NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26545, 21 August 1947, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Last Word “ I cannot speak too long because the Mayor has to be at Carisbrook before 3 o’clock,” said Cr Wright at the opening of the new Plunket Rooms at Anderson’s Bay yesterday afternoon. However, the Mayor, who spoke next, turned the tables. “Cr Wright has instructed me to talk for no longer than one and a-half minutes because he wants to watch the football,” said Mr Cameron with a smile. Intercolonial Trade Relieved At the present time the company has on charter nine British vessels of 100,000 tons cargo capacity, employed in the intercolonial trade, states a Union Steam Ship Company bulletin. This had enabled all available cargo at Sydney and Melbourne for New Zealand ports to be cleared. “ Shield-Consciousness ” The wave of “ shield-consciousness ” which has infected Dunedin since Otago won the Ranfurly Shield from Southland is reflected in some unusual quarters. At last night’s annual meeting of the Otago Regional Planning Council the chairman remarked that Auckland was making good progress in its planning efforts. It appeared to be a little ahead of Dunedin in that respect, and this was not desirable. “ Well, we beat Auckland to-day, didn’t we? ” queried a member, amid laughter. Made-up Clothing When the import licensing schedule for 1948 was issued no allocation was made for imports of made-up clothing. The Customs Department now proposes to consider applications from regular importers of made-up clothing for licences to import such goods from British sterling sources. No basic allocation has been fixed for such licences, but it is understood that the Customs Department will have some regard for the quantity of imports of similar goods in 1938.

Germans not Wanted “We have fought these ‘ birds ’ twice, and the only good Hun I know is a dead one,” said Mr S. H. McGeorge, when the executive of the Christchurch branch of the Returned Services’ Association discussed the possibility of German immigrants coming to New Zealand. On his suggestion the executive carried a motion stating that it viewed with alarm the possibility of Germans being brought to New Zealand, and asking the New Zealand Association to keep the branch fully advised as to its intentions.

Veteran Mountaineer The veteran New Zealand mountaineer, Mr A. P. Harper, of Wellington, who was one of the first to make a winter ascent of Mount Egmont in 1896, walked through the Manganui Gorge on the east side of the mountain to the Manganui Hut on Sunday, and watched the ski-ing and the use of the ski-tow. Mr Harper is 83 years of age, and his walk over a steep and narrow track along a precipitous shingle face is regarded as outstanding for a man of his age.

Designing of Ships A technical staff of naval architects, engineers, and draughtsmen in Wellington, which makes plans for new ships to suit the requirements of the Union Steam Ship Company, is believed to be an organisation without parallel in the southern hemisphere, says a bulletin issued by the company. The necessity for such a staff is due to the distance the management of the company in Wellington is from the ship-building centres of the United Kingdom.

Pulp and Paper Industry The possibility of the formation of a public corporation representative of the interested parties and the public to run a State paper and pulp industry was mentioned by Mr G. H. Mackley. M.P., managing director of Whakalane Paper Mills, Ltd., in an interview in Wellington. Mr Mackley, who was referring to reports that the Government plans to set up such an industry in the Rotorua district, said that from a national viewpoint it might appear that the Government had some claim to launch its project on behalf of the people. He anticipated that further light might be thrown upon the Government’s intentions either in the Budget or in the annual report of the State Forest Service. Furniture May Be Dearer “ The rising price, of timber is tending to make furniture dearer,” said a northern manufacturer a few days ago. “In dribs and drabs a penny is being added here and there, and in the case of beech the increase is 3d a foot. The higher wages in the offing will also have to be added on to the cost of production.” Reviewing the whole question there was, he said, a definite tendency towards dearer furniture owing to the increasing cost of timber and the mounting wage, scale. Coverings were also scarce and springs from Canada were in such limited supply that merchants formerly on a quota were now reduced to a ration. Changed Views of Law In former days the law took a very serious view of the rights of an individual as to the enjoyment of his property, commented his Honor Mr Justice Cornish in the Supreme Court at Wanganui. However, the more modern view was that people had to live in communities together. The days when people lived in the open country, with some distance between one house and another, had gone. Today there were great cities, with thousands of people living within comparatively short distances of each other. Under those conditions people had to put up with some inconvenience. They, as an instance, might be troubled by the noise of tramcars, but did not think anything about it. Tasman Service An opportunity for trans-Tasman passengers in addition to the Wahine service which is to be resumed next month is being provided by an arrangement between the Union Company and the charterers of the British Army transport Dunera for a voyage between Wellington and Sydney on September 2. The Dunera is at present on her way to Wellington from Kure, Japan, with a draft of returning J Force personnel. On the Sydney trip she will carry about 350 passengers. Industrial troubles in Australia havb delayed the conversion of the Monowai and Aorangi from troopships to passenger vessels. These ships will carry passengers in the Tasman service when they are ready for recommissioning. Radar for Ranui A start ehas been made with the fitting of radar to the Public Works Department’s motor ketch Ranui, which is used for servicing the meteorological stations on the outlying islands. The ketch is due to depart for a visit to the Campbell Islands next week to transport stores for the meteorologists there and to take an additional technician to the islands. An official of the Works Department t said the value of radar equipment would be considerable in aiding navigation to isolated islands, such as the Campbells, as overcast conditions in the south at this time of the year made navigation by the sun or stars almost impossible. The radar equipment is being fitted by Government technicians from the Dominion laboratory.