LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 March 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Frost in Mastertcn. A frost of 5.5 degrees was registered in Masterton this morning. Not Good Enough. “Did you have any winning percentages?” Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M.. asked a defendant in a civil claim who said he had earned £3 a week for 14 months for training three racehorses. “No,” replied defendant, “they were never good enough.” New Session of Parliament.

The likelihood of the first session of the newly-elected Parliament beginning about the end of June was mentioned by the Prime Minister, Mr Savage, at Auckland yesterday. He said it was impossible to announce a definite date in advance, but he thought the House of Representatives would sit about the usual time. “We have talked about certain legislation” Mr Savage added, but he declined to reveal the nature of the new legislation likely to be introduced.” Pownall Street Congestion.

As a precautionary measure, with a view to warning motorists to drive with caution, the word “School” is being painted in large lettering at appropriate places on the surface of Pownall Street by the borough authorities. A serious condition of traffic congestion occurs in this street at certain times of the day and in order to relieve the- position the borough has made a request that school children should be dismissed for the lunch hour al 11.45 a.m. i Yankee Polo Tournament.

tyith the object of providing more polo for visiting teams at the annual Savile Cup tournament, Mr I. Bunny (Masterton) suggested at tfie annual meeting of the New Zealand Polo Association ■ yesterday that something should be done toward introducing the yankee tourney principle, as the present knock-out contests did not give the visitors sufficient play. The subject was debated at length, and it was agreed to recommend the committee of management to draft out proposals for submission to clubs.

Plenty of Work. “No one can say they cannot get work,” Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., told a defendant in a civil claim in s the Magistrate’s Court today, “there is .plenty of work about.” Witness said ’’that he earned £5 a week and had to keep his wife and a family of four children whose ages ranged from 11 to 20 years. He could not' say why the children would not get work. Mr_ Lawry told defendant to tell his children that unless they got work while he was in debt he would have to go to gaol for eight days.

Scarcity of Teachers-. Comment on the lack of interest in the positions of senior women assistants .in country schools was made at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday. Several vacancies had been advertised and had attracted only teachers with low grading, and in one or two cases there had been no applicants at all. .Mr A. N. Macky asked whether the board could make positions more attractive. The secretary, Mr D. W. Dunlop, said* the posi.ions could scarcely be made more at.ractive. Women teachers, however, preferred posts in towns, where they :ould get a maximum of £330 a year "or an ordinary grade A position, to places as senior .women assistants in country schools, where the salary was £4O a year higher.

Railway Revenue. “The approximate total railway revenue for the last four-weekly period is £918,000,” said the Minister jf Railways, Mr Sullivan, after his arrival with the Prime Minister at Christchurch yesterday. “It constitutes a-railway revenue record for any one period, being £78,000 higher-than the record revenue for the four-weekly period immediately preceding it, and £114,000 higher than the revenue for .he corresponding four weeks of last year. On figures submitted to me I estimate that the net revenue for the eeriod ended March 4 will be £237,000 bringing the net revenue for the 48 weeks of the current year up to £446,300. I confidently expect the total net revenue for the year to accord with my recent estimate, nafnely, £700,000."

The Licensing Laws. Stricter enforcement of the licensing laws was advocated by a deputation representing the New Zealand Women’s Christian Temperance Union which waited upon the Minister in Charge of the Police Department, Mr Fraser, at Wellington, yesterday. The .inion is holding its annual conference n Wellington, and the deputation comprised about 130'women, representing branches of the union from Whanjarei to Invercargill. The Minister said the licensing laws had never been more thoroughly and more efficiently ?nforced than at present. The breaker of the licensing laws had no more reason or justification for expecting immunity from the consequences of his actions than the breaker of any other laws.

Cargo and Shipping Records. New records for both cargo and shipping were established by the port rf Wellington for the year ended September 30 last, according to a statement made by the chairman, Mr C. M. Turrell, at the annual meting of the board last night. The total cargo handled amounted to 2,354,744 tons, an ncrease of 1.9 per cent, compared with the previous year. The net tonnage of (hipping arrivals was 4,172,595. an increase of 2 per cent. Of this. 134,164 tons represented the tonnage of cruise ■nd tourist vessels. "The financial figures,” said the chairman, "arc satisfactory so far as- they go, the year’s jurplus being £11.365, almost the same imount as the surplus for the previous /ear. The gross revenue (£628,241) ncreased by £69,492. and expenditure (£616,876) increased by £69,299,” Power Problems. How electric power difficulties are overcome in Western Australia, where the streams become pools -in the summer and' there are no hydro-electric schemes, with one small exception, was described by Mr B. MiTlolt, an old boy of Wellington College, who is now a consulting engineer in Western Australia." he said, “except one small one that does not supply anything except a small portion of the power used. There are no rivers inland, and the majority of what rivers there are do not flow in the summer, but leave great pools of beautiful water. The power plants are run by Diesel engines and coal. Right inland some of the power stations have producer gas plants, as wood is very cheap, and the freight on crude oil is very high. The majority of the power stations along the coast are Diesel,”