LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 65, Issue 5494, 6 July 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A Transport Emergency Order gazetted last week extends the exemption from the licensing fee which applies to farm tractors to tractors used for the cartage of milk or whey to or from the factories.

When a resolution was being framed at the High School Committee on Friday, a member commented on the unfinished product: “It is too bold,” whereon another voice interjected: “It wants some flowers around it!” The resolution was duly flowered, made generally more fragrant, and passed.

At the High School Committee’s meeting on Friday evening members were busily engaged in completing their voting papers for the election of a member to the Auckland Education Board (West Ward), when a voice requested the return of a pencil—a “good thick black one.” “The real voting pencil,” came a remark.

With a view to expediting the work of reconstruction at Masterton, six Hamilton bricklayers were instructed by the manpower officer to proceed there. With the majority of chimneys either cracked or demolished at Masterton as a result of the recent severe earthquake bricklayers are at a premium in the affected area.

Faced witl; the situation that-three carriers declined, because of the danger, to undertake the removal of furniture from a house condemned through earthquake damage, the Mayor of Wellington, Mr Hislop, called for volunteers from city E-P.S. units. As a result a fully adequate body of volunteers tackled the job and the goods were transferred to safe storage at Newtown Library.

Two Raglan settlers, Messrs F. L. Onion, of Te Kowhai, and R. J. Glasgow, of Onewhero, have been nominated for selection as th'e National Party’s candidate for the Raglan seat. A choice between them will be made shortly. Mr R. Coulter, of Te Aroha, is the Labour Party’s candidate for the seat, which is at present held by the Hon. W. Lee Martin (Labour), who is retiring.

Full support for the campaign for Christian order now being conducted by the National Council of Churches in New Zealand is being given by the Boy Scouts of the Dominion. Sir James T. Grose. Dominion President of the New Zealand Boy Scouts Association, has written to the headquarters of the campaign conveying a resolution adopted at a recent meeting of the Dominion executive of the association in the following terms: “It was resolved that this Association whole-heartedly support the leaders of the Churches in their national campaign for Christian Order —that is, liberty of conscience, of association rooted in the principles of love and fellowship which involve the opportunity and duty of voluntary service, and of sacrifice for the common good.” A suggestion that a wide discrepancy existed in the rations served to the troops at the different training camps was made by Mr Doidge (Opposition. Tauranga) in notice of a question on behalf Of Mr Harker (Opposition, Waipawa) to the Minister of Defence. He asked that where troops were not receiving the rations provided for the Mihister would see that matters were remedied immediately. In atiote to the question, Mr Doidge said that though the Wellington newspapers on June 8 gave a list of rations not drawn by the troops at a camp in the Wellington district, certain units there were almost daily unable to supply a considerable number of their personnel with their allowance of porridge, milk and jam, and complaints made through constitutional channels had not produced a remedy. Amendments to the Suspension of Apprenticeship Emergency Regulations and Occupational Re-establish-ment Emergency Regulations issued with the Gazette last week provide for altered conditions brought about by the service of young men in the forces. The altered regulations provide that if an apprentice or employee called for military service returns to his employment within six months the term of his service shall count toward his apprenticeship up to an aggregate of six months in anv year, or shall count for the purposes of an increase in .remuneration or other benefits. Where the apprenticeship time has to be made up at the end of the apprenticeship term the wage-rate is to be the rate prescribed for the last six months of his apprenticeship plus half the difference between that rate and the journeymen’s rate. Provision for civilians disabled by war action and for dependants of those killed by such action is made in the War Injuries to Civilians Emergency Regulations issued with the latest Gazette. The regulations provide for payment of pensions to civilians or a civilian’s dependants where death or disablement is caused by direct result of enemy action, or sustained in an attempt to combat the enemy or in activities taken with intent to repel an imagined attack by the enemy. Injuries may result from the discharge of any missile (including liquids and gas), the use of any weapon, explosive or other noxious thing, or the doing of any injurious act, or through being struck by aircraft or anything dropped from aircraft. Aircraft includes an enemy or friendly machine. The provision of pensions is limited in that a person whose earnings or ability to earn was not affected cannot claim a pension. Complaints from farmers employing land girls and from members of the Women’s Land Corps that the issue of clothing—one W.W.S.A. dress uniform of khaki drill and one pair of working overalls—is inadequate for the work the girls have to do, have been made to the Placement Officer in Christchurch (Mr J. R. Brown) and have been referred by him to the secretary of the District Committee of the W.W.S.A. (Miss A. Buckley). Commenting on the complaints, Miss Buckley said that it was true that tough clothes and strong shoes were needed for the girls for their work on farms and that suggestions had been made by the District Committee to be forwarded to the W.W.S.A. headquarters in Wellington. One suggestion is that coupon-free material for making overalls should be issued to land girls at the time they receive their regulation issue of dress uniform and overalls.