DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 March 1929, Page 3

DOMINION ITEMS.

ONIONS FOR AMERICA.

AORAXGI’S BIG SHIPMENT,

tjy Telegraph—Press Assn., Copyright

AUCKLAND,'. 'March 11

Many thousandse of cases of onions grown in America have been eaten in Auckland, but it is very seldom that we have a chance of returning the compliment and sending them a few of our excellent locally grown. Thanks, however, to a shortage in both Canada and the United Staes, Auckland growers are sending away by the Aorangi, winch sails to-morrow, several thousand cases and bags, totalling about 400 tons. The present market price in Auckland is about £6 5s a ton. For this shipment By the Vancouver boat growers will be getting from £6 15s to *<7 os.

This big shipment is the first of sucn dimensions ever made t to the Pacific Coast. Most of it is going to Vancouver, but some of it will be dropped at Honolulu.

AUTOMATIC TELEPHONES. WELLINGTON, March 11. The Printo Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) announced to-day that Cabinet had given instructions for the acquisition of a full supply of automatic telepnones for Christchurch.

BRITISH TENDER ACCEPTED

PIUUE HIGHER BUT THE QUALITY

BETTER

PALMERSTON N., March 11

At its meeting to-day, the Mana-watu-Oroua Power Board decided to accept a tender for five hundred time switches of British manufacture at a cost of £32z2 18s 4d. There were eleven tenders. The board’s) engineer reported on thq switch chosen as follows: “It is only rarely iii tenders for electrical equipment that we find that the British article has much outstanding points of superiority over foreign competitors, but in the case of these time switches 1 am satisfied that the British firm put a lot of care, thought and experience into the design, with the result that, point for point,- in the design of the clock contacts, operating levers and' motor,- etc., (lie British switch has tlie foreign article beaten on every point. Although the price of tlie British articles is higher than the Swiss or Gertnaii; in this instance the points of superiority are so great that,, when viewed over a period of years for reliability and low maintenance costs, tlie British article is an easy winner.”

LICENSING COMMITTEE. ASHBURTON, March 13

For the first time in tenty-six years Ashburton residents, yesterday, took part in the election of a licening committee,' following the constitution of mid-Canterbury electorate. Only some 4,5i)b of approximately ten thousand voted. Four prohibition candidates were defeated, tlie highest with eight returns to come, being five hundred below the lowest elected.

STATE LOTiMY PROPOSED

TO HELP HOSPITALS

TAUPANGa, March 9

As its meeting yesterday tlie Tauranga Hospital Board, a'cting oil tlie representation of Mr B. C. Robbins, decided to submit a remit to the gener. al conference of the Hospital Boards’ Association a Palmerston North on March 12 to the effect that the State authorise a State lottery, the proceeds to be devoted to tlie upkeep of hospital and charitable institutions.

Mr Robbins pointed out the Queensland and other States were now devoting money obtained from lotteries toward hospital costs. Much money was going out of New Zealand for sweeps. The question was a mg one, and he would like to see the conference discuss it and .reach a decision. He did believe in gambling, but the gambling was now going on.

COCKSFOOT SEED

N.Z.’S ANNUAL WASTE,

WELLINGTON, March 12

Thousands of pounds worth of cocksfoot seed were going to waste in New Zealand every year, stated Mr A. Leigh Hunt in his opening address at the Land Settlement and Migration Conference to-day. An authority had informed him that the value oif the cocksfoot thus going to waste was about £250,000, yet the Dominion imported £70,000 worth of cocksfoot seed not nearly so good as our own from Holland every year. He was told, and he believed it, tlmt the unemployed worker could earn £1 a day in the months cilf November and December cutting cocksfoot seed, and why did they not do it? Because they were not organised, that, was the reason.

RACE TO LONDON. AUCKLAND, March 12

Carrying between them New Zealand [Vr oiluce valued at about £2,000,000, tlie Commonwealth and Dominion Line steamers, Port Melbourne and Port Pirie, are to be dispatched froni Auckland ’ for London to-morrow. As both steamers will leave together for the same destination, the masters have decided to expedite the voyage and mako a race of it. Tlie Port Melbourne’s speed is about 13 knots, hut she is more deeply laden than the Port Pine, which has a speed of about 12f knots. In consequence both vessels are expected to be near one another throughout the voyage. Included in the cargoes of the two steamers is a large quantity of wool.