General News

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24904, 18 June 1946, Page 4

General News

City Council Surplus of £20,000 As a partial offset to the heavily increased votes which most of the departments of the Christchurch City Council are seeking in this year’s esmates, there will be a surplus from the 1944-45 financial year of about £20,000. The City Treasurer (Mr J. W. Niven) said yesterday that this balance arose largely from unspent works department votes, shortage of labour and lack of materials having prevented the carrying out of* several works planned for the last year. Subsidence in Road A subsidence of the paving in the main Sumner road on the city side of the McCormack’s Bay causeway yesterday was found to have been caused by the collapse of an asbestos cemept drain. A strip down the middle of fne road about 12 feet long caved in and had to«be barricaded off. The Chief City Traffic Inspector (Mr- C. S. Nich-‘ olson) yesterday warned motorists to take care at this point until repairs are made by the council. Union Jack Club to Reopen The Union Jack Club will be reopened to cater for the complement of H.M.S. Achilles during the forthcoming visit of the cruiser to Lyttelton. In announcing this yesterday, the Town Clerk (Mr H. S. Feast) said a comprehensive programme of entertainment was being arranged for the visitors. " Treatment of Cancer “It is the intention of the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society to test new radioactive substances for the treatment of cancer,” said the president of the society, Sir James Elliott, yesterday. This would be done at the society’s X-ray and radium laboratory at Canterbury University College. Various elements found in nature and in the composition of the human body could now be made radioactive, thus opening up a wide field of research and resulting, it was hoped, in economy of cost and wider means of application, said Sir James Elliott. An artificial radioactive material in which the New Zealand branch was especially interested was radioactive phosphorus.—(P.A.) City Council’s Local Bills To provide additional sections for building, the Christchurch City Council will seek power, in a local bill to be presented to Parliament in <the forthcoming session, to buy unused land, subdivide and road it. and sell the sections. This is regarded by the council as a necessary step toward® solving the housing problem. Another local bill promoted, by the council seeks authority for the council to use money to the credit of the Municipal Electricity Department for special purposes, but subject to the direction of the Local Government Loans Board on the terms and conditions of repayment. Railway Coal Supply in Auckland There is still an acute shortage of railway coal in the Auckland district, and at one stage yesterday stocks at the locomotive depot dwindled to a bare 20 tons. No coal arrived during the week-end, and by yesterday morning the bins were almost empty. The situation was saved, however, by the Union Steam Ship Company in lending the railways a quantity of bunker coal, and v by the arrival of several truck loads of soft coal from the Waikato. It has not yet been necessary to curtail any services. Arrangements have been made for more Waikato coal to be railed to Auckland, and three colliers with hard Westport coal are expected to arrive on Wednesday.— (P.A.)

Letters to Housing Department

“Past experience indicates that it is futile to request an early reply,” said a letter addressed to the Housing Department in Christchurch by the Town Clerk of Riccarton (Mr R. Sarjeant), read to the Borough Council last evening. ' The letter said that nine years ago the council entered into correspondence seeking satisfaction about the management of reserves in the main State housing block at Riccarton, and since settlement had not yet bee.'* reached, the council intended to pass over all matters relating to the reserves to the department. Planting of trees, erection of bridges, and establishment of playgrounds were being discussed at present. Last year the council spent £535 on these reserves, which it did not control. There was some merriment when a reply was received that the letter had been forwarded to the head office of the department. Desertion from Ships. The suggestion that in view of the ,many cases of desertion from overseas ships the police might consider bringing some people before the Court for aiding and abetting was made, by Mr F. F. Reid, S.M., in the New Plymouth Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when he sentenced George Thomas Brett to a month’s imprisonment with hard labour for deserting from the Mahia in New Plymouth on June 8. Brett gave himself up to the police on Sunday night. The Mahia left New Zealand last week. “These cases are becoming very frequent,” said the Magistrate, “and I wonder whether the police would consider bringing some people before the Court for aiding and abetting.” He said that Brett had been at large for some time, which would not have been possible if someone had not helped him.— (P.A.) “Growers Still Fighting” Although the association was holding its forty-eighth annual meeting under its present constitution, the organisation of fruitgrowers had been functioning for 60 years, said the president (Mr B. T. Turner) at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers’, Association last evening. “It is much' the same to-day as it was then.” Mr Turner said. “The growers were fighting for improvements 60 years ago; and we are still fighting.” The container charge had been the subject of much discussion lately, but the growers’ demand for compensation was by no means a new one. Mr Turner quoted from the minutes of a meeting held in 1903, when growers were asking for compensation for cases at 4d a time. “This dispute has been going on for quite a long time,” he added.

Servicemen Return by Air Eight New Zealand servicemen and six civilians were passengers on a R.N.Z.A.F. Catalina flying-boat which arrived in Auckland late yesterday afternoon from Sydney. The Catalina wa< returning from its second flight to Sydney to bring home a number of New Zealand soldiers who have been waiting transport there. The flyingboat flew the last four of the men back to New Zealand yesterday and its mission is now completed. Three members of the Royal New Zealand Navj returning from duty in the United Kingdom and one member of the R.N.Z.A.F. were also passengers.— (P.A.) Strongman State Mine The Strongman State mine, which was idle on Friday and again yesterday because of the condition of the road entering the mine property, a greasy back, which was affected by the recent rains, will resume production to-day. This decision was made at a mass meeting of the Runanga State Miners’ Union last evening after an inspection yesterday morning by Mr A. McLagan (secretary of the United Mine Workers’ Union). Mr C. H Benney (Under-Secretary of the Mines Department, Wellington), Mr G. E. English (president) and Mr J. Guy (secretary of the union). It was reported to the meeting that there had already been considerable improvement m the roadway, as the result of widening, and* a promise was made that further improvement would be effected. On this assurance the men decided to resume work. Another matter discussed at the meeting was the use of automatic coal borers (power drills), for which the union had petitioned. Mr Benney said that borers would be introduced into one section as a trial. Rope-road workers mentioned the coldness and dampness in the drive at the mines, and an indication was given that they would be provided with sheepskin coats and gloves meanwhile, and that the matter would be dealt with by the Coal Council in the course of the next few weeks.