LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 December 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Presentation at East School. At the conclusion of the East School party a happy little ceremony took place in the teachers’ room, when Mr G. Bilderbeck, on behalf of the executive of the East School Association, presented Miss J. Rayne with a handsome wooden bowl. Mr Bilderbeck expressed the executive’s appreciation of Miss Rayne’s services as secretary of .the association during the year. Miss Rayne responded, thanking the executive for the great interest it had taken in the school.

Motor Fatality. When the car he was driving overturned on the steepest section of the Brynderwyn Deviation, Whangarei, on Friday evening, Mr John Nicholas Bryce Tye, aged 19, son of Mr J. T. Tye, Milford, Auckland, was dead when found some time later. He was the only occupant of the car, and was on leave from Wellington, where he was employed as a dental mechanic. Apparently the right rear tyre blew out and the car struck a bank 15 feet high, capsized, and rolled 60 feet before coming to rest.

Waterfront Dispute. Work on the Wellington waterfront proceeded normally on Saturday and yesterday, finishing on both days at 5 p.m., the hour ruling since the beginning of December. On Saturday officials of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union met the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, to discuss the situation on the Wellington waterfront, with reference to- the present dispute concerning payment for a minimum of three hours for work done by the day shift after 6 p.m. Members of the national disputes committee of the Waterside Workers’ Union have . also been called to Wellington.

Remits for Hospital Conference. The followini remits are to be submitted to the Hospital Boards’ Association by the Wellington Hospital Board for inclusion in the agenda for the general conference to be held in Dunedin in February next: —“That strong representations be made to the Government respectfully requesting that pulmonary tuberculosis, when contracted by any member of a hospital staff, whose duties involve contact with tubercular patients or the handling of tuberculous material, be declared an occupational disease, and clause 10, subclause 6 of the Workers’ Compensation Act, 1922, amended accordingly.” “That hospital boards, alarmed by the continued and rapid increase in hospitalisation, and believing that a very important contributing factor is the poor and inadequate housing, instructs the executive of the association to wait upon the Minister of Health, the Minister of Housing, and such other Ministers as may be deemed advisable, and stress the extreme urgency for providing immediately all facilities for the erection of sufficient houses to meet the needs of both pakeha and Maori.”

“The Pickwick Club.” Speaking at a meeting of the Wairarapa and East Coast P. and A. Society in Carterton on Saturday morning, Mr A. E. Hall said he had been a member of the Farmers’ Union for many years. Originally socials and lectures for the benefit of the farmers were held, but of late years the Farmers’ Union had got out of its depth. Like the Pickwick Club, said Mr Hall, the Farmers’ Union was now so blown up with its self-importance that no one took any notice of it.

Christmas Party. An enjoyable Christmas party was | held in the Masterton Savage Club rooms on Saturday afternoon, when Miss Merle Dickson entertained her pupils and their parents and friends. The first, part of the programme was taken up with dancing, singing and elocutionary items. The main attraction for the children was a visit from Father Christmas, with gifts from a gaily decorated tree. A presentation was made to Miss Dickson by her pupils. Afternoon tea was served and the party brought to a close with a number of games for the children. Australia and New Zealand. The common interests shared by New Zealand and Australia in peace and war were referred to by the High Commissioner for Australia in New Zealand, Mr T. G. D’Alton, in an address last night. The two countries, he said, were linked together by a common destiny, because a divided Empire must eventually perish. The people of New Zealand and Australia would be quite prepared to shoulder a fair share of the burden of rebuilding after the war those countries which had been devastated by enemy invasion. Mr D’Alton, who said that the civilian population would be indeed fortunate if the burdens on it did not become still more serious, expressed the hope that if it were necessary to impose some further limitation upon food and commodities the sacrifice would not be resented. Food Production. The'production of food occupies first place among Australia’s present-day problems, according to Mr R. P. Fraser, acting-Director of Internal Marketing, who returned by flying-boat on Saturday from a visit to the Commonwealth. This problem was the main topic of interest in the country, and had been referred to on several occasions by the Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, as the “Battle of Food.” Mr Fraser went to Australia in the hope of securing a proportion of some of the essential foodstuffs required by New Zealand. He said that, though Australia was herself short of certain foods, she had realised the Dominion’s needs and was prepared to share supplies of oranges, eggs and certain stock foods with other members of the United Nations. Australia had realised the paramount importance of food, and was concentrating her energies on its production, Mr Fraser said. To this end, 20,000 men were being released from the army for foqd production of various types.