LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chronicle (Levin), 19 July 1947, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

To Climb 55ft. Mast ALer a fruitless inquiry for several weeks, the Auckland City Council has found a man who is prepared to scale the 55ft. mast m the returned servicemen's seetion of Waikume^e cemetery and fix the broken halyard. He is Mr. H. E. Heinson, a 44-year-old British seaman ncw in Auckland. Torpedoed three times during the war, Mr. Heinson is well used to risky under - takings. For his gallantry on the third occasion ■ he received che British Empire Medal from the King. ' Invercargill Gets Snow .. . The first fall of snow for the winter was experiericed in Invercargill yesterday after a foivnight of mild, cairn weather, , A strong southwest wind . whichj.gusted to 48 miles per hour, sent ,,ihe flakes swirling under shop veranda'hs. The ground received a cpating of about half an inch. The snow soon vanished in the business area and most streets but gardehs ahd lawns were white last night. Snow and hail showers continued tliroughqut the evening. Snow was reported in most parts of the province. Subsidy Delayed The question of additiOnal subsidy sought by the board for the main drain floodgates on the Moutoa Estate Had been delayed as there had been 'several complications to straighten oUt, said a letter ' from the Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. B. C. Ashwin, which was received at the meeting of the Manawatu-Oroua River Board yesterday. The letter added that a recommendation- had been made to ihe Minister of Finance requesting his approval of payment of a subsidy of £800 10s lOd, and, if his approval was forthcoming, payment to the board would be made as soon. as possible.

Bailey Bridge To Be Used A Bailey bridge is to be used to span the Waitekauri River between Paeroa and Waihi to replace temporarily an old • wooden . bridge on che State shighway.^ a -lew^^hains sast of- the Waiki'ho -railway^ sta^ cion. The bridge is one of a.limited stock held by the Main Highways Board for emergency replacements and the piaterial and plant are already being assembled. The erection of the Bailey bridge will be supervised by the engineers of the Auckland district olfice of the Pubiic Works Department. Some of , those engaged have had extensive • wartime experience of the use of 3ailey bridges. School Book Shortage Government contracts to private firms lo print school textbooks and journals to overcome the serious book shortage, :were suggested at the annual meeting of the Auckland branch of the Printers' Union when it was deeided to seek an explanation of the shortage from the Minister of Education. Cases of children being handieapped in ■; heir studies by the shortage were mentioned and criticism expressed of the excessive prices for secondhand books. It was recognised that the difficulties arose from the paper ■ shortage and other eauses but it was ccnsidered an explanation for the bottieneck should be sought ®from the Government, Song Of The Islands In spLe of sorpe outspoken comments from the Prirne Minister, Mr. Fraser, at the recent annual conference of the New Zealand Labour Party, the watersiders are go'ing ahead with p/eparations for a PanPacinc conference of longshoremen to be held at Honolulu late in. August. Messrs. Barnes and Hill were today selected as the ofiicial delegates of New Zealand watersiders, and Mr. Hill • said that he hoped to .arrange a definite date, when he spoke to Mr. Harry Bridges by trans-Pacific telephone from San Francisco in the next few days. One point which will hold some interest is whether the water- , siders will be given any priority in !' air travel to reach Honolulu.