In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23819, 17 May 1939, Page 6

In Town And Out

Physical Welfare in County A conference convened by the Southland County Council will be held on Friday to discuss the provisions of the Physical Welfare and Recreation Act. It will be attended by the members of the council and 18 delegates, two from each of the nine ridings. Preliminary inquiries have been made by district committees, and at Friday’s conference it is proposed to find out what facilities for recreation there are in the county and to consider a programme of work in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

Closed Till January The office of the Land and Income Tax Department at Invercargill has been closed till next January. It is understood that the inspectors who were stationed in Invercargill have been temporarily transferred to Wellington because of the pressure of work at the head office. Weight-guessing Competition

The bullock weight-guessing competition held at the Winter Show attracted many entries. The correct weight was 7121 b and the successful entrants were:—J. Graham, Kennington (7091 b 1; A. D. Pulley, Dee street (7171 b 2; Mrs J. Wyeth, Kennington (7061 b 3; W. T. James, King street (7201 b 4.

History Made at Clinton. “I feel that history was made at Clinton,” said Professor B. W. Caten, musical director of the Young Australians Revue Company when telling Invercargill Rotarians yesterday about the meeting of the Vienna Mozart Boys’ Choir and the Young Australians party at Clinton station on Friday. “Here were two parties of boys from different ends of the earth meeting and cheering each other and showing a true spirit of goodwill which could well be emulated by their elders during this time of international stress. They set a grand example and showed that what was wanted in the world today was harmony, not bickering and bitterness.” Professor Caten and several of the boys were the guests of the club and the boys provided a bright interlude with amusing sketches. Prohibition in India

The city of Bombay, one of the biggest in the world, is to go “dry” on August 1, according to the Rev. B. N. Eade, of East Bengal, who is at present on furlough in New Zealand. He said that many other districts in India had been made no-licence areas recently. Prohibition was one of the major planks of the political parties’ platforms at the elections. Tour by Argentinian

For the first time on record an investigation of the livestock and dairy industries of Australia and New Zealand is being made this winter by a representative of Argentina, Senor B. Lezica Alvear, who is at present in Auckland. Senor Alvear arrived from San Francisco by the Mariposa last week and has since been visiting farms and dairy factories in the Waikato. He intends to spend six weeks in New Zealand and will then make a comprehensive tour bf Australia, occupying about three months. The visitor is a member of one of the most notable land-holding families of Argentina. He is a descendant of its first president and a nephew of Dr Marcelo de Alvear, who held that office from 1922 to 1928. He has represented his country at international meat conferences and has been sent on his present tour by the Argentine Meat Board and the Department of Agriculture of the Argentine Government, which is particularly interested in dairying.—Times Special Service.

Imports and Employment An analysis of the replies received to the end of last week to questionnaires circulated by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce on the subject of employment and unemployment arising from the import restrictions shows that where manufacturers have enlarged staffs it has been chiefly with boy and girl labour. The major additions were in the clothing and footwear trades, but this increase was actually balanced by the reported dismissals of staffs among importers that were attributed to import restrictions in the first six months. Only 14 per cent, of those who replied to the employment questionnaire showed staff additions, and it was cosidered that 110 extra hands, mostly women and girls, could be given employment if they were available. On the subject of estimated dismissals one firm which proposed to put off 31 workers this month said that 16 were married men. Three firms announced their intention of giving up business.

Wide Choice of Tobacco Who would think (states The Christchurch Star-Sun) that one could walk into a tobacconist shop and purchase more than 250 packets of cigarettes, all of them different? And yet this is so, for there are at least 150 brands on the market, and their big number of varieties makes up this huge total. There are roughly 150 kinds of tin tobacco and from 50 to 100 sorts of loose tobacco sold by weight or in large containers. It was the war years which marked the amazing increase in cigarette smoking and the introduction of many new brands to the market to meet the demand. This period saw the younger generation, and many of the older generation who previously abstained, indulge in smoking. Women can also mark the beginning of the habit from this time.

Return to the City There is already a flow of young men from public works back into city occupations, it is stated in Christchurch. In the footwear industry definite evidence is now available that men are leaving the State pay roll and finding employment again with private enterprise. “Men of an excellent type are coming in from the public works for jobs,” said Mr J. A. East, a member of the National Reorganization Committee for the footwear industry. “We have in our own factory alone about 12 applications a day from young men seeking work. Since the import restrictions our staff alone has increased by 50. We are contemplating putting on quite a number of adult apprentices, and we are endeavouring to train men from public works to do skilled work, as there are no skilled men whatever available.” Mr East said there was no difficulty in getting labour, except in the sections of the industry where women were required.