LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 250, 23 October 1942, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

• ■ % Yesterday's Marlborough investments in the 2nd Liberty Loan amounted to £2200, bringing the total to date up to £13,830. The thirteen thousands aren't actually regarded as unlucky in financial circles, but it is confidently hoped to elimb out of them to-day. On Labour Day the ordinary railway service between Picton and Blenheim will be suspended and special trains will run. The PictonClarence return train will run as usual on Monday, and on Tuesday morning it will connect with the ferry steamer. An announcement in the Gazette of commissions granted members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force includes the names of 27 men commissioned as air navigators and 15 commissioned as pilots. Two air gunners are granted commissions. In the meteorological branch 17 university graduates have - been commissioned in the rank of pilot officer. Expectations that the Statutes Revision Committee of the House would be able to sit during the Parliamentary session on the two petitions for the re-opening of the Mareo case have not materialised. Endeavours were made to arrange for a | sitting, but they were unsuocessful. It j is expected that the committee will j not be. "able to consider the case till early in December, when the House resumes. "This year we are 40 per cent. short of shearers in South Canterbury," said Mr J. G. Leckie, secretary of the Shearers' Union, when giving evidence before. the Manpower Iifdustrial Committee at Timaru. "More shearers have been sent away for military service, pro rata, than any other section of the community, because fitness is essential for their work. We are going to be in a serious position as regards seasonal workers." A protest against the disparity in the prices of various commodities as between the grower and the consumer has been sent to the Price Tribunal by the Christchurch Consumers' League. According to a statement issued by the league, the Government - controlled price of apples has been quoted in this protest as a typical example. The league points to the disparity in the prices paid to apple-growers for their produce, and the "prohibitive" price charged to the consumer.

It was announoed yesterday that the Rehabilitation Board is taking steps to secure land for the rehabilitation- of Maori returned soldiers. The deputy-chairman of the board, Mr M. Moohan, left Wellington last night -for the north to confer with representatives of the Maori race regarding the establishment of trades training schools for Maori ex-service-men. Members of the board are also to visit Tauranga to inspect farms given iby Mr George Alley for the settlement of ex-servicemen.

All reasonable steps were taken to ensure uniformity in administering the National Service Emergency Regulations, stated the Minister for Justice, Mr Mason, in replying to a question in Parliament by Mr Lee (Democratic Labour, Grey Lynn), on behalf of Mr Barnard (Democratic Labour, Napier), regarding the treatment of conscientious objectors by magistrates. The interpretation of the regulations and the question of penalties involved, said the Minister, were essentially matters for the judicial determination of the courts. It had to be remembered that there might be differences in cases not reported.

From the attitude of the members who attended the monthly meeting of the council of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday afternoon it would appear that the local business community has heard enough about the recent coal strike (says the Otago Daily Times). The president (Mr C. E. Begg) was in- J viting comment on the various items J in the report of the executive. When he came to the paragraph headed "Coal Strike," he looked up expectantly, but there was silence, broken only by a sotto voce "NufT said" from a member at the other end of the table. The Dominion's date requirements for the year will be imported by the Government for distribution by the Food Controller, and seventh period import licences should therefore be surrendered. This advice has been received by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. The chamber has also been advised that in the case of salt, excluding salt in packages under 51b, it has been decided to grant licences for imports in the seventh period from the United Kingdom and Australia for amounts equivalent to those for which licences (to import from the same sources) were granted in 1942. Applications to import from other sources will be considered.

A group of men and women students from the University of Otago have established a Co-ed. Club, with a view to providing some form of recreation on Sunday even- | ings for boys and girls from 14 to 18 j years of age, many of whom have previously had no way of occupying their time. The Y.W.C.A. has placed its hall and cafeteria at the disposal of the club, which arranges a programme usually consisting of games, community singing, supper, and a short talk, followed by a discussion. Prayers are held at the conclusion of the evening for those who desire to participate. The sponsors hope that the effort will do much to foster among the members of the club a sense of responsibility for the welfare of the community. Thse tremendous problems eonfronting youth and the leaders of youth to-day were referred to by the Rev. P. I^. A. Crampton, newiyappointed youth director of the Baptist Union of New Zealand, in an address to the diamond jubiiee assembly in Christchurch. Mr Crampton outlined his plans for youth work in the next three years (reports The Press), and spoke of the need for a national Christian youth movement. "If the Church does not give adequate leadership to youth for the full development of life," he said, "then we cannot complain if the Government takes over young people from us for what it regards as the essentials — mainly physical and moral, without the spiritual." The assembly received a deputation from the Scripture Union, which urged the importance of encouraging daily and systematic reading of the Bible among the youth of to-day. )

The restrictions on tenants of State houses against keeping fowls are not to be relaxed, according to a reply by the Minister for Housing, Mr Armstrong, to a question by Mr Endean (Opposition, Remuera), in which he asked whether the Minister would consider altering the conditions of tenancy. The prohibitidn was imposed mainly because of health reasons in closely-settled areas, said the Minister. Many people objected to poultry yards being close to their houses, and it was regretted that those few people who desired to keep fowls would have to be refused this privilege. "The question of increasing the number of medical students and possible means of attaining this end are receiving consideration," said the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, in a wr.itten reply to a question asked in Parliament by Mr Lee (Democratic Labour, Grey Lynn). Mr Lee had asked whether the Government would see that sufficient doctors were retained for the civilian needs of the community. The Prime Minister said that the National Medical Com mittee, comprising the Director-Gen-eral of Health, the Director- General j of Medical Services (Army and Air), and a representative of the British Medical Association, Sir Donald McGavin, was responsible for seeing that sufficient doctors were retained to meet civilian needs. Indications that if more miners I could be released from camp their I collieries would be able to employ larger numbers of _ truckers were given to the Armecl Forces Appeal Board in Greymouth by managers of various mines. Mr F. Lockington, the manager of Brunner Collieries, told the board that he was pleased with the performance of the men released from camp. "I can safely say that every man but one out of 23 sent to us from camp is a first-class worker," he stated. In some instances managers said they were experiencing no difficulty in obtaining timber supplies, but others spoke of shortages, and one manager characterised the trouble as "our biggest headache at present." With the whole of the Marlborough district urgently needing rain to bring the crops along the weather remains in a eapricious mood. Although on several recent occasions heavy rain has appeared about to set in, it has not eventuated. The recent north-westerly winds have accentuated the position, the soil having dried out rapidly, and as a result many of the crops are showing signs of yellov/ing. The black clouds which rolled out of the north-west last evening were regarded hopefully, but eventUally the conditions cleared completely. Early this morning, however, light intermittent showers commenced to fall, and continued throughout the day. Apart from i'reshening up foliage, however, no benefit has yet resulted, and a good two or three-day soaking is what is needed to remove the threat to the harvest. \7