LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20422, 12 February 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Great Western Railway. —A London cablegram states that the Great Western Railways' gross receipts last year showed an increase of £1,823,514 on the previous year. Match Postponed. —Jack Doyle who was to have met Ben Foord in a boxing match at the Wembley Stadium at an early date injured his arm in a motor accident and the contest has been postponed. Dredging Shares. —Shares in New Zealand Dredging Companies are quoted in London as under:—Clutha River Company, buyers Is 9d, sellers 2s; Molyneux River Company, buyers Is, sellers Is 3d. Treasury Bills. —A London message states that the total amount applied l'or in tenders for £30,000,000 in Treasury bills was £87,705,000. The average rate per cent, for bills at three months was 10s 0.89 d against 10s 0.98 d a year ago. Clerical Workers. —Agreement on minor matters only was reached in Conciliation Council in Wellington in the proceedings for a Dominion award for clerical workers, and hours and wages and other major matters were referred to the Court of Arbitration. Singapore Base. —A Press message from London states that the commentary on the opening of the Singapore A aval Base will be heard on Monday at 10.30 a.m. Greenwich mean time, from Daventry. This is equivalent to 10.30 p.m. New Zealand time. Serious Charge. —A charge of indecent assault was preferred against Patrick Joseph Ryan (48), a labourer, when he appeared before Mr A. K. Alexander, J.P., In the Police Court, Hamilton, to-day. Accused was remanded until next Friday in order that the police may make further inquiries. Sustenance Anomaly.— Mr H. E. Herring, M.P. for Mid-Canterbury, has drawn attention to an anomaly in the regulations regarding sustenance payments —namely that men convicted of illegal dealing in liquor and bookmaking are permitted to register as unemployed and draw sustenance. Some of these men, he said, have been heavily fined, and have paid without difficulty, yet they have not been debarred from receiving further sustenance, as a sustenance applicant is not required to disclose earnings obtained by illegal means.

Sheep at Morrlnsvllle —The increasing importance of Morrinsville as a selling centre for store stock was again emphasised yesterday, when over 25,000 store sheep were on offer to a bench of buyers representative of the Waikato, King Country and Raglan districts. Practically all the sheep had come long distances, the entry comprising animals from East Coast, North Auckland and Wairarapa districts. The keen demand for breeding ewes provided another indication of the growing i mportance of sheep as a side-line to dairying. Local Body Loans —The Waipa County Council has been authorised to raise a loan of £9OO, to be known as the Fairfield Bridge loan, with a term of 20 years and interest at 3£ per cent. The Raglan County Council has obtained authority to alter the conditions governing a loan of £IO,OOO, a portion of the roads, bridges and drainage loan of £50,000, so as to provide for repayment in half-yearly instalments and a final payment at the end of ten years. The Morrinsville Borough Council has been granted similar authority with respect to a loan of £IO,OOO. Auckland Labour Market. —ln a review of the Labour market, the Auckland Placement Service reports an Improved inquiry for workers for footwear and clothing factories. The demand for carpenters is still unsatisfied, and there is a shortage of plumbers. Painters and plasterers are not keenly sought, but ample employment is offered motor mechanics and electrical workers. The engineering group is quiQt and the clerical situation is not promising. The service made 155 placements in general private employment this week, of which 53 are classed as casual, 40 as temporary and 03 as permanent. Fewer Mining Students. —The Department of Mines reports a shortage of students qualified to fill mining positions offering in the Dominion, and an effort is to be made to induce young men to avail themselves of the opportunity for advancement offered by the department. Mr Hugh Crawford, director of the Thames School of Mines, in an interview stated that there is a dearth of young men capable of filling positions in the mining world, and the field of mining throughout the world is starving for young men with talent, and the opportunities offered by the Department are being neglected. The position would have to be faced, with a view to inducing hoys to take advantage of the position. Air Mail Mishap. —There were 8000 English letters from New Zealand on the flying boat Cygnus when it met with an accident at Brindisi on December 5. The whole of the mail was submerged, but it was recovered and sent to the British Post Office. It was able to deliver all but 65, which have been returned to New Zealand. The dead letter office branch -of the General Post Office, Wellington, has traced the senders of 4 8 where there had been names and addresses, or other clear indications of identity. This leaves seventeen unreturnahle. The mail was under water for several hours, and this caused some varieties of ink to “run," completely obliterating the writing.