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Evening Star, Issue 24285, 28 August 1942, Page 2

Ilolalivis anil IV.oiuU of persons in the .Middle Fast and Groat Britain arc advised by tlie I’osimaster-Goneral (Air Webb) that if they wish to send Christmas parcels these should he posted not later than the end of September. Tho New Zealand lit turned Services’ Association recently made representations to the Slate Advances Corporation in regard to the granting of permission to tenants in State houses in certain circumstances to keep boarders or share tho house with friends. The association suggested in particular that the tenancy agreements might be revised to allow the wives of men absent on service to take in boarders to.supplement their incomes. The association lias been advised that as a war-time concession such permission may be granted by the corporation. This does not mean that the clause in tenancy agreements prohibiting sub-letting or tho keeping of hoarders has been relaxed, but that in certain cases the corporation is prepared to consider applications on their merits.

“ The Government is working on a plan to stabilise all wages and costs, and that, .1 think, will be a big factor in all our future negotiations,’ said tho Minister of Agriculture, Mr Barclay, addressing the Electoral Committee of the Now Zealand Aleat Producers’ Board. “ Tho more stable we can keep our internal economy at present, the better will bo our position at the end of the war. If wc allowed prices to soar and then flop hack we would not add to our strength. The only men who would benefit would he speculators and those in between the producer and consumer.” The number of passengers carried on the Dominion’s electric tramways in 1941-42 was 172,937,684, the highest figure ever recorded, exceeding that of the previous year by 8 per cent, and that of 1933-34 by 44 per cent., .states the ‘ Abstract of Statistics,’ which comments that the increase was undoubtedly due to petrol restrictions. The highest percentage increase was Wanganui’s 12.7. There were fewer employees, hut larger salary and wage payments. The tramways of .Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin showed profits.

With a view to ensuring that electrical work will not ho unavoidably held up, in spite of the fact that such supplies as steel conduit, etc., are not readily available, amendments have been made to tho Supply Regulations and also to the Electrical Wiring (Regulations. These were published iu last night’s 1 Gazette.’ The amendments clarify the existing regulations and also make a number of new provisions, including one enabling tho use of wooden capping and covering iu service mains where metal conduit is in short supply.

Captain the Rev. T. G. Campbell, C.F.. who has recently returned from service overseas, addressed the annual meeting of the Presbyterian Social Service Association last evening. He stated that tho hospital ship that was provided fof the New Zealanders was, without doubt, tho best under the command of the Admiralty. It was magnificently' equipped, and was in reality an up-to-date floating hospital. There were on hoard three padres—an Anglican, a Roman Catholic, and a Presbyterian. They had a library of 1,500 books, and received benefits from _ the patriotic funds. Mr Campbell paid a warm tribute to the magnificent spirit of the British women at the various ports of call in providing food and comforts for soldiers, and mentioned that in one Y.M.C.A. canteen alone 9,000 cups of tea were served in one day. Replying to a question by Mr J. McCrao at yesterday’s meeting of the Metropolitan District Zone Committee of the Patriotic Council, tho mayor (Mr A. H. Allen) explained that at present parcels for prisoners of war were being provided by' the Patriotic Fund Board from the amount collected two years ago in response to an appeal hy tho Joint Council of the Order of St. John and tho Red Cross. When the present All Purposes Appeal was out of the w’ay there was no doubt that the people of Otago would support an additional appeal for funds to provide comforts for prisoners of war.

“ The severe measures of taxation introduced during the year are generally accepted with resignation as a necessary corollary of war,” states the annual report of the Dominion Federated Sa wmillers’ Association, ‘‘but they bear in quite unjust degree upon our industry by reason of the fact that the accelerated production called for in this period is eating up the sawmillers’ principal asset his standing timber. Some measure of relief respecting emergency absorption of a vanishing asset is more than warranted, and will be sought. The principle has already been recognised in war taxation measures in Australia.”

Among the varying types of theft which take place in the community none could be more despicable than one which was committed yesterday in the Dunedin office of the Red dross Society, the officials of which arc extremely busy these days with wartime activities. For some weeks a bottle of unusual shape has been placed daily on the counter in the office, people being invited to place threepenny pieces in it as contributions towards a Reil Cross street day appeal which is to bo held shortly. It is considered that the bottle contained about ■£3 worth of coins when it was stolon yesterday.

A now device which, sows wheat in hands instead of in rows was demonstrated at a meeting of the committee of the Wheat Research Institute in Christchurch. The device consists in the removal from the drill of the present coulter tips, which sow the grain in rows, and their replacement by special tipc made out of wide grubber tines. The grain falling down the tubes and reaching the tips strikes a plate shaped like an inverted teaspoon, causing the seed to scatter evenly over the whole width of the coulter tip. The director of the institute, Dr F. W. Hilgendorf, said the device was thought to offer some possibility of increased yield.

The repairing of chimneys damaged in Wellington by the recent earthquake is being delayed. At one time about 150 bricklayers were available for this work, including the emergency drafts from other places, hut the number has dropped away considerably. “ The position is pretty hopeless at present,” said an official. “We have been losing a lot of bricklayers lately through the Government wanting them back. On top of that contractors have big repair jobs in hand all over the city, and naturally they want the bricklayers who customarily work for them. From the present outlook it may ho six months before all the chimneys are repaired in Wellington,”.

