ITEMS OF INTEREST

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXII, Issue 222, 8 December 1926, Page 3

ITEMS OF INTEREST

NOTES AND COMMENTS. COAL STRIKE. What the strike has actually meant to Britain cannot be fully estimated. Over two months ago the losses of the miners in' wages alone was estimated at over £45,000,000, while other workers indirectly affected must have suffered to the extent of another £.30,000,000. These losses to the men are never likely to be made up. On top of these, there is the loss or national income. The -Statist, writing on. the subject, mentions the heavy falling-off in railway transport (the figures were as high as 66 per cent.), while the iron and steel industries were practically brought to a standstill. 'Taking the different industries chieny affected up to August, the paper estimates the minimum decline of naiional income in Britain as follows:— £ Coal mining 60,000.000 Transport 25,000,000 Iron and steel 20,000,000 Other industries ,35,000,000 Total .- 140,000,000 ■•s PUKEORA PATIENTS. There are about twelve patients at the Pukeora sanatorium for whom the Auckland Hospital Board is responsible for fees, this being the rule laid down by the Health Department, so that an assured income may be got by the institution. No case is sent on to Pukeora till it has been under observation by the specialists who deal with T.B. cases; hero. 'The idea is that all cases that will benefit by treatment at the board’s own shelters at Epsom should continue to receive treatment there, and only those should be sent away who would spccialy benefit by the special treatment at Pukeora. Alon tidy statements and reports arc received by the Auckland Board, with full particulars of the progress made in each. case. The current report is of an. exceptionally interesting nature, and is most encouraging to all those who have relatives there, as well as to the patients themselves. There were five to be discharged before Christmas as being quite well again, and with the exception of one case all the others wore making’ good progress towards recovery and ■'.vert* looking forward also to the time when’ they would be discharged as fit to take up their ordnary vocations. CHRISTMAS AND CHARITY. The purchasing power of a. shilling has sadly diminished since the day when the recipients of relief from the Hospital Board received that amount to enable them to buy some extra little thing for Christinas time. It has been decided by the Auckland Board to make the allowance this year the same as last year, which is 2/6 for every person receiving relief. Thus, a mother with four children, whose husband is in the hospital, will got an allowance of 10/- to purchase something extra for the Christmas dinner. Old couples who are travelling along the road of life together, and who need assistance from the board, wil got 5/- to enable them to have a good Christmas dinner. Nothing which the board gave on behalf of the ratepayers was looked forward to with so much pleasure as the gratuity which was so freely given at the festive season when every person’s heart turned towards helping to make happy those brethren less fortunate than themselves, and when memory turned backwards to think of other and brighter days. BRIGHTER PROSPECTS. The dairy farmer's prospects arc brighter in two directions. The Auckland output for the first live months of the season is considerably greater than for the corresponding months of 1925, and butter is rising on the London market. The number of boxes received into store in Auckland has risen by. 82,000 boxes, which is attributable to the favourable season and to better methods of farming. Against this increase has had to be set lower prices, but now they are rising. The latest quotations for New Zealand butter arc from 160/- to 166/-, and it is noteworthy that stored butter is on thq same level as the higher'price fixed by the Dairy Board for new supplies, indicating that the market is bare. Danish is quoted at 186/-, just 20/- higher. A comparison with the market a few weeks ago is interesting. At the end of October New Zealand butter ranged from 134/- to 146/-, and Danish was quoted at 178/- to 182/-. The gap be-

tween New Zealand and Danish, which had become alarming, has been considerably reduced. To realise the serious--ness of the position until recently, it must be remembered that in the past New Zealand butter has touched Danish and actually gone beyond it. The New Zealand producer should not be satisfied until the two are on the same level again.—Auckland Star.