Local and General

Chronicle (Levin), 17 March 1949, Page 4

Local and General

Workers' Insurance. Slightly lower premium rates will ; be charged in many cases when the State Fire Insurance Department i takes over all the insurance of workers, on April 1. The new schedule of premiums provides for neariy 5000 occupations, and ,the only workers for wnich the State's premium rate exceeds that now charged by insurance companies : are stevedores, racing drivers and ! testers of motor vehicles, aviation ground staff and domestic workers. ; "I-of fc In The Lurch"

Because the National Patriotic "Fun'd Board has purchased a home 'for £31,000 in Auckland, there is some jealousy in the South Isiand. "The South Isiand is being left in the lurch again," said Mr. G. A. F'ranks, when the establishment of veterans' homes was being discussed in Christchurch by the local R.S_A. executive. "Soon there will be three veterans' homes in the North/' he said. The executive decided to deman'd a home for the South Isiand. Good Little Grub Farmers in the central King Country have welcomed the appearance of an unidentified grub. The grub has .infected blackberry and scrub, causing the growths to 'die off. "I hold optimistic views on the efficiency of whatever is doing the damage," said an Okahukura farmer, who be'ieves that a small green grub he found among dying blackberry on his property may be ' helping to clear his land for *him. Blackberry and scrub retard land ; development in the King Coun- | j try -district. I Prnver Rationing Work j ' That the new system of indi- : ' vidual rationing of electricity intro- ! : duced by the Horowhenua Electric i Power Board had meant a great j j deal of extra work for the office ! ■ staff was _ mentioned by the man- ! | aging-secretary, Mr. R. A. Frederi ' ikson, at yesterday's board meeting. j'iMr. Fre'derikson tah'ed a file fully ! . four inches thick, containing copies I ; of 432 letters sent to consumers in j reply to requests for increased alloi .cations. j j The Topdressing Test l The accuracy and precision of i : sowing by air were remarkable, Mr. j L. T. Daniell said on his return to i Masterton from experiments at ! Ohakea, in which fertiliser _ an'd I iseed .were dropped from the air by i I a Grumman Avenger aeroplane. I Mr. Daniell, who has taken a prom- ! inent part in the advocacy of air ^ sowing, said the sexection of | Wairarapa properties for large- ! scale distribution trials was being I undertaken by a committee of Gov- \ ernment departments and FederI ate'd Farmers' hill country com- ! mittee. Superphosphate was al- | ready stored at Hood Aerodrome. | Masterton, awaiting trials in the I near future.