DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1930, Page 6

DOMINION ITEMS.

fruit enquiry

DISHONEST PACK.IXG

[By Telegraph, Per Press Association

WELLINGTON, Aug. 26.

The retail side of the fruit and vegetable inqury oefore the Committee of the House was put to-day b) various witnesses from the retail trade in Wellington. A good deal oi it centred on wastage, and into this came very prominently the question of dishonest packing, which, to judge from statements made, is common.

One witness representing the Chinese traders, fea.id that it did not occur with American packing, and the same was true of Australian. One shopkeeper said that they could not get. redness, as once the fruit had .left the market, it was impassible to get a prosecution. This was denied by the department, which stated, however, that the cases must be intact. If the cases dishonestly packed were unopened when inspected at the shops, a prosecution would be made.

UNEMPLOYED DEMOXSTR ATION, WELLINGTON, Aug. 26. .

When refused admittance to a room in which a social welfare committee of the Wellington Hospital Board was holding its usual weekly) meeting, about a hundred unemployed held a demonstration outside the Public Hospital this afternoon. Members of the Board sought to reason with the noisy faction, but they were howled down. Eventually the police, who had been asked especially to he in attendance., dispersed the gathering. The men are well-known to the Hospital authorities, who consider that their requests were unreasonable. The authorities stated they have been told to put their claims in writing and approach the committee in the usual way, but this they refused to do on more than one occasion.

MORE STOWAWAYS,

WELLINGTON. Aug. 26

When the Maunganui moored in the stream this morning, she was hoarded by the police, and their search for suspected stowaways was successful. Two young men were found to he hiding in one of the ship’s lifeboats, and another,, whose name was not on the passenger list, was arrested while walking about the deck. Two of the stowaways were New Zealanders, and the other an Australian. Their ages are 18 20, and 21 years.