LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 June 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Political Unity. Discussions on the question of political unity will be resumed today at a further meeting between the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, and the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland, who returned to Wellington yesterday from the South Island. Cornv/all Street Crossing.

Stating that something should be done before another accident occurred, Councillor R. Russell drew the attention of the Masterton Borough Council at its meeting last night to what he termed the bad visibility existing at the Cornwall Street railway crossing, caused by a belt of trees obscuring the line. The council asked the Borough Engineer, Mr C. R. Mabson, to report on the matter at its next meeting.

Breach of Censorship.

A warning that heavy pen-allies would be inflicted in future if the breaches warranted them was given by Mr R. C. Abernethy, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court, Gore, yesterday, when convicting and fining John Buchan, headmaster of the Clinton School, £2 10s for a breach of the censorship regulations in a letter written abroad. The magistrate added that he was satisfied defendant had not subversive intentions, but more discretion must be exercised.

Echo of Police Raid.

Following a recent police raid on the Public Works camp at Linton, 16 men appeared in the Magistrates’ Court at Palmerston North on various charges. William Edward Alloway pleaded guilty to being a bookmaker and having used a hut as a common gam-ing-house. According to the police evidence, high' stakes were involved, some men losing all their wages in one night. Alloway was fined £25 on the first and £lO on the second charge. Albert Strong, who ran a smaller school, was fined £lO. For having been on the premises 12 men were fined £2 each. Money seized in the raid reverts to the Consolidated Fund.

Hotel Keeper Convicted. Holding that it was not a wilful breach and that it was the result of the shortage of manpower in wartime, Mr J. Miller, S.M., in a reserved judgment at Hastings yesterday, entered a conviction against George Deakin, licensee of the Hastings Hotel, on a charge of permitting a female not registered as a barmaid to serve in or about a private bar when open for the sale of liquor. As it was a test case no penalty was imposed. Mr Miller said the introduction of portresses in many licensed premises had become unavoidable. The primary object of the law was the abolition of the professional barmaid and a secondary object was the prohibition of all female service in or about a bar. Even if a slide in the bar were used only for the purpose of handing out liquor to the portress for delivery in the lounge, there was an infringement against the secondary, object.

Frost in Masterton. The most severe frost registered this year, 13.4 degrees, was experienced in Masterton this morning. Borough Planting. The Masterton Borough Council now had five plantations, with 1600 trees, reported Councillor H. E. Gardner >o last night’s- meeting of the Masterton Borough' Council . Since he had last reported to the council 100 trees had been planted and the season’s planting was now finished. Winter Sports Club, The Masterton Winter Sports Club at a meeting held last night, presided over by Mr J. Haywood, decided to continue with the club’s activities this season. It was considered that the club could meet at least once a week. The meeting agreed to open the season on Saturday night. Remand Granted. Charged with a breach'of the conditions of his release on probation, in that he failed to report and to pay costs of prosecution amounting to £2 2s, James Alexander Mcßride, formerly of Timaru and late of Annadale, Tinui, cook and labourer, appeared before -Mr L. J. Taylor, J.P., in the Masterton Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon. Mcßride was remanded to appear in Wellington tomorrow. Meteorological Station, The establishment of a meteorological station on borough land in Masterton was further considered by _ the Masterton Borough Council last night, when the matter was referred back to the Park Committee for reconsideration. Councillors were of the opinion that the station should be established, if at all possible, though the site suggested in the Cemetery was not regarded. by some members as being satisfactory. Supplies of Potatoes. The problem of potato supplies for the northern market was reviewed at a meeting of the Auckland Grain, Seed and Produce Merchants’ Association yesterday after which it was stated that the position was not such as to cause grave anxiety. Inquiries from individual traders, however, _ revealed considerable diversity of opinion. In some quarters it was stated that visible supplies were almost non-existent and that if South Island growers persisted in their present refusal to quote there would soon be no potatoes to sell. Information from other quarters was that stocks were sufficient for the-mo-ment and that there was a certainty, contingent on shipping, of continuance of supplies on contract from the south.