Local & General

Chronicle (Levin), 23 May 1949, Page 4

Local & General

Not All Toll. Rills. The £395,094 paid by Government Departments, allegedly for a year's jtoll eal's, covered all sums paid to ■ithe Post and Telegraph Department for aJ services, said the Minister of Finance, Mi\ Nash. These included toll bills, . portage, telegrams, cattes, Tent, of .post office boxes and telenhone. ins.tallations. The . charge that the money had . been paid fpr toll calls was made by Mrs.G. H..Ross,'M.P. for Hamilton, in a-speech at Newmarket., Food Experts. ' Dr. Norman C. Wright, chief Scientific adviser, to the British Minietry of Food, will arrive at Auckland by air oh May 31. He Will 1 be accompanied by Dr. M.' ThgYahf/ of the low temperature research station, Cambridge, -England. They will tour the Dominion, visiting centres of scientific, agricultural and • pastoral -interest throughout New Zealand,. and- Will firtally -ieaVe Auckland byvair agaiii for: Australia on June 25, • - Suhsidies Paid By Farmers. "We are still sub^dising the soap and margarine do'mpanies to the extent of more than £1,000,000 a year," said the chairman (Mr. L. M. Coop) wheri reportiiig to the annual cqnferehce of the rrieat and Wool section of North Canterbury Fe.derated Farmers. "It does not sound much if you say it quick'y, but I would point out that if the producers were able to speiid that money on production, it would probably bring to New Zealand another £5,000,000 a year," he said.

Brevity of Women's Speeches. Speaking,. at a Wanganui City Council meeting Cr. R. E. Jack, the Deputy-Mayor, said of a ' matter under discussion: "The deputation from the National Council of Women sponsoring this proposal charmed the -transpor-t- -oommittee with the consummate brevity with which it presented its case. ' • The ieader spoke for less than two minutes, and each of her suppofters" spoke for less than one minute. Ifmen desire to maintain the curious impression that they talk less than women, male deputations will have almost to refrain, ih future, from opening their mouths." Pakatoa Islapd Bought. Pakatoa Island was hought at public auction at Auckland for £5800. The buyer . of the 60-acre property was Mr. J. L. Faulkner, of Otahuhu, who said he intended to farm the island. In 1907 jt was known as Bell's island. Fdr two years it served as a men;s inebriates home; but when a larger establishment was provided on the adjoining Rotoroa Island women inebriates were sent to Pakatoa. Since 1943 the island has provided a rest and recreation centre for old people. The island is ffiainly grassed rolling country. There is. a homestead of • 13 rooms in the main northern bay and a j.etty to han'dle stores and passengers. Napier- Taupo Road. An assurance that a general policy of improvemeht to the Napier -Taupo road would be foilowed and that the first step would be immediate preparations for ihe Sealihg of one of the worst sections of the 22 miles ac'ross the Rangitaiki Plaifis was giVen by the Miiiister of Works (Mr. Semple) when a Hawke's Bay Automobile Assoeiation deputation waited on him in Wellington. The association has been making representations about the foad for the past 18 months and these were renewed after the bad weather a fortnight ago when the pumice road across the Rangitaiki Plains was snow-bound, and Later became a sea of mud. * '