NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 197, 18 May 1944, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF

Manpower Raids The manpower division of the National Service Department has carried out 32 raids in Christchurch. Twelve of these have been made on hotel bars and lounges, four on picture, theatres, three on tearooms, eight on billiards saloons, and five on golf courses. During these raids 239 males and 320 females have been interviewed and excuses given checked. In the great majority of cases the excuses have been found to be genuine. National War Savings. A total of 183 towns last week obtained their National War Savings quotas. All the nrincipnl centres were successful, and

National War Savings. A total of 183 towns last week obtained their National War Savings quotas. All the principal centres were successful, and in each of the 18 postal districts the full district quota was attained. There are now in operation 413,603 National Savings accounts. This figure includes 159.365 "group” accounts representing S2OO savings groups.

Royal Society’s Grant. The council of the Royal Society of New Zealand, at its annual meeting in Wellington yesterday, decided to ask the Government to increase its annual grant to the society to £1250. Last year s grant was £750. Mr. A. T. Pycroft (Auckland) said the grant had been reduced while costs had gone up. Even if it were increased to £1250 it would be nowhere near what it was 10 or 12 years ago.

Jail for Stealing Overcoat. For stealing a man’s overcoat, valued at £2/7/6. Allan Edward McEwen, motor driver, aged 20, was sentenced to months’ imprisonment by Mr. Stout.JS.M., in the Magistrates’ Court. Wellington, yesterday. Deteetive-Sergennt J. Thompson said accused, who had been released on licence from a Borstal institution last month, had stolen the coat from the house in which he shared a-room, and had given it as part payment for a suit he had ordered from a second-haUd dealer, the coat had been recovered.

Factory Girls Praised. Factory girls who had come before him in various cases had impressed him as being a very good type of womanhood, said Mr. Justice Fair, reviewing evidence in a case at Auckland. “Both girls and women employed in factories who hate given evidence before me have impressed me as very intelligent and honest witnesses,” said his Honour. “They are as good-mannered and as good types of New Zealanders as oue could find anywhere.” Cases of Pillaging. “It would appear that the wide publicity given recently to the serious question of pillaging has resulted in strong action being taken by the police and the Courts against offenders and has also awakened in the community a realization of the seriousness of the position,” states the “New Zealand Manufacturer.” “The information being collected at the federation office is most interesting, but to present a complete picture and to give strength to the federation’s endeavours to break up pillaging gangs, regular reports are necessary.

Growing House Shortage. In his annual building report, the Wellington city engineer, Mr. K. B. Luke, stresses that Wellington, so far from catching up with the house shortage, is going from bad to worse, through no fault of its own. The total number of houses (residential building) erected during the year 1943-44 was 142, a fig* ure which includes not only the buildings erected under city corporation permit, but also those built by the Government. That total is well below, the normal average building rate for Wellington city, which was estimated to be 700 residential buildings a year.

Illegal Employment “This man was illegally employed.' said the district manpower officer. Mr. M. Ross, at a sitting of the Industrial Manpower Committee in Christchurch, during the hearing of an. appeal in which a worker had been refused permission to terminate his employment, but had left just the same and had accepted work with another employer. Mr. Ross added that so far action had not been taken against employers who employed workers without permission, but the offence was increasing and if it was not stopped action would have to be taken. Miro and Native Pigeons. The desirability of preserving miro trees, wherever possible, because of their value in providing food for native pigeons, was mentioned at the annual meeting of the council of the Royal Society of New Zealand in Wellington yesterday. It was stated that many miro trees had been cut down in the Nelson district in the course of the development of the hydroelectric scheme. Others being milled and sold as rimu. Dr. W. R. B. Oliver (Wellington) said the society could not reasonably ask to have miro protected in all circumstances: the desirable procedure would be to have areas containing large numbers of miro trees proclaimed, as scenic reserves, Ine matter was left to the wild life control committee.

Strange Bird. . , A curious bird- which was shot in the Orawia district was exhibited at a meetin” of the Southland Acclimatization Society. Members of the council were at a loss to give a name to it. It whs stated that a description fitting the bird was not listed in any authoritative book on New Zealand birds. The bird was much heavier than a duck, and had webbed feet and a beak slightly similar to a seagull. Its colour was a strange mixture of the green of > grey duck and the mottled colour of the breast-feather® of a mallard. It was stated that two similar birds were shot this year at Linwood and Wairaki, which suggests tlnu the bird was not a freak, but an unknown species from this or another country.

Property Values. “When one gets this sort of thing halt a dozen times, day in, day out, week after xveek, one can’t help b.eing suspicious.” This comment was made by the chairman of-, the Auckland Frb aa Land Sales Committee, Mr. W. R. Tuck, at a sitting of the committee, when reviewing a property which was sold in 1942 for a certain sum and was now valued by -both the private and the Crown valuer at a sum higher than that. Mr. Tuck said that cases were constantly arising in which a property was valued higher than in 1942. As the stabilization date was December, 1942, one would expect values to be somewhere around the sum for which the property was sold in 1942. “We are getting too much of it,” Mr. Tuck concluded.

Rotary’s Friendly Hand. Referring to the hospitality that Rotaryoffered servicemen all oyer the world, the ■president of the M ellington club, Mr. Flops Gibbons, mentioned four letters he had received recently from overseas. One was from the London club, which stated that in January it had welcomed Sub-Lieutenant Keith Niederer, of Eketahuna. Fraternal greetings to the Wellington elub were also expressed in the letter. The Islington chib, wrote that it had entertained Flying Officer M. D. Graham, R.N.Z.A.F.. and the Bournemouth chib reported having welcomed Flying Officer J. O. BYittain, of Lyall Bay, as its guest. The Enfield club, Middlesex, England, also sent tnendly greetings.