LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 15 August 1946, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A.A. Membership Compared with 70,686 members c in 1945, the membership of the i automobile associations in _ the 'North Island 'has risen to 78,463 I this year. Auckland leads with '39,807. Other district figures are: — Wellington, 11,274; Hawke's Bay, 7478; Wanganui, 4545; Manawatu, 4271; South Taranaki, 4138; Wairarapa, 3730; Taranaki, 3220. Rimning Out of Cars I In the House yesterday, Hon. W. Nash, replying to- Mr. G. F. Sim (Rotorua) said the number of cars likely to be available in future releases from the armed services, was so few that even if at this stage the ex-servicemen's share of them was increased beyond 50 per cent. the number of additional cars available for them would be almost negligible. Nearly 700 for England The largest number of people i ever to leave New -Zealand direct I for Britain in one civilian passen- , ger ship, left Wellington for London yesterday afterri'oon in the Rangitiki which carried 690 passengers. The ship will stop at | Panama and later at Newport News j where about 160 passengers will | disembark, a number of whom are | fiancees of American servicemen. |The British Rugby League team is also travelling on the ship. Male Kiwi "Sitting" The male kiwi at the Greenmeadows game farm is sitting again, this time on two eggs which were recently laid by his mate. After an extremely long spell of sitting las,t year, "the anale hatched two eggs. One off these chicks died, but the other is now a lusty, half grown kiwi. The male bird has been sitting on one egg for two months and on the other for about one month. The incubation period for a kiwi egg is 77 days. If the egg is fertile, the first chick should emerge next month. Interrupts Parliament Por the second time this session, the proceedings of the Hou^e of Representatives were interrupted briefly from the public gallery yesterday afternoon when, at the end of question time, a woman jn the gallery above the cross benches shouted out several remarks in which the name of the Prime Minister occurred repeatedly. At the command of Mr. Speaker, several ushers escorted her from the . gallery and out of the buildings. Her interruption appeared to have no reference to the- past or. present business of '""the House. Public Servants and Elections . .Hon. P. Fraser, replying to Mr. Clyde Carr in the House, said under the Political Disabilities Act it was mandatory to grant leave of absence to any public servant desirous of becoming a candidate for Parliament. The instruction in the Public Serviqe official circular which Mr. Carr had quoted in his question, was not a contravention of thist Act. It was not an instruction to the New Zealand Public Service but extracted from a report of the Board of Inquiry appointed some years ago to consider a guide to a eoae of conduct of public servants in England. As a matter of interest it was published in New Zealand but its origin was clearly indicated. Hours for Sale of Petrol A matter which has exercised the attention of the union is the unsatisfactory position with negard to the sale of petrol after ordinary trading hours, especially since the partial lifting of petrol restrictions, states the annual report of the North Island Motor Union. Emergency stations have been set up in some centres, while a roster system operates in smaller towns, but experience has shown that tne latter system does not always work satisfactorily. The considered opinion of the union is that there should be a complete revocatioH- of that section of the War Emergency Regulations governing the hours for the sale of petrol. The principle of an increased price per gallon of petrol for after-hour trading is favoured in preference to an opening fee as an alternative' to signing an emergency register, which latter course is advocated by the New Zealand Retail Motor Trade Association. The union will continue to press this matter in a~n endeavour to have petrol available for motorists at^all reasonable hours. The suppiy of petrol is regarded as a really essential service. i