LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 March 1939, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Benefits Wrongly Obtained. A fine of £4O was imposed on Charles Thomas, who was convicted in Nelson yesterday on 16 charges that for the purpose of obtaining benefit under the Employment Promotion Act he made a false statement in that he did not declare his wife’s earnings. It was stated that the amount wrongly obtained was more than £3O. Power Interruption. On Thursday morning at 6 o’clock many residents in the Pahiatua district who use electricity were unable to get power for their milking sheds and were obliged to milk their herds by hand. The power failure was due to a faulty cable at the Mangamaire sub-station and it was not until 7.15 a.m. that temporary repairs could be made. As a result many farmers were late arriving at factories. Boy Fatally Injured. William George Smith, aged, four years and a half, was fatally injured in an unusual accident in Lyttelton. He was sitting on the footpath near his home in Hawkhurst Road. Opposite was a standing coal lorry. The lorry ran back across the road and hit the kerb, the impact dislodging a log 'on the bank above. The log fell and struck the boy, inflicting injuries from which he died two hours later. Postal Boxes Raided. In recent weeks f number of postal letterboxes have Deen broken open in Otahuhu, Papatoetoe, and Howick. Arrested at midnight, Charles Thomas Fuller, aged 24, pleaded guilty yesterday in Auckland to a charge of breaking open a postal box in Papatoetoe. A further charge was preferred of stealing a postal packet, but Fuller did not plead to this. On the application of the police he was remanded till Thursday. Remarkable Escape. Cars driven by Mrs Eileen Margaret Luxemoore, Feilding, and Mr lan Duncan Colquhoun, Feilding, collided at the intersection of Grey and Ruahine Streets, Palmerston North, yesterday, the driver and three passengers in the latter vehicle having a remarkable escape from injury when it overturned and came to rest on its left-hand side. This car wajs extensively damaged,' but the other only superficially. Mrs Luxemoore had one passenger but neither was hurt.. Whale Near Kapiti. Members of the Tararua Tramping, Club (Levin),, who visited Kapiti Is-' land last weekend, were suprised to see a large humpback whale 200 yards from the shore of the island near Webber’s farm, and between the island and the mainland. Unsuccessful attempts to sho6t the animal caused it to move away. Later, while the party was fishing on the seaward side of Kapiti, spouting again drew their attention to the whale, which was then 50 yards away. It was estimated to be 50 feet long. Because of the lack of a harpoon or a rifle, the whale was left in peace.

Concrete Power Poles. At this month's meeting of the Horowhenua Electric Power Board it was decided to proceed with the manufacture of concrete power poles as soon as the capital was available to provide the necessary plant and buildings at the board’s depot in Levin. Mr G. A. Monk said that at least 33 1-3 per cent of the cost of hardwood poles occurred between the slings in New Zealand and the board’s depot. The increased life of the concrete poles would make it. worth while for the board to adopt the proposition. About £7OOO would be required to install a suitable plant.

Wellington Wool Sales. The gross proceeds for the first three Wellington wool sales this season total £1,085,219, compared with £990,926 for the corresponding sales, of last season; This is due to more wool having been sold, as average prices for the three sales are slightly lower than last season. The official returns for last month’s sale, compiled by the Wellington Wool Brokers’ Association, are as follows: —Bales offered, 24,530; bales sold, 24,330; bales passed, 209; net. weight sold (lb), 8,844,967; gross proceeds, £342,277 18s 4d; average price a bale, £l4 Is 4d; average price a lb, 9.287 d. Road and Rail Transport.

A conference of representatives of the Railways Department, road transport interests, and the Transport Department was held in Wellington this week, when consideration was given to all aspects of the problem of the coordination of land freight transport services in New Zealand. The recommendations of the conference are to be submitted to the Government. “A comprehensive agenda was covered in the discussions, and a report embodying the proceedings at the conference and setting out the recommendations agreed to is being prepared for consideration by the. Government,” said the Minister of Transport, Mr Semple, in an interview yesterday.

Somes Island for Birds. The Executive of the Forest and Bird Protection Society has again considered the proposal that yachtsmen should be granted permission to land on Somes Island, and has decided to adhere to its previous resolution that the request should not be allowed. Members said that a privilege conceded to yachtsmen could be claimed naturally by the general public, so that an inevitable development would be picnic excursions to the island. Thus numerous sea birds, including terns, would have their nesting places disturbed. These birds were recognised as an asset to Wellington, and should be allowed to continue in peaceful occupation of the island. Defence League.

There was an obvious awakening ot interest in the vital subject of defence, and the results of the tour had been most encouraging, said Mr Perry, M.L.C., president of the New Zealand Defence League, who returned to Wellington by air from Dunedin yesterday after having made a tour of the South Island with Major-General Sir Andrew Russell, patron of the league, to further the objects of the league. Sir Andrew spok in Blenheim last night and today he will return by air to his home in Hawke’s Bay. During the tour, said Mr Perry, meetings were addressed in Ashburton, Geraldine, Temuka, Timaru, Waimate, Oamaru, Palmerston, Dunedin, Milton, Balclutha, Gore and Invercargill. In every case except one meetings were well attended, and in every place visited branches of the league were formed and strong committees set up. In the near future, Sir Andrew Russell and Mr Perry will make a tour of the North Island to establish the league on a Dominion-wide basis.