LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 June 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sales Tax on Cocoa. / The additional 10 per cent sales tax imposed on cocoa is to stand. Government advice to this effect was received today by the Dunedin manufacturing firm which has been trying to have the imposition removed so that it could carry out its intention of reducing the retail price by 2d a lb. Homing Pigeon Successes. At the recent Taranaki Metropolitan Poultry and Pigeon Show, Mr W. J. Miller, a member of the MastertonHoming Pigeon Club, with 8 entries in the homing pigeon sections secured 4 firsts, 3 specials, 2 seconds, and 1 third. The specials were the best adult, best young homer in the open classes and the society’s trophy for the best young bird in the homer open classes. Wool Price Proposal. Motions were passed unanimously by a meeting of Feilding sheepfarmers on Friday condemning the Government’s proposal to withhold portion of the 15 per cent increase, in wool price paid by the United Kingdom Government. Speakers voiced distrust at the establishment of a .pool, stating that money sunk in pools might never come to the surface, while others declared the proposition of the Minister of Marketing, Mr Barclay, was ill-considered. Mr J. G. Cobbe declared that the plan to subsidise the mills by such a proposal was most iniquitous and said no benefit would accrue to the consumer. The Shortest Day. Today is nominally the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, however, the New Zealand Nautical Almanic shows no difference in the length of any of the seven days from June 19 to June 25, inclusive. The following figures are for Wellington, daylight saving time being used: —June 19, 20, 21 and 22, sun rises 7.46 a.m., sets 4.58 p.m.; June 23, 24 and 25, rises 7.47 a.m., sets 4.59 p.m. In fact, 'therefore, the sun rises one minute later after the “shortest” day has been passed, but also sets a minute later It continues to rise at 7.47 a.m. from June 23 to July 5, inclusive, but sets progressively later from June 26, •on which date it sets at 5 sp.m. On July 6 it rises at 7.46 a.m. and sets at 5.4 p.m. Incidentally, the sun sets at 4.58 p.m. from June 9 to June 22, inclusive, but rises progressively later from June 9 to June 19. Though the days will definitely begin to lengthen from June 26, it will be several weeks before the change is appreciable, and experience has shown that the worst of the winter weather usually comes after the shortest day. '