LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 January 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Bush Worker Killed. Donald Ewen Morrison, aged 62, bush worker and contractor, was killed yesterday when he fell beneath a rake of trucks in Mangorcwa, near Rotorua, where he was engaged on bush contract work. Mr Morrison was apparently riding on the bogey of one of the trucks when he fell off and was struck by the wheels, receiving fatal injuries. The trucks were derailed. Polo Tournament.

The New Zealand Polo Association’s Saville Cup tournament will be held at Feilding this year, starting on March 20. Entries will close on February 28. This tournament will include the contest for the Australasian Gold Cup. won by a New Zealand team in Sydney last April. Efforts are being made to attract on Australian team, failing which the contest will be between home teams. Labour Split Denied. ■

A report published in an Australian paper last week stated that “a serious iplit in the party threatens to weaken New Zealand’s Labour Government and the leadership of the Prime Minister, Mr Savage, is being challenged from the left wing by Mr J. A. Lee.” •’Ridiculous,” said Mr Lee, when the report was referred to him yesterday. "Any Nationalist who expects a split in the Labour Party will still be expecting three years hence."

Transport of Children. -Children are treated like sacks of grain for transport purposes,” said Mr W. E. Bowyer at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday. He added that many children were carried in a confined space and speeds of 35 miles an hour were too fast. Some buses did only 9.3 miles to the gallon because of speeding. The chairman, Mr W. J. Campbell: “The transport regulations lay down 35 miles an hour.” Mr Bowyer said that the board was custodian of 70,000 children, and their safety should be their first consideration. The chairman said that the board paid the bus drivers. A member: “And in many cases they are teachers.” After discussion the chairman said a report would be obtained. Salvage Sale.

A salvage sale in Auckland on behalf of the underwriters of goods damaged by the fire in the Rimutaka attracted about 300 buyers at the Queen’s Wharf yesterday. They were mostly dealers and small shopkeepers. The opening bids were modest, but the dealers quickly responded to the competition, specially for forthcoming winter requirements, such as fur-lined coats for women and small winter hats. A case of coats started at £5 and ran to £67 10s. Several cases of women’s hats, starting similarly, brought up to £36 a case. There was also a very brisk demand for knittingwool, with discrimination favouring fashionable colours, which made a difference in prices. New Bridge over Avon.

Although no decision has yet. been made by the Christchurch City Council to have a new bridge, the driving of the test piles is being undertaken as a preliminary step in the projected replacement of the bridge over the Avon River on Swann’s Road. The piles are being driven to ascertain the structure of the country, and to secure details vital to the preparation of plans. It is not likely that the project will be gone on with imynediately by the council, although the necessity for a new bridge at this point has long been recognised. The old bridge, leading off Swann’s Road to Retreat Road, is a one-way bridge, and so narrow that it often impedes motor traffic, as well as constituting something of a danger point. The test piles are being driven slightly upstream from the present bridge.

Reports Criticised. Criticism of overseas reports regarding the refusal of banks to change New Zealand Reserve Bank notes was made by Mr N. H. Hooker at a meeting of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Various reports were published. said Mr Hooker, dealing with the refusal of banks to change notes, but it 'appeared to him that the reports generally depreciated the position with the suggestion that New Zealand currency was worthless. "The whole position,” he said, “is that these janks have been instructed not to negotiate Reserve Bank notes in brier to stop any flight of currency', ind the matter ought to be put right. The position is not as reported. We hear people in our own midst reading these reports and then saying that our currency is worthless. The difficulty is not due to any depreciation of currency.” Fire in Convent.

The Feilding fire brigade made a good save early on Tuesday evening when it was called to attend an outbreak of. fire in Feilding Convent. Fanned by a high wind, the flames had a good hold of the building and .he brigade was presented with a difficult task, but in the face of big odds brigadesmen quelled the fire. Remarkably little damage was done. Fire broke out in the rear portion of the convent and obtained a strong held. After half an hour's battle the men had the flames under control and checked their spread, damage being confined to that part which was on fire. Fortunately the nuns were in Wanganui at the time. The building was being renovated at the time of the outbreak and was unoccupied. The origin of the fire is at present a mystery. It is understood that the building was insured with a Wellington office. Institute of Horticulture.

Among the remits to be considered •it the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, to be held in New Plymouth on February 2nd, are the following: —That it be a recommendation to the Dominion Council that it should continue to bring before the Government the necessity of establishing a School of Horticulture in New Zealand; that the Dominion Council be recommended to establish certificates for greenkeepers—golf, bowling, cricket, tennis and croquet; Forest Preservation: That the Institute gives its most vigorous support to any campaign designed to check soil erosion, especially that caused by removal of forest and other natural ground covering; Horticultural Classification: That the Dominion Council be recommended to issue a publication clearing up doubtful points in respect of the classification required for horticultural societies’ shows, e.g„ annual, perennial, j half-hardy, and to appoint a special I committee to give effect to the recom-1 rnendation, I