LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 26 March 1946, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sailing in April The aircraft-carrier Indomitable, - scheduled to leave Britain in the I first week of April, is the naval eraft on which the Rugby League team to tour Australia and New Zealand will travel. Machines Do Work of 100 Women Eignt machines which do the work of 100 women employees are now in use peeling, halving and coring pears at the Hastings canneries. Operating with remarkable precision and speed, these are the only machines of their kind in the Dominion. Other machines- are being l used for the halving and stoning of peaches. Betting Telephone* Two hundred New Zealand bookmakers have lost their teleph'ones during the last two years. A provision in the telephone regulations permits the disconnection of any j telephone used for bookmaking, or j installed in premises associated with j . a bookmaking charge. Whenever a i conviction is entered, any tele- j i phones associated with the charge j ; are invaria bly removed. Truck Driver Killed I When a truck eapsized on Satur- ; day night on the Taueru-Masterton ; highway, the driver, Mr. Kenneth | Frederick Upham, aged 19 years, j ! was killed, and two passengers, | | Messrs. Harold Herbert Madsen, | aged 21 years, and Edgar Harcourt | Hargood, agec1 , 31 years, were I injured and admitted to the Masterj ton Hospital. The three men came j from Masterton. ! "Stork Derby" for Cricketers j The first inarried merhber of the i visiting Australian cricket team who j | receives a visit from the stork when 'j he arrives home, or the first single man who gets married whichever is the earlier will receive a New Zealand rug. The rug was given in Wellington to the manager. of the team, Mr. E. C. Yeomans, by the I president of the 33 Club, Mr. R. I Marlow, on behalf of Wellington I film interests. Mr. Yeomans, who owns a chain of theatres in Melbourne, and several members of the team were the guests of 33 Clubt No Girl« I It had been intended to resume the serving of refreshments in the i kiosk after a lapse of some years at the Awapuni race-course on Saturday, and detailed arrangements had been made accordingly. Patrons, however, did not receive the service because a number of young women who had been engaged to wait on the tables did, not report .for duty, and it was not possible to opeh the kiosk with the small number who j did attend. Many patrons were caught napping, but they did not i go hungry as refreshments were available elsewhere. Industrial Disputes The number of industrial disputes in New Zealand, which rose from 66 in 1939 to 149 in 1944, showed a further, though slight, incrdase last year, according to the latest Abstract of Statistics. The total for last year was 154. The total ' number of working days lost as a result of industrial disputes is shown as 66,629, compared with 52,602 in 1944. and the estimated loss of wages as £92,581, as against £74,012 the previous year. Workers involved in the disputes totalled 39,158, and the number of firms affedted was 1255. The number of workers involved In 1944 was 59,766 and the numbe? Of firihs affected was 269. 1