LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 January 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Price of Apples. The maximum retail price for apples is fixed at 6d per lb. by a price order issued last evening. The maximum wholesale price is not to exceed 13/6 a standard case.

Working Week. | A statement that emergency regulations are expected to be issued soon, extending the working week to 48 hours, is made by the Hospital Boards’ Association in a letter received by the Wellington Hospital Board.

Tragic Sequel. Behind the list of matriculation results issued this week is one of life’s tragedies. A young Auckland girl, stricken with an incurable disease, decided, nevertheless, to study at home for the examination, and when the annual examination was held arrangements were made for her to sit for the papers privately. The young girl’s name was included in the list of successful candidates, but she did not learn of her success. Her death had occurred a few hours earlier.

Bogus Assault. A native taxi driver recently reported to the Dannevirke police that he had been assaulted and robbed by two men who engaged him and allegedly knocked him unconscious. The police were dubious and later charged the complaining Hirai Martin Ratahi with fraudulently omitting to account for £5O to his employer. He pleaded guilty. The restitution of the full amount having been made the Magis trate fined accused £3O, in default a month’s imprisonment.

Social Security Taxation. An instalment of the combined social security and national security charge on income other than salaries or wages derived during the year ended March 31, 1942, falls due on February 1. Income other than salary or wages derived by a person in receipt of a war pension in respect of total disablement through service in the 1914-1919 war is exempt from the charge. Monetary benefits from the social security fund are also exempt. On February 1 an instalment of the registration fee (5/-) is payable by all male persons twenty years of age or over. Released from Service. The release of older officers from full-time service in the military forces was referred to by the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, last night at Wellington, when outlining the present policy in connection with Army officer personnel. He said the Army authorities had under consideration the necessary adjustments to meet the changing conditions of the war situation. “With the change for the better in the Pacific and the temporary release of large numbers of men from the Army for urgent seasonal work, the proportion of officers to men has become somewhat unbalanced,” he said. “This condition is not unwelcome in a way as it has presented the opportunity for releasing a proportion of senior officers to go to the Staff College, the Tactical School and the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School, and for many junior officers to receive advanced training at the Army and district schools of instruction.”