LOCAL & GENERAL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 28 January 1933, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The price of gold' in London yesterday was £6/1/s^, The St. Matthew’s Sunday School and Bible Classes will resume meetings for the year to-morrow morning at 10 e ’clock.

The Tailrape Fire Brigade has decided to send a team to the United Districts Fire Brigade Associations’ demonstration at Carterton in April next.

A resolution of protest in connection with the wheat pool regulations was carried after discussion at a meeting yesterday of the executive of the Associated Chambers of Commerce.

The Vicar, the Rev. E. J. Rich, will be the preacher at St. Matthew’s Church to-morrow. In the morning lie will speak on “A Great Test Match,” and in the evening on “Taking Risks. ’ ’

Preferring gaol to probation, Raymond Leslie Robertson, aged 27, was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for the theft of goods, valued at £l2, from a “bach’’ at Plimmerton, Wellington, states a Palmerston North Press Association message. Owing to a clerical error in the report in , yesterday’s issue of the collision between a motor lorry and van in Lincoln Road, it was made to appear that the van was travelling towards Pownall Street, whereas it was proceeding northwards.

What is claimed to be a record number of lots to be sold by auction in ten minutes under the hour was achieved last night by (Mr R. S. Gerrand, of Masterton. Acting under instructions from the liquidator, Mir Gerrand submitted 1250 lots of forfeited shares in Wairarapa ‘Gold Claims, Ltd. The method of auctioning the shares was an unusual one, as every share had to be sold individually. A full-grown albatross, a bird irarely seeii on land, was found by Mr R. Buiek in his garden at Kahutara, South Wairarapa, tills week. The bird, which bears no shot marks or wounds of any description, appeared to be quite healthy and fairly tame. Mr Buiclc brought the bird to Masterton, where it was turned out in his garden. It refused to eat any food offered to it and 1 yesterday it was despatched to Castlcpoint for liberation. A London cable states that John William Bell, a leading insurance assessor, largely associated with Lloyds, was convicted of receiving a gold statue of Ajdirodite, valued at £20,000, and sentenced to one year’s imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay £2OO costs. In passing sentence, the Recorder said that if machinations such as Bell had been engaged in with the underworld went unchecked, there would be an end to confidence in British commercial integrity. .. Describing the state of over-govern-ment by local bodies in New Zealand •as democracy gone mad, Mr J. W. Mawson, Director of Town Planning, yesterday outlined to the executive o-f the Associated Chambers of Commerce proposals for reforms in the system whereby regional committees would approach the subject by preparing regional surveys of the natural resources of the combined area, and by making recommendations for the reorganisation and development of public utilities and services.

Without discussion, the executive of the Associated Chambers of Commerce yesterday decided to support a request made to the Minister of Customs "by tlie Auckland Chamber of Commerce with reference to the existing embargo on Australian fruit and vegetables. It was stated that while the difficulties o-f the Government were recognised, it was considered that a continuance of the present situation would ore'ate great hardship on consumers and traders without a corresponding benefit to producers, and an early conference was recommended with a view to fresh reciprocal arrangements.

The King Solomon wash-up for the week was 560 z. 19dwt. A Stradivarius violin made in 1725 was auctioned on Wednesday at Puttick’s, Leicester Square, London, for £2300.

The Banks Indemnity Exchange Bill was introduced into the'House of Representatives yesterday by Governor-Gen-eral’s Message and was accorded urgency.

At Eketahuna yesterday, the Gover-nor-General, Lord Bledisloe, presented the prizes won in the Eketahuna group of the Wairaraap 'boys’ and girls' agricultural clubs’ calf-rearing competition.

After two excellently contested races at Lyttelton yesterday, the Cornwall Cup contest for 1933 was decided, Auckland winning both races and the Cup. For the first time during the contest the weather was favourable, and many hundreds of spectators were treated to some real seamanship and sailing. A Vienna cable states that, owing to the extrtme cold, the Austrian State pawnshops have restored 3000 overcoats to unemployed owners, but each has been specially marked so that it cannot be pawned again * until the spring.

A rumour that the National Museum and Art Gallery job has been so adversely affected by the rise in the exchange rate that no start may be made, has no foundation, according to the contractor, Mr A. Fletcher. Mr Fletcher said yesterday that the bulk of the materials used were New Zealand products, and in regard to other materials the arrangements made were satisfactory. ‘ • The job will start in March, and it will go through,” said Mr Fletcher.

The executive of the Associated Chambers of Commerce has decided to forward the following remit to the congress of the Federated Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, to be held in London in July: —“That this conference views with alarm the tendency in some parts of the Empire to set up boards of control for the regulation and control of supplies and prices of necessary commodities, with a- view to maintaining home prices at an artificially high level, any surplus above local requirements being exported at a loss. Such regulation and control results in dumping in its worst form, thereby operating injuriously upon all component parts of the Empire, and contrary to the spirit and understanding endorsed at the Ottawa Conference. ’ ’