Tin' mayor (Mr A. IJ. Allen) lias received from Hie bend of the overseas department of the 'Women’s A'oluntary Services for Civil Defence. Loudon, an acknowledgment of the receipt of several large' consignments of clothing from the Lady Galway Patriotic Guild which had been forwarded by the Otago Provincial Patriotic Council. states that the savage raids upon Path, Norwich, Exeter, York-, and other smaller centres had brought want and hardship to the civilians, who had turned to Otago’s wonderful .rifts with gratitude and relief. FurTher, refugees arriving from Malaya were given clothes which were gifts from overseas, and. at the request ot the New Zealand Government, some ot. tlie latest consignment had been passed on to Russia The writer concluded: “ We shall never forget all the practical svmpathy which you and your people"have shown us since war broke over this island.”

The glamour of a uniform was avvaiiced"Tis a solution to the staff difficulties at the Cashmere Sanatorium at a meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board this week. Mrs .Jessie Clarke contended that they could not compete with the services witlp their smart uniforms of blue and khaki. “ ]f ivo could provide a smart uniform for our girls we might get over the difficulty,” she added.

The drift from the South Island to the North Island of an increasingly largo proportion of the Dominion’s industries and the headquarters of commercial undertakings was deplored at recent meetings of tho council of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, and at the last meeting a sub-commit-tec was appointed to consider ways and moans of arresting this drift. The secretary to the association, Mr !R. T. Alston, announced at a recent meeting that the sub-committee had field its first meeting and had decided to recommend to the council as tho most urgent step tho calling of a meeting of representative industrial and commercial organisations and other interested bodies. In order to assist in overcoming the present difficulty in tho cleaning of street carriageways and channels in tho city business area during the shortage of labour, the city engineer has been authorised to utilise the service of the street washing machine to a greater extent during the day. The machine is fitted with a gas producer plant. Experiments have also been conducted relative to a suitable machine for cleaning the footpaths in the main streets, and as tho results obtained have been satisfactory, authority has been granted for the calling of tenders for a suitable motor chassis for this purpose. That vandalism on the city reserves is still prevalent, particularly at weekends, is revealed in the report of tho Reserves Gominitteo of the City Council, which stales that at the Signal Hill Centennial Memorial two dozen red manuka planted there last season have boon stolen. At the AVoodhaugh Gardens the new fence erected around tho dudk pond has been damaged, the wires, iron arms. and. wire netting being damaged regularly each week-end by vandals. The report adds that the police arc assisting with a view to apprehending offenders, hut more could bo done in this direction if citizens generally would assist by giving information to tho council’s officers or tho police in respect of any offences seen. Representations have been received from the Dunedin branch of the National Council of Women of New Zealand in respect of the nuisance created by expectoration on tho city footways, reports tho General Committee of the City Council. This practice is an offence against the council’s by-laws, and instructions have been issued to the council’s traffic and sanitary inspectors to see that the provisions of the by-law are strictly complied with. This action is deemed necessary in the interests of public health. The opinion that the by-law covering the throwing of litter about the streets should be enforced is expressed in tho Works Committee’s report which is to he laid before the City Council on Monday night. The committee states that its attention has been drawn to the untidy condition of the streets caused by the throwing thereon of tram tickets, cigarette cartons, etc., which practice is an offence against the council’s by-law No. 1. The putting into operation of tho provisions of the bylaw and tho co-operation of the public should, says the report, result in cleaner streets as well as in the saving of paper. The police and the council’s inspectors have been requested to give this matter their attention.

Tangible appreciation of the work of tlie Territorial Association in providing amenities for men in camp has been shown on several occasions in the form of financial contributions. The secretary, Major L. A. Rhodes, this morning expressed the pleasure he had in acknowledging another of these contributions—a cheque for £IOO from the Dunedin Rotary Club. This sum, it is stipulated, is to be spent in the interests of trainees, other than officers, in local defence camps.

A tightening of the regulations covering the demeanour of soldiers in public is to become effective immediately, and instructious»as to the action to be taken have been issued to tho district provost section. Offenders who are apprehended will subsequently bo charged in a military court and sentence passed in proportion to the offence. Men on leave from districts outside the local military area h'ill bo included in the terms of this order, but they will be charged in their own areas. The offences include battledress undone, cap not being worn, hands in pockets, wearing of collar and tie, and general deportment on the streets. The wearing of collars and ties is regarded aa a particularly serious offence, as rngny men have been misled into taking privates for officers and saluting them, only to he jeered at in return. As this is a matter which might tend to undermine discipline, it is easy to understand why it is looked npon as serious. At 3.47 p.m. yesterday the Central Fire Brigade was called to deal with a gorse fire in Eavonswoocl street. At (5.11 this morning machines turned out to No. 4 McGeorge Avenue, where slight damage had been done to tho motor in a refrigerator. At 8.38 a.m. a chimney fire in Hillingdon street had their attention.