AROUND THE DOMINION

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 177, 22 February 1933, Page 8

AROUND THE DOMINION

| At Last, One Tax Reduced J In the present circumstances, when, j most things have an upward trend, j the Wellington City Council has caiis- • ed some surprise by deciding that the j corporation rat catcher shall be j charged only half fees in respect o'f j the four dogs he uses in connection ' with his official duties. Plrely Hypothetical Problem A question that agitated- some Hoki- ! anga people at ttie was;: j "How will the sales tax affect the | nricf. { \^ftiSh^''(^(*tatJfefith^Hokianga, Times). Is the man who catches them iu quantities wholesaler within the meaning of the s r'<sgu i iations and must he stick on 5/lier' : teenf; before selling I those fish to himself.; as a-retailer, or I after all perhaps the schnapper and i the flounder arc exempt from taxa- | tiou. No one Seems to know, but the ! fish-catchers are not spending sleepj less nights on the problem.—Auckland I Star. Swimming th», French Pass A notable swimming feat was performed a few days ago by Miss Nancy Webber, of the French Pass. She swam across the treacherous waters of the Pass from the mainland to D'TJrville Island in 17 minutes. The distance across the Pass is not great, but strong currents are experienced there,and such a swim could be attempted only in the few minutes at the turn of the tide. As it was, says the Nelson Mail,. Miss W ibber was beginning to bo carried by the current at the end of her :,w;:n. Safety in Motor Age More and more the present was becoming a motoring age, said Mr. Justice Ostler at the Supreme Court at Wanganui in summing up in a negligent driving case. Second-hand cars were becomig cheaper and within the means of nearly all, although benzine was high in price. However, that was a commodity that went up and down. It was most important that the standard of motor drivingshould be rigidly kept up because the lives and the safety of the public deepnded upon it. * Southland Leads in Business "I found trade in fnveNJargill to be more satisfactory than in any other part of New Zealand," said Mr. D. V. Tomson, managing director of Briscoe and Company, London, in an interview in Christchurch on has return there from the South in the course of a tour of his firm's -Dominion branches. So far, added Mr. Tomson, he had been impressed most of all with Southland so far as. business conditions are concerned. "I am a little disappointed "to see so much pessimism in the Dominion," remarked Mr. Tomson, who said that the public' appeared to be very depressed by and willing to discuss nothing but the recent Government measures. "Business conditions are not at present as good here as in Australia, where the people are certainly much more cheerful—in spite of the cricket,'' he said with a smile.

I No Assistance from State What was described by the chairman as a "bombshell" was exploded at the monthly meeting of the Cook Hospital Board, when advice was received from the Department of Health that no financial assistance would he forthcoming from the State in respect of the reinstatement of earthquake damage at the hospital, and the strengthening of the buildings as a precaution against the possibility of future upheavals (states a Gishorne correspondent). The hospital was damaged in the earthquake of September 16. Several members took the view that the departments decision was not an equitable one in view of the fact that a loan from the Treasury, free of interest for five years, had been provided for the rebuilding "of the Napier Hospital. The department's letter stated that attention was being given to the provisions of legislation extending temporarily the borrowing powers of hospital boards pending the liquidation of their overdrafts. In reply to a question the chairman said that approximately £2400 had been spent to date on earthquake repairs, and a £ tor £ subsidy had been received. ine work had been financed out of this years savings and the Unemployment Fund It was resolved to make further "application to the department.