be provided at Tahuna Park by the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Board last night authorised the extension of a foul sewer in Alfred street for a distance of 475 feet along Auld street into Tahuna road. The cosUof the extension will be £773, and will be charged against the item for unforseen work in the current year’s allocations. It was stated that the proposed accommodation at Tahuna Park would be of a permanent nature. Time for a Change? “it is time you changed the Government,” Cr Taverner interjected at a meeting of the City Council last night when Cr Connelly, M.L.C., was mentioning the endeavours being made to obtain a railcar service between Port Gh aimers and Mosgiel. “ You had the opportunity to change the Government a year ago, but you couldn’t do it.” replied Cr Connelly. “There will be an opportunity to change something else in November.” November is the. month in which the local body elections will be held. Barrett’s Reef Buoy Barrett’s Reef buoy, outside which the Wanganella passed before grounding on Black Rock in January, broke adrift from its moorings yesterday, and was seen drifting towards Chafer's Passage, the western entrance to the reef. The buoy was picked up, says a Press Association telegram, about an hour later by the pilot cutter Arahina. Captain D. M. Todd, deputy harbour master, when asked if the week-end southerly storm had caused the. buoy to break adrift, said it would be impossible to tell exactly what had caused the mishap until the moorings had been lifted and inspected. For this purpose it would be necessary to wait until the weather moderated and there was a really calm day at the Heads. Ex-soldiers’ Housing Loans Ex-servicemen who are granted a rehabilitation housing loan up to the loan limit of £ISOO may, in suitable cases, receive further assistance to meet the single premium payable should they take out mortgage repayment insurance, says a statement from the Rehabilitation Board. Normally the board assists in this way where the loan plus the premium together do not exceed £1500; it has now been decided that where £ISOO has been readied for loan purposes, then an advance up to £SO should also be made, where desired, for mortgage repayment insurance. The advance would be made at the rate of 3 per cent, and would be repayable over a relatively short term appropriate to the amount advanced and to the circumstances of the borrower.