LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 20 June 1946, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Container Charges After sitting on Tuesday and until mid-day yesterday the committee set up a fortnight ago to consider the container dispute between vegetable growers and retailers, decided to accept the principle of container charges. Details of the charges remain to be agreed upon. More Post Gffices Needed The report of the Parliamentary Labour Committee to the Labour Conference stated that 300 new post office buildings were required in the Dominion to cope with the increasing business of the Post Office. The report said that many post offices were either too small or outmoded or both, and subject to claims prevailing in other fields, this building programme would be impiemented. I I Penalty for Firing Bush j One hundred years ago, states a j correspondent of the Forest • and jBird Protection Society, setting fire 1 to any scrub or bush in New Zqajland was more seriously regarded I ihan it is to-day. A notice in the ! New Zealand Gazette early in 1845 j warns that "any person setting fire to fern, or wood, or bush, maliciousi ly, is liable to transportation, apparently to one of the Australian convict stations. The Buck Quota If three men shoot 60 ducks in j one day, instead of only 45, the law | does not provide for any of them to ; be convicted because it cannot be j proved which of them has exceeded | his bag. Mr. James Robertson | pointed out at a Southland Aecliml atisation Society Council meeting. I The meeting decided to support a suggested amendment to the Animals' Protection and Games Act that where the aggregate bag of a party exceed the legal limit e&ch member of the party should be deemed liable. Stricter Building Controls More strict building supply controls. and the early announcement. of a new system to prevent timber | being sold to those not fully entitlI ed to it were promised to the I Labour Party Conferehce yesterday I by the Minister of Rehabilitation 1 (Mr. Skinner) . Measures ior a building programme of 12,000 houses a year from 1946 to 1951 were reported to the conference by the Parliamentary Labour Commiti tee, and plans for extension of | timber mills were also under discussion. A pblicy of preventing j luxury building Was approved. Mrr j Skinner said that in a few weeks i he would be in a position to announce a new control system for timber. Cost of War to Dominion The - total cost up to December, 1945, of New Zealand's share in the world war was £574,000,000, said the Prime Minister, (Mr. Fyaser) i speaking at the annual conference :of the Labour Party yesterday. Of | that sum" "£246,000,000 was obtained I from taxation, £233,000,000 was laised from loans, and £95,000,000 from Lend-Lease. The whole of New Zealand' obligation under the Memorandum of Security. amounting during the war to some £60,834,000, had been paid in full. In addition, many millions of overseas war costs outside tne Memorandum > of Security, principally for stores, had also been paid for. Thus New Zealand had paid her share of the war without throwing any burden on Great Britain. More Radio Stations Four new-main radio stations and up to 17 subsidiary- ones are eiivisaged in the Labour plan for •the future of broadcasting in New j Zealand. The details of the poliey i are set down in a report of the Parliamentary Labopr Committee on planning, which will be placed before the Labour conference. The scheme includes the completion of ccverage 'to ensure high^ grade reception of . at least one programme in all parts of New Zealand, and the establishment of subsidiary cultural stations with local coverage at various s^condary centres. An improved short-wave' service, capable of serving the Pacific area, is being deveioped. It is intended to increase the already wide use made of local talent on programmes. f •^ r