LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 23 December 1946, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Lodestar Arrives With a complement of two, (Capt. A. G. Gerrand and S/O R. Chatfield), the second Lodestar from Australia, arrived at Milson' airport at 6.24 p.m. on Friday evening. The trip was apparently uneventful. Record Number of Licenses Driving licenses issued in Mount Eden borough in the past six months totalled 4584. This figure is an increase of 601 on the number issued for the corresponding period last year and it also exceeds the record annual total. The proportion of people • holding licenses in the borough is just under one in five of the total population. > Large Sunspot I An exceptionally large sunspot is Inow passing across the sun, said the director of the New Plymouth j Observatory, Mr. F. J. Morshead, on 'Friday. This spot appeared as a jblack dot on the sun's face, which } was visible through a dark glass 1 without optical aid. Mr. Morshead I added that the large group of spots ! announced by the Carter Observa- ! tory on Monday has now passed to j the side of the disc and a new group i is approaching its central meridian. Cargo for Japan j The Shaw, Savill and Albion Line j has chartered a Glen Line ship, the j Glenartney, td load cargo in New , Zealand for Japan. Details are not ; yet available, but it is thought that i the cargo will consist principally of 1 equipment and stores for the New Zealand Occupation Force in i Japan. The Glenartney is at presI ent trading on the Australian coast. I It is not yet known when she wiri | come to New Zealand. The GlenI artney, built in 1940, is a twin-screw j ship, with a gross tonnage of 9795. ■ i Technical Bursaries ! More than 100 technical bursaries have been awarded to primary ; school students throughout the i Dominion this year. The bursaries. I which will take effect at the beginI ning of the 1947 term, are worth £40 j and entitle the holder to a onej year course at approved post- ; primary schools. The courses are m | agriculture, art, building, engineerjing and hom'e crafts. In special cases students may be granted twoyear courses. The majority of j applications and awards this year I have been for agriculture, with engineering a close second. Inconsiderable Drivers | This weekend was surprisingly > free from road accidents in the | Levin district, according to the j trafflc inspector, Mr. M. Kehoe. j There was, hQwever, a large per- , centage of careless and inconsiderate driving evident. The main complaint in this regard was a growing tendenc/ on the part of motorists" jto drive in the centre o'f the road, Jinstead of keeping' strictly to the tleft-hand side. Mr. Kehoe added jthat there were many temporary j "holiday drivers" on the roads, and ihe was being besieged with lastjminute requests for driving (licenses. Loss in Cement The Golden Bay Cement Jompany's production was curtailcd during the year through lack of coal, said the chairman of the company, "Mr. J. M. A. Ilott, at the annual meeting of the company in Wellington. During the year, the kiln was shut down 12 times, and the resulting loss in production was more than 15,000 tons, said Mr. Ilott. Because of insufficient shipping, saies were down by 10,000 tons. "As a result of the continued lack of shipping and of coal sup plies, the shortage, unhappily, still continues in spite of our best efforts to overcome it," he said. New Award for Hairdressers The Arbitration Court has issued a new award for the Wellington industrial district hairdressers' and tobacconists' assistants. The award provides that the hours of work will not exceed 40 a week, exclusive of meal hours, to be worked between 8 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, and 8 a.m. and 8.30 p.m. on Fridays. No worker is to be employed on Saturday. The minimum wage for journeymen or journey women employed on men's work shall be £6 13s a week, and for managers or workers in charge of a saloon or shop, £8 5s a week. Casual workers are to be paid 3s 6£d an hour, with $ minimum of thr.ee hours' continuous •employment. The award came into operation on Thursday, the wages provisions being made retrospective to October 7. The office of the Regent Theatre will be closed all day on Christmas Day, but will open at. 6.45 p.m. In the evening.