LOCAL & GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 May 1939, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

Retiring Age of Teachers. A Wellington remit that it be macle compulsory for all male teachers to retire not later than at the age of 65 was carried at the annual conference in Wellington yesterday of the New Zealand Technical School Teachers’ Association.

Auckland Pictures in Paris Salon. Advice has been received by Mr C. F. Goldie, well-known Auckland artist, that two portrait studies of Maori chiefs, which he sent to Europe last year, have been accepted for hanging in the 1939 Paris Salon, which opened on May 5. Married Women Teachers. A remit urging that there should be no discrimination against married women teachers for employment in the teaching profession was adopted unanimously by the New Zealand Technical School Teachers’ Association at its annual conference in Wellington yesterday. Dog Killed. A cocker spaniel dog was run over by a motor-car this morning at the corner of Queen and Perry streets and killed. The motorist did not stop. After managing to reach the doorway of a shop on the corner of the street the dog dropped down dead. Street Name Plates. Provision is being made in the draft estimates for the year 1939-40 for the erection of street name plates in Wellington, and if sufficient money is available efforts will be made to erect name plates on both sides of all streets at intersections. This information has been conveyed by the city council to the Automobile Association (Wellington), which recently asked the council to improve the street name plates. Wellington Wool Sales Cheque. The gross proceeds of the five wool sales held in Wellington this season totalled £1,742,160, compared with £1,556,605 for the 1937-38 season, an increase of £185,555, due to the larger quantity of wool sold. This season’s total “cheque” is, however, £1,069,309 less than the total of £2,811,469 realised at Wellington sales during the 1936-37 season. The 2-3-2 Scrum Favoured. Approval of the remit to be forwarded to the international Rugby conference in London this year urging the universal adoption of the 2-3-2 scrum formation with no alteration to the rules was expressed by members of the Wellington Rugby Union last night, when a request was received from the New Zealand Rugby Union for comments on the various remits. “Touchy Ratepayers.” “I do not know what is the matter with the ratepayers nowadays; they all appear to be touchy,” observed Councillor P. R. Welch at yesterday’s .meeting of the Masterton County County Council. In one part of the county, he added, a. ratepayer put in a whole day obtaining signatures to a petition asking for certain work to be done. On his way down to the County Office, however, the man met the grader on the road, so he put the petition in his pocket and went home. St John Ambulance Association. “In Wellington alone, the St John Ambulance Association is instructing more than 650 citizens in the importance of first aid,” says the secretary of the association, Mr C. Meachen, in a report. “At no time since 1914 has such a demand for '’instruction been received.” In the Wellington district the divisions and dispositions are:— Wellington City and suburbs, five divisions; and one at each of the following places: Masterton, Waipawa, Hastings, Napier, Palmerston North, Levin, Nelson, Wakefield, Blenheim. Teachers and Labour. By an overwhelming majority on the voices, the annual conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute in Wellington yesterday passed a motion by Mr A. Hanna (Otago): “That this annual meeting does not favour affiliation with the Federation of Labour.” At the 1938 conference a report on possible affiliation with the federation was tabled, discussion being held over for a year. Copies of the report were circulated to the 48 branches of the institute for their comment and 22 replied, all being against affiliation. State House Contracts. Contracts for the erection of an additional 200 houses have been approved by the Government during the past month. These houses' are to be distributed over 14 different centres. The Minister of Housing, Mr Armstrong, said yesterday that 74 of the houses were to be built in Auckland. Twenty-six were to be erected in Karori, seven in Lower Hutt, and two in Miramar. The numbers of houses to be built in other towns were as follows: —Bluff, seven units; Christchurch (Linwood), seven; Feilding, five; Greymouth, seven; Hastings, nine; Kaikohe, four; Levin, 10; Napier, 27; Opuriake, four; Palmerston North, 24; Putaruru, three; Stratford, five; Wairoa, 10; Wliangarei, 20. Dominion Radio Sets. “The rapid strides of motor ownership and telephone use in New Zealand are being easily eclipsed by the radio