NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 30, 30 October 1942, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF

Churchill Auctions Auckland’s Churchill auctions, which extended over two days, realized £854 for the patriotic funds. —P.A.

Women Conductors. There are now 9< women tram conductors in the Wellington service. Another group of young women will commence their training course next XX ednesday. .

Strawberries on Sale. . Strawberries in fair quantity and o. good quality appeared in greengrocers shops in Wellington yesterday. They were priced 6/- a punnet and o/6 a small chip.-

Angling Prospects. . All rivers and streams. in. the XX el lington Acclimatization Society s district are in good order for fly-fishing, reported the secretary, Mr. E. J. C. M iffm, yeo terday. Ration Book Issue. Ration books numbering 94,a-a haxc now been issued in the V(ellington city and suburban area. Yesterday J4S4 weie claimed, of which 5191 were distributed from the temporary office m Wakefield Street. ■

Hospital Control. . , The principle of the appointment oi a director of medical services and a “* rec 7 tor of nursing services for the Aucklanc. Hospital Bbard’s institutions .was adopted at a meeting of the board,: but .it was decided that action be deferred tm after the xvar.

Women Clean Trams. . Fifteen women cleaners, who work from 11 p.m. till 7 a.m„ and earn over £5 gross weekly, have been employed at the Kilbirnie tramways barn for some months. When the positions were originally advertised there xvere 150 applicants. Membership of N.Z.R.S.A. The total financial membership of the New Zealand Returned Services Association for the half-year ended September 30 was 33,781. Of this number there are 1877 returned service men and women from the present war. Grocery Delivery Zoning. _ Proposals by the Master Grocers F ederation for instituting a plan of restricted deliveries have been approved by the Almister of Transport, Mr. Semple, Ihese proposals have been submitted . to the zoning officers for both islands, in order that they may be implemented as far as possible by zoning schemes, under Rhe Delivery Emergency Regulations, IJ4-. Revival of Industries. Efforts are being made to resuscitate the banana and orange industries in- the Cook Islands, states a Press Association correspondent in a message from Karotonga. Replanting of citrus fruits is going. ahead in the islands, and banana replanting should increase production in. 12 months to something like 7000 cases a month, when an increased price will be payable.

Homo Guard Officers. A group of men who held licmie Guard commissions and have recently been posted to camp xvere seen recently at the Central Military District base training depot. They have been placed in a. squad of their own, where they will be given an opportunity of showing whether they have the necessary qualifications to justify their posting to an officer cadet training unit to train for commissioned rank in”the Territorial Force.

Waterless Fire Drills. Because of the threatened shortage of water in Wellington during the summer instructions have been issued to Emergency Fire Service and E.P.S. fire section trainees that the use of the city s reticulated water supply for. drill purposes or demonstrations is forbidden till further notice. Trailer pumns may only be used for “wet drills” when operated from underground storm-water culverts, harbour front riser mains or water stored in basements or unused excavations, or. similar supplies apart from the city mams.

Manufacturers’ Conference. The 1942 annual conference of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation will be held in Christchurch front: nwft Tuesday till Thursday. A large number of delegates from all .over New Zealand will attend the conference, ■ which will be opened by the Minister of Supply and Munitions, Mr. Sullivan. Particular consideration will be given to manpower problems of industry, absenteeism, supply of raw materials, bulk purchasing and rehabilitation. The conference will be presided over by Mr. G. Y. Smith, president of the federation.

Competitions Society. The year’s accounts presented to the members of the Wellington Competitions Society show that despite the fact that the normal expenditure in preparation for the annual festival had been incurred before the earthquake .damage to the Town Hail compelled its abandonment, the excess of expenditure over income was only £6l/14/2. This was m part due to the profit shown by. a concert held in May last, and-to the. generosity of a large number of competitors xvho had paid entrance fees and left tne amounts as donations to the society. Hours in; Timber Mills. In a statement attributed to Mr., A. Seed, secretary of the New Zealand Sawmillers’ Federation, which appeared m "The Dominion” on October 2b, a wrong impression was conveyed as to rates oi pay obtaining in the Rotorua district. It was reported that extended hours (48 a week) xvere being worked “at ordinary rates of. pay.” It is noxv stated that extended hours are being worked',, but not at ordinary wage rates. The extra ex*,ht hours a week, Mr. Seed sajs, are paid at time and a half rates, instead of time and a half for the first four hours, nnd double time for the remainder, as provided in the award.

“Jav-walkers in Wellington. “jay-walking” at nignt has . become more prevalent in -Wellington since the . number of cars on the road has decreased and the lighting regulations haxe come into force. The sight of servicemen standing in the middle of one ot lington’s main streets and hailing taxis has by now become so common that no comment is made by onlookers. lue “jay-walking” section of the populace becomes appreciably larger when the after-theatre crowds come out into tne streets. People dash across the road m front of ears and taxis to catch trains and others stand on the road and shout at taxi-cabs. ’ Unclaimed Property. ‘' . Permission of the Minister of Heaitli to sell bv auction a large accumulation ot property of deceased patients which has remained unclaimed for more than two years is to be requested by the Auckland Hospital Board. The board this week received a report from the treasurer stating that among unclaimed property were 79 rings ; 139 watches, 24 chains, 100 pairs of spectacles and numerous brooches, pendants and studs. Every effort, stated the treasurer had been made to locate and interest the next-of-kin. The goods had considerable intrinsic value. The last auction, held in 1930, realized nearly £7O. Fire-Watching System. A request that the present system of fire-watching should be replaced ' by one more satisfactory is to be made to the Government by the Wellington Labour Representation Committee. While agreeing that some system is necessary, the committee at its last meeting expressed the opinion that its continuance as at present organized during holidays should be investigated. The matter was raised bv tile Karori branch, which suggested that, personnel should not be obliged to leave their homes unless a raid warning had been given. Delegates considered that many fire-watchers felt that the present system was futile and that there was a" lack of evidence of need for a continuous watch. New Broadcasting Studios. After a long tenancy of the premises in Featherston Street, Wellington, during which the service has expanded and overflowed into a neighbouring, building, the 2YA studio of the National Broaacasting Service has moved to new quarters in the Masonic Buildings on The Terrace. Staff have been busy during the past week making the change, so that the studios and offices are under the one roof in premises specially designed for their needs. It is expected that the Minister in charge of .Broadcasting. Mr. Wilson, will pay an official visit to the new studios next week. The old building in Featherston Street will be retained for the making of recordings and the accounta department will remain in its present building.