NEWS OF THE PAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 54, 1 September 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE PAY

WEATHER FORECAST

liiffht to moderate variable winds. Weather dull and at times misty, With occasional drizzle or rain. Temperatures moderate. i Further outlook: No marked im- j provement. Temperature at 9 a.m., 48 degrees, .i Full moon, September 3. High Water.—Today, 2,57 p.m.; tomorrow, 3.24 a.m., 3.53 p.m. Sun sets today 5.56 p.m.; rises to-1 morrow 6.45 a.m., sets. 5.57 p.m. j 88 Whales for Season. ! The whaling station at Te Awaiti has now closed down for the season With a tally of 88 whales to its credit. This is less than last year when the century mark was topped, but is considerably better than the early indications suggested. Silverstream Hospital. Reporting to the Wellington Hospital Board last night on the position with regard to the former American naval hospital at Silverstream, the chairman (Mr. H. F. Tooggod) said that he felt fajrly sure that they would have the buildings ready to receive the patients now at; Otaki, as promised, at the end of October, Birthday Greetings. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) has sent the following message to Mr M. F. Vigeveno, Consul for the Netherlands, who has transmitted -it-ojo the Netherlands Prime Minister in London: —"On the occasion of Queen Wih helmina's birthday I wish to convey on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand through you sincere good wishes and to express pur heartfelt gratification that the day of liberation of the Netherlands is now fast approaching." Freezing Works Control. An appeal to producers to retain control of- the key freezing works of the Dominion was made by Mr. T. A. Duncan, for many years since its inception chairman of the New Zealand Meat Producers Board, at the annual meeting of the board's electoral committee yesterday. He said that the producers must not allow any of these key works to 'be acquired by American operators. "If they do, they will open the door to four or five others," he said. He added that he did not imply it should be a. hard and fast policy that no works at all should go to outside interests. Circumstances might force such a course. Telephoning" Doctors. Under an arrangement'agreed to by the medical profession, after representations made by the Wellington Hospital Board*^ the new telephone directory, to be issued in October, will contain notifications that members of the public requiring medical attention at night or during weekends should ring the Free Ambulance. That organisation will give the telephone number and name of a doctor will be available in a particular dis- ! trict. The opinion was expressed at |a meeting of the Hospital, Board last I night that the scheme would be a great boon to the public and would relieve the present pressure on the hospital in meeting telephone requests for medical advice and help. Houses for Families, 'Teople leasing houses ought to pro^, vide some means whereby if there are many children the rent is cheaper," said Mr. Justice Blair during the hearing of a civil action in Wanganui. Some time ago he had leased a house and had included a provision that if the couple had a- child he would reduce the rent by £10 a year. "It would not be a bad idea to put in a few of these provisions in leases, instead of the more usual one that the house would not be let if the people have children," his Honour added. "Children are an asset to the country, and I have a great deal of admiration for the man with a large family." Pensions Board Personnel The appointment of a psychiatrist to the Pension? Board was advocated by Miss Mabel Howard in the Budget debate jn the House of Representatives yesterday. Miss Howard said that the person appointed should also be a general practitioner who had served in the present war. In addition, she thought a woman should be appointed to the board, as there would be women's problems to solve just as there were men's problems. Miss Howard said New Zealand had gone further, than $ny other country with rehabilitation plans, but there was -need to get a "move on.". Post-war Employment. While fully agreeing that there must be planning for post-war employment, the Hon. B. Martin (Auckland), speaking in -the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon, said he did not think it was the function of the Council to do anything that might savour of dictating to the Government. He was referring to the motion moved by the Hon. T. Bloodworth (Auckland), which asked that the Council recommend the Government to outline, at an early date, the procedure it proposed to adopt in regard to the policy of finding employment for all. He was not satisfied that the wording of the motion would not make the Government ' feel that the Council had exceeded its rights. He moved as an amendment that the Council express endorsement of the Government's intention to find work for all, and offer its fullest co-operation. The debate will be continued next Wednesday.

cords of Parliament. I repeat the assertion that demands in excess of the union fees prescribed by Extension Order No. 5 were made both personally arid in writing on girl student workers by; Mr. Butler's union, and for him to side-step this by saying "as a general rule the union ignores vacation workers, if we know they are such," is simply humb.ug, In your issue of February 8, you published a letter from "A University Student." In this letter the writer explained that she, with others, had been "man-powered" to a market garden. She added, "We are glad to do our bit towards the war effort," and asked "Why do we have to be pestered by trade union officials?" Your correspondent then made this statement: "The union official tries to bully us into joining and when that fails uses threats." Let Mr, Butler refresh his memory by reading that letter in conjunction with my reply of last Wednesday. He should then realise the dilemma he is in, if he expects anyone to endorse either the accuracy or the logic of his following statements:—(l) "As a general rule, the union ignores vacation workers if we know they are such;" (2) "the names of the three workers were included in a list forwarded to us by the officer in charge without details of their ages, or whether they were vacation workers or al%ear-round workers;" (3) "in.ttie usual course, a letter was sent to them on the assumption that they were all-year-round workers;" (4) "we had no way of discovering that they were merely vacation workers, nor did they inform us, other-r wise their presence would have been ignored." ■ If the union official who is stated to have pestered the girls and who "is said to have bullied and threatened them into joining the union did not question them as to their working status and age for the purpose of assessing their union fees, this is something for which the union must be held responsible. If Extension Order No. 5, which applies to workers engaged specifically for the picking and harvesting of peas, beans, tomatoes and soft fruit does not apply to the girls referred to (although they were engaged on that type of work) would Mr. Butler inform me as to the title of the agreement the girls were workr ing under, by whom and when it was arranged, where a copy of it may be obtained, and the union fees prescribed thereunder?—l am, etc., G. H. MACKLEY, M.P.

"One of Many" suggests that the capital city should in-: future celebrate victories with a civic religious thanksgiving service, whch should embody a one minute silence in respect and gratitude to those who have made victories possible.