NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 125, 29 May 1942, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Lying In! In presenting the case of a reservist to a manpower committee it was explained by counsel that the reservist, running a one-man dairv farm,, worked from 4.30 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day for most of the year. Anxious that the committee should not get a wrong impression, the reservist interjected: These mornings I don't get up until five o'clock." "Lying In, eh?" suggested his counsel. "Credit to the Empire" Reference made in the Star In October last to a friendly note from Canada found in a shipment of congoleum mats evidently resulted in the writer of the note, Mr. Richard Maguire, of Montreal, receiving messages from New Zealand. An acknowledgment, dated April 7, has come from Mr. Maguire, who states that he received many patriotic replies from New Zealand as a result of the publication of his note, and has replied to them, hoping by this means to establish regular communication with "your people, who are, I think, a credit to the. Empire." A Soldier Saved

A suburban tramcar was pulling out from a stop when a khaki figure burst from a side street, running as fast ns his army boots would allow. But too late! The tram rumbled on. Fortunately, however, a taxi had pulled up behind the tram, and, instead of hurrying to pass the tramcar before it reached the next stop, the driver issued a hurried invitation to the soldier to go for a short ride with him. He leaped on to the running hoard and clung to the hood of the taxi, which trailed the tram to the next stop, where the defender of democracy was able to continue his Journey in more conventional style.

Cost of Living Bonus The coat of living bonus was referred to by the secretary of the Employers' Association, Mr. W. E Anderson, to-dav. He said he was being repeatedly asked whether or not the cost of living bonus ordered by the Court in March. 19)2, was payable in full to workers receiving a wage in excess of the minimum award wage. "In my opinion the Court is the best authority to interpret its own order," he said. "In an explanatory memorandum to the order it is clearly stated that if a worker already Is in receipt of a wage equal to or greater than the award rate plus the 1940 bonus and the 1912 bonus, then such worker is not entitled to a further increase. The Court's function is to fix minimum award rates, and under the Rates of Wages Emergency Regulation! to vary minimum award rates by order. It is no part of the Court's function to interfere with private agreements of service which provide rates of remuneration in evcess of award rate* "

Travels of a Letter A letter sent by Mr. C. W. Minchin, Inglewood, to his son, Private .1. Minchin, just after the latter had left New Zealand about 15 months ago, was returned to him last week through the dead-letter office. Although it was sent air-mail, the letter never reached Private Minchin, and the sender is puzzled as to where it must have been between the time it was sent and the time Private Minchin was taken prisoner at the fall of Bardia in January, 1942, about a year later. A Bad Day for Flags

Monday, which was observed by Government departments as Km pi re Day (May 24), proved an expensive day for flags belonging to the departments in Christchurch. By the end of the day most of the flags were in ribbons and some had all but a few tatters completely blown away. An official of one Government office said that instructions had been issued from Wellington that the flags were to be flown; he said he understood there were stocks of new flags kept in Wellington to supply Government offices throughout tne country. A Victorian Institution

Among other formalities connected with legal proceedings against any person who may happen to have escaped from the Auckland prison and is charged with having committed an offence, the prosecutor has to prove that the gaol is a properly constituted place for the keeping of prisoners. In a matter of this kind the officials had occasion this week to look up the authority for keeping prisoners in the gaol mentioned, and found that the Auckland prison was constituted by proclamation of the Auckland Provincial Council in 1856, "in the tenth year of the reign of Queen Victoria," according to tne text of the edict. This proclamation indicates that Auckland prison will celebrate its S6th birthday on July 30 next.

Revenue Increases At the Auckland Municipal Abattoir for the year ended March 31 last abattoir and slaughtering fees amounted to £43,866, compared with £42,183 for the previous year, an increase of £1683. These figures were presented to the City Council last night in the annual report of the manager, Mr. R. Rugg. The following stock was slaughtered during the year, the totals for the preI vious year being given in parentheses: Cattle, 30,368 (32,104); calves, 14,308 (14,573); pigs, 53,824 (46,671); sheep, 131,099 (119,720); lambs, 25,860 (21,789). Mr. Rugg said that while slaughtering revenue for cattle and calves showed a slight decrease the remaining figures showed a substantial increase. The total revenue increased by £2672. "The unreliability and inefficiency of the available labour naturally increases working costs, and the recent 5 per cent cost of living bonus granted by the Arbitration Court represents £1300 increase in working costs," concluded the repor^f.