LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1944, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Absentee Miners. When the State mines resumed yesterday there were only about 50 per cent attendances, the remainder of the men not reporting for duty, states a message from Greymouth. No work at all was done at the Walsehd mine, where the men held a stopwork meeting and decided not to work as a protest against the withdrawal of certain men to meet army requirements. The co-operative miners are due to resume on Monday. Injured by Boar.

Severe injuries to an arm were suffered by Mr. P. Crowther, lorry driver, of Taupo, on Tuesday, when he endeavoured to rescue his dog from a wild boar in the scrub off the Napier-Taupo road. About 10 miles down the road from Taupo, Mr. Crowther’s dog jumped out of the back of his lorry into scrub after the pig. Mr. Crowther immediately followed, and when he made a grab with his left hand at the dog s hind leg to pull it off, the boar drove both tusks through his arm and with an upward turn tore the sinews and muscles almost out. Mr. Crowther was taken to Taupo by a passing motorist and later admitted to the Rotorua Hospital. Vacant Bishopric.

Considerable interest attaches in Catholic circles to the appointment of a successor to the late Dr. M. J. Brodie, Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, who was the first Nev/ Zealand-born priest to be raised to the episcopate. The Catholic Metropolitan of New Zealand, Archbsihop O’Shea, though he came here in his infancy, .missed this distinction by being born in San Francisco. On the other hand, he was the first priest to be created bishop who had received all his education in New Zealand (he was the first student enrolled at St. Patrick’s College, Wellington), whereas the late Dr. Brodie was educated for the priesthood in Australia. At present it appears very indefinite when a successor to Dr. Brodie will be announced. New Zealand Pip Fruit Crop. New Zealand’s pip fruit crop last season totalled 2,026,000 cases of apples and 235,000 cases of pears. -Repacking losses, including cool store wastage, amounted to .27 per cent of the crop, said an official of the Internal Marketing Division yesterday. The division estimates that it made a loss of £90,000 on last season’s crop, compared with a loss of £120,000 in 1942, a loss of £468,000 in, 1941, and a profit of £2OOO in 1940. It is believed that the demand will probably exceed the supply again this year. The estimated crop is 1,950,000 cases of apples ar.d 225,000 cases of pears. Nelson’s production is considerably less than last year’s, probably only 60 per cent, as a result of unseasonal rain. On the other hand, the Hawke's Bay crop is 50 per cent up on that of last year. Industrial Disputes. Less time was lost in industrial disputes throughout New Zealand in the first nine months of last year than in any similar period since the war began. Coal mining heads the list as the industry which has lost the most working hours. The latest Abstract of Statistics shows that there were 48 industrial disputes throughout the Dominion up to September 30, 1943, against 57 in the same period of 1942. Fifty-three firms were affected, and 7491 workers were involved. The approximate loss of wages to the workers was £12,750, compared with £61,823 in the same period of 1942. The coal mining industry had 29 . disputes in the period under review, in which 7529 working days were lost. This was followed by flaxmilling, with 958 days lost, and meat freezing, with 541.

Cricket Umpires, The following will act as umpires in the Wairarapa Cricket Association’s championship matches on the Park Oval on Saturday:—Seniors: Messrs C. Williams and L. Bellworthy. Juniors: Messrs F. Dohnt and L. Matthews. Petrol Coupons. . I The December and January petrol* coupons (numbers six and seven, respectively) are and were available in both these months. This was stated by the Oil Fuel Controller’s office yesterday when a complaint was referred there concerning difficulty experienced by motorists in having the December coupon accepted this month by resellers in some provincial areas. Mastertonian in Italy. In a letter to his mother, who resides in Masterton, Gunner K. E. Forrest, 2nd N.Z.E.F., who is now stationed in Italy, stated that he was fit and well. The nearest town to their camp was described as being very poor. The Italian civilians were not very happy, and it was apparent that they had seen better days. The Italian soldiers were a poor looking type, untidy and grubby, and nearly all needed a shave. Old Canoe Found. Dug up from the sands within 50 yards of the Opononi wharf, a 22ft. Maori canoe, aparently of the oceangoing type, has been retrieved by Mr. R. H. Goodson, headmaster of the Whirinaki native school, in the grounds of which he intends to place it after restoration work is done to the gunwale. Only a -small portion of the canoe botom was showing from the sands when the discovery was made. The canoe was cleaned and floated on the next tide nearer the Opononi Hotel from where it can be removed by lorry. Streamlined in design, the canoe is built of solid totara. Shaped by fire and adze from one log it accomodates from four to six men. Car Conversion. “You do not seem to have profited by the chance which has been given you,” said Mr Harley, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, yesterday, in sending Christopher John Anderson Jervis, labourer, aged 18, back to a Borstal Institution for one year. Auccused had pleaded guilty to having . converted a motor car belonging to George Chong, valued at £2OO, to his own use. Senior-Sergeant G. J. Paine said the owner of the car had left it i parked at Petone, and accused took it on New Year's Day. At 4 o’clock on Tuesday morning he was seen driving it along Cuba Street, Wellington, and a constable found it parked outside a private hotel in Lower Cuba Street, i out of petrol. Accused claimed that . the car belonged to him, but later ad- ; mitted that it did not. The magistrate ; said he' could not see why accused had not been charged with stealing the car. Danger to Climbers. Climbers on Mount Egmont are unable to reach the summit by the usual entrance to the crater because of the menace of a large rock weighing four to • five tons which is at a precarious angle and threatens to crash down the mountain at any moment. A warning has been given by the Taranaki Alpine Club to all climbers to avoid going anywhere within range of the rock and specially against using the Bell’s Falls track, which is directly within the danger zone. No attempts at climbing must be made unless the climbers are accompanied by an experienced and authorised guide. All attempts to do otherwise will be stopped. The slightest vibration of the rock is likely to send it, rolling down the mountain and catch some party of trampers unaware. There is also a possibility of its bringing an avalanche down with - jt. It is hoped by the club to remove the danger by blasting the rock away next weekend.