NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 223, 17 June 1944, Page 8

NEWS IN BRIEF

Loss By Pillaging

Christchurch firms continue to suffer periodical losses of goods through theft. in transit. Tile monthly reports supplied to the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association show that one firm last month lost live gross of Jiair-nels valued at £B/16/-, and another losi small quantities of tinned meat spid cigarettes. All were consigned from the North Island to Christchurch. The packages hud been opened by force. Accident Victim Dies. The death occurred yesterday of Mr. AVilliyni I'arfitt, aged 61, who wa s run over by a coal train at Stockton, near Westport, the previous day.—l’.A. 1000 Poliiil ukawa Trees. An offer bj’ the Wellington Beautifying Society to supply the Hutt County Council with 1000. pohulukawa trees was gratefully accepted by the council yesterday, and it was decided to distribute the trees among the various ridings. Following in bis Father's Footsteps. Mr. J. D. Barclay, the newly-elected member of the Hutt County Council, who took his seat for the first time at the annual meeting of the council yesterday, was following in the footsteps of his father, Mr. John Barclay, who was chairman of the council iu 1922.’ School Capitation Grant. A strong protest against the inadequacy of the capitation grant made to school committees is to be sent to the Minister of Education, according to a decision made at the annual meeting of the Canterbury School Committees’ Association. It was stated by speakers that it was impossible for the committees to carry on and pay the high wages for caretakers and increased prices for materials under the present grant. Women and Evidence. Taking sympathetic note of the difficulty of a woman witness, in Auckland, in complying with the legal rules of evidence, Mr. Justice Caliau .quoted an appropriatel, dictum from the English Bench. He thought it was Lord Justice Darling wlip had said, “No woman has any patience with the rules of evidence. They are so irritatingly repressive of the natural course of conversation.” After-Hours Grocery Trade. The question of introducing a five-day week iu grocers’ shops was discussed when a deputation from the Southland Grocers’ Union met representatives of the Master Grocers’ Association in Invercargill. All master grocers present stated individually that they were in favour of the five-day week, but as an association they were not prepared to support the innovation, because, in their opinion, it would leave the way open for the after-hour trader to make further inroads on the grocery business. —P.A.

Board Chairman for a Day. After holding office as the new chairman of the Leamington Town Board for one day, Mr. Morley Boyce, a newlyelected member, resigned yesterday morning because of a motion carried at the first meeting on Wednesday night, when the board accepted a lower tehder by a Leamington resident in preference to a higher tender by a Cambridge resident for the lease of a domain section. Mr. Boyce states that as a result of the vote he had no alternative but to resign.—P.A. Murchison Earthquake. The most serious earthquake disaster in the Dominion, apart from the Napier tragedy in 1931, was that at Murchison, the fifteenth anniversary of which falls today. There were 10 deaths in the town of Murchison itself, where the shake was most severely felt, and the total, death roll was 17. Damage amounting to thousands of pounds was done to property in the area between Nelson, Westport and Greymouth.

First Auckland Immigrants. The 102nd anniversary of the departure from Greenock of the ship Jane Gifford, one of two vessels to bring the first organized party of settlers to Auckland, fell yesterday. The vessel arrived on October 9 with the ship Duchess of Artgyle, which had left Greenock shortly before. Carrying 522 passengers, the vessels arrived at Mechanics’ Bay, where 30 raupo huts had been erected for the use of the immigrants. Kauri Ceiling. Keen interest was evinced by the members of the Auckland Urban Land Sales Committee recently when an applicant for consent to the sale of a recently built small house said that one of the rooms had a ceiling of kauri boards. “Where did you manage to get kauri timber iu these days?’.’ asked a member of the committee. The applicant created amusement when he replied: “That is my business.” Egg Pulp Imports. The "potential threat.” to the New Zealand poultry industry of the importation of Australian egg nulp aud powder was emphasized by Mr. T. Gill, chairman of the New Zealand Poultry Board, when he appealed to members of the Canter-bury-Westland Registered Poultry Keepers’ Association to support the,. campaign for increased egg production. Mr. Gill said that the importation of Australian egg pulp was absolutely necessary under war conditions, but for the future it was a potential threat.

Sales of Bread. An amendment to the Breadmaking In; dustry Control Order gazetted this week provides that in premises where bakers keep bread for sale they are to display a notice of a specified tyoe of the glasses, shapes, and weights of the loaves they bake, and also containing the words, “If not available ou request a 21b. white or wholemeal loaf must be supplied after due notice.” Bakers are to supply bread resellers with copies of the notice., free of cost; and a copy of the notice is to be displayed by resellers in their shops.

Price Reductions. While he was in China ho would never think of buying an article in a shop at the price first asked, the Rev. H. W. Mellsop told Christchurch Rotarians recently. The price was finally settled only after prolonged haggling. This habit hail landed him in trouble once or twice since his arrival in New Zealand. A girl would produce an article he asked for and when he said “What an amazing price,” more often than not she would leave him standing at the counter. However, he had managed to get the price reduced once or twice.

Chamber of Commerce Members. “Sections of the community have frequently referred to the chamber of commerce as representing ‘big 'business,’” said the president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce the other day. Returns showed that only S per cent, of the membership paid the largest, fee of £lO/10/a year; 19 per cent., representing mod-erately-sized businesses, paid £O/10/6; 40 per cent., or smaller businesses, paid £4/4/-; 3 per cent, had special membershit), such as insurance companies, paying £3/3/-; and 30 per cent, paid membership fees ou the lowest scale of £2 12/6.. Infectious Diseases.

The sanitary inspector, Mr. D. G. Joll, reported to the Hutt County Council yesterday that during May IS. eases of scarlet fever had been notified in the county. Most of the'cases, ho said, were from the districts surrounding Lower Hutt city ami Upper Hutt borough. All cases appeared to be of a mild form, and toward the end of the mouth the numbers were decreasing. Reporting on the figures for the year envied March 31, he saiil that 62 eases of scarlet fever had been reported, and eight cases ot diphtheria, but there had been a decrease in cerebro spinal fever. Due to I lie outbreak of scarlet fever, the Wellington Hospital Board had to open a temporary isolation hospital at Trenlham racecourse, where all patients over lour years of age were treated.

Defiance of Price Tribunal. Since Thursday Grey district milkmen, in defiance of the Government and the Price Tribunal, have been charging Sd. a quart, an increase of a penny, to cover rising costs. A spokesman for them Paul yesterday. “Everything is going smoothly,” but he hinted that repercussions were expected within a lew days. Many customers were reported to be placing extra money in their jugs and approving of the dairvinen’s action. The milkmen have decided that if even a single vendor is prosecuted under the price regulations all wiil withdraw general supplies except to the hospital am! similar consumers. They contend they hale the support of tlic miners, which is regarded as important. —•'Dominion” Special Service.