IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 21852, 1 November 1932, Page 4

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY Rainbow in the Waiau. Mr L. Broomhall, of Tuatapere, has sent in to Mr G. Jaquiery for identification a trout caught at the mouth of the Waiau. It proved to be a rainbow in excellent condition weighing 21 lb. Mr Broomhall mentioned in a covering letter that quite a number of the fish were to be seen near the river mouth. * * « * Building Returns. The building returns for October show that work to the value of £3557 0/6 was carried out in Invercargill, an increase of £Bl4 on the figure for October, 1931. Details were as follows: New dwellings (3), £2095; additions to dwellings (12), £449 7/6; additions to business premises (8), £678 5/-; outhouses and garages (11), £334 8/-; miscellaneous repairs, £75. * * * * The Riverton Hold-up. In yesterday’s Times a paragraph appeared in which it was stated that the police considered the recent holdup in Riverton as imaginary. The person concerned is a well-known and respected resident of the town and one not given to drawing on his imagination. The information was supplied by him not only to the writer, but to several others. Further, there would have been no necessity to deal out the punishment on his assailant had he not been molested, for the Riverton man is of a quiet, retiring disposition.—Riverton correspondent. ♦ * ♦ * Looking for Defaulters. In answer to an inquiry by a Times reporter yesterday Mr P. C. Weenink, officer-in-charge of the Labour Department, stated that inspectors had already been appointed by the Government to seek cut shortages in the payment of unemployment tax. It is learned that in Invercargill an officer is already specially engaged on this work, his investigations, in the meantime, being directed to the examination of employers’ wages books and checking the amount of wage's tax that has been paid by means of unemployment stamps.

Motor Accident at Mataura. At about 9 o’clock yesterday morning a motor accident occurred in Kana street, Mataura, as a result of which a boy, aged about eight years, a son of Mr and Mrs J. H. Bolting, Mataura, was removed to the Gore Hospital suffering from a broken arm, severe cuts and bruises about the face and shock. It appears that the unfortunate lad, who was accompanied by another child, was proceeding to school and when about opposite Mr T. Dixon’s residence was knocked down by a car driven by Miss M. Dickie, of Ferndale. It appears that the driver sounded the horn, the children running to one side and then to the other, an accident resulting. The injured lad is reported to be doing as well as can be expected—Correspondent. To Assist Prospectors. To encourage prospectors, the Mines Department is at present circulating two leaflets, “Fossicking and Prospecting for Gold” and “Notes on the Taking of Samples of Mineral Deposits, and the Valuation of Mining Prospects.” In the first the department remarks that the leaflet has been prepared, “describing the best ways of seeking for and saving gold, in the hope that it will be of real service to the workers, especially those who have had little previous experience of prospecting, and thus lead to the opening of new finds, with consequent increased production and the opening up of avenues for the useful employment of more and more men.” The ensuing sections of the leaflet, which is illustrated with diagrams, are devoted to areas for prospecting, prospecting for reefs, prospecting for alluvial gold, fossicking and methods of saving gold, including cradling, boxing, banjoing and ground sluicing. No Change in Motor Taxation. Following upon the communication from the recent conference of Canterbury local bodies and motor organizations seeking the support of Southland in its resolution urging that the Highways Fund be maintained and that at the earliest possible date all special motor taxation be paid into that fund, comes word that the Government has no intention of adopting the recommendations of the National Expenditure Commission that the fund be abolished and the proceeds of special motor taxation be paid into the Consolidated Fund. Advice to this effect was contained in a letter received yesterday from the South Island Motor Union by the secretary of the Southland Motor Association (Mr J. S. Dick). This assurance was given by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) at Wellington on Thursday in reply to a deputation representing the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, the North and South Island Motor Unions and the New Zealand Counties’ Association, which entered a protest against the recommendation of the commission. Mr Forbes said that Cabinet had given consideration to the commission’s proposal, but could not see that any advantage would be gained by its adoption.