In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24152, 14 June 1940, Page 6

In the News

Men For Farm Work

The occupational survey which is being undertaken on all public works to discover the number of men who would be prepared to take farm work and assist in increasing primary production is not yet complete in Southland. It was stated yesterday that only a comparatively small percentage. of public works employees in the province have had actual experience of farm work, but of these a good number was prepared to take farm work.

Acclimatization Society Gift The Southland Acclimatization Society decided at its meeting last night to make a donation of £lOO to the Southland Provincial Patriotic Fund.

Jockey Club’s Raffle The patriotic funds will benefit to the extent of £5B as a result of a raffle held by the Wairio Jockey Club which was drawn on Wednesday. The winner was Mr T. Hamilton, of Winton, and the winning ticket No. 310. The prize was a clock which was a trophy won by Messrs J. S. and W. E. Hazlett at the club’s January meeting when their horse Guste won the Forde Steeplechase. Messrs Hazlett gave the trophy back to the club for a patriotic raffle. The sum raised will go through the Nightcaps District Patriotic Committee’s funds to the Southland provincial fund. Bottle Drive Pupils of the city and adjacent schools will begin a drive on Monday for bottles, which will be sold and the proceeds given to the patriotic fund. With the co-operation of householders it is hoped to raise £lOO in the city. No Cablegrams To Italy

An official announcement that the forwarding of cablegrams to Italy and the Italian colonies was now prohibited was made yesterday by the chief postmaster at Invercargill (Mr H. Miller). Ducks In Gardens

The well-being of the ducks in the pond at the Victoria Park gardens was referred to by Mr Eustace Russell at the meeting of the Southland Acclimatization Society last night. He said he had received a complaint that the ducks were not being fed and that they were becoming “thinner and thinner.” The birds were ravenous when he took some bread to them recently, added Mr Russell, but he could not say that they were not being fed. There did not appear to be much natural feed available, however. A suggestion that one of members discuss the matter with the chairman of the City Council Reserves Department was adopted.

Ready Response By Women In an article written by the general manager of the Wellington tramways (Mr M. Cable) and published in a Wellington newspaper, he mentioned that with the increasing call for men for service overseas the management realized that difficulties would be experienced in maintaining the transport services unless an adequate supply of young men below military age, or, alternatively, young women, could be secured. Soon after 9 o’clock on the morning of publication of the article, Mr Cable was interviewed by the first woman applicant for a conductor’s job. She said she had acted in that capacity in England during the last war, and was prepared to perform similar duties here. Other inquiries were made by women over the telephone. To all, Mr Cable had to say that the time had not yet arrived for employing women conductors. It was only a contingency which might arise if the war were prolonged and there were a heavy drain on our man power for war service.

Trade With Italy New Zealand’s direct export trade for 1939 with Italy was of small account, being of the Customs value of £1565; but imports from Italy, according to country of origin for that year, were of the value of £137,837. For the first three months of 1940 exports were £l3l and imports £55,196. The balance of trade in favour of Italy for 1939 was £126,215, and for the first quarter of the current year, £54,329. A Rumour Contradicted

Contradiction of a persistent rumour that petrol rations were shortly to be reduced still further was given by Mr F. G. Farrell, president of the Automobile Association (Aucklqpd), on his return to Auckland from a visit to Wellington. He said he had had an interview with the Oil Fuel Controller, Mx- G. L. Laurenson, who told him the rumour was without foundation, and that no such decision was likely to be reached unless war developments made further restrictions imperative. The Banks’ Part “The banks will play theix- full part in supporting the Government’s call to give of theix- utmost in the war effort,” said the chairman of the Associated Banks, Mr P. R. M. Hanna, speaking at a smoke concert in Wellington of the New Zealand Bank Officers’ Guild. “In this they ,will have the wholehearted cooperation of theix- staffs.” Mr Hanna recalled the gesture made by the guild and union at the outbreak of war, in voluntarily offering to increase the hours of work from 40 to 44 a week. Apart from the gesture’s practical value', it was particularly pleasing as an indication of the goodwill between the banks and theix- staffs. At present 457 bank officers, over 13 per cent, of the total of 3438 on the male staffs, had enlisted in the fighting forces, and a considerable numbex- more would shortly be going into territorial camps for three i ox- four months’ training. Wax- And Disease

The great toll of disease in wars ol the past was remarked on by Professor A. Tocker in an address to the Economics Society last evening. The waxof 1914-18, he said, was the first great wax- in history in which deaths in battle or from wounds received in battle were more than the deaths from disease. In the Crimean War three times as many men died from disease as in battle or from wounds. In the Great War the proportion was reversed, 10,000,009 soldiers being killed and 3,000,000 dying from disease.