LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 72, Issue 6239, 7 June 1946, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Pest Office Box Owing to an error it was made to appear in Wednesday’s Courier that the recently-erected post office box in Alexandra Street would be cleared at 9.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. The former hour is correct, but the afternoon clearance will be at 4.20. Visit of Waikato Hounds The Waikato hounds will pay their second visit of the hunting season to Pokuru on Wednesday next. Given a fine day, which was lacking on the occasion of the first visit, a large attendance of hunting enthusiasts is expected. The hounds will move off from Messrs Jones brothers’ farm. Transport of Fertiliser Arrangements have now been completed for the transport of fertiliser to country districts by rail, according to an announcement made by the No. 1 Licensing Authority, Mr E. J. Phelan. In the past, fertiliser had been transported by road, under a Government subsidy, because of a shortage of railway wagons. Mr Phelan said that as m'ore wagons had become available, the subsidy scheme would cease to operate as from Monday next, with the exception of certain deliveries over a relatively short distance in the Franklin county. Parental Love A statement by counsel in an Auckland Supreme Court case that parental love in the long run could never spoil a child drew a disclaimer from Mr Justice Callan. “I have seen in my life,” he said, “case after case in which the warm, unselfish affection of a parent has in the long run been damaging to the character of a child because that deep natural affection has net been accompanied by wisdom.” If the child received no character training, he said, the unselfish love of a parent unwisely exercised made the child selfish and inconsiderate of others. Ring Found in Blocked Pipe An expensive engagement ring lost 21 years ago was found by a plumber clearing the blocked pipe of a washbasin in a Napier house. In 1925, when the woman lost her ring, the house and garden were thoroughly searched, but no trace was found, nor was there any explanation for its sudden disappearance. It is now thought, that the woman, who died several years ago, lost the ring while washing her hands. The house is now occupied by the woman’s daughter and her husband and family. The ring, found in a mass of sludge in the bend of the pipe, has lost none of its lustre after its long immersion in the drain. Permit Refused A Te Awamutu ratepayer, noting the plight in which many homeless people are placed, now discloses that about two years ago he had a contract arranged with a well-known building firm to erect five fiveroomed dwellings in a popular residential part of Te Awamutu. Before this work could proceed it was of course necessary to get the consent of the Building Controller, and a permit was refused. They would have naturally been rental dwellings, and apparently it was regarded a State monopoly to engage in this form of investment. But the result to-day is that five homeless families are still homeless. Size of Electorates The necessity for a member of Parliament consulting his constituents from time to time was emphasised by Mr R. M. Algie, M.P., in an address in Wellington. Such, he said, was his practice. Fortunately, he had an electorate (Remuera) through which he could walk in the course of a morning. “However, the member for Buller (Mr Webb) cannot do that,” continued Mr Algie, who said that, on a recent tour of the West Coast, he had travelled 580 miles to attend four meetings. “I have half a dozen halls or so in my electorate,” he added, “and I address my electors at intervals, so that I am able to obtain a good cross-sec-tion of opinion.”

Shortage of Wrapping Paper A world-wide shortage of wrapping paper is being felt severely in New Zealand and Australia. Although the New Zealand mills at Mataura are producing more wrapping paper than ever before, transport, both by rail and sea, has become so difficult that it is not possible to distribute the paper. Stocks of finished paper are accumulating at Mataura to such an extent that storage has become a problem. It is hoped that with the running of additional coastal vessels the present shortage will be alleviated to a certain extent. Rail transport, however, is likely to remain a problem until more railway waggons are available. The shortage of paper in Christchurch is said to be acute. To ensure the fairest possible distribution of the small tonnage available, strict rationing by distributors has been necessary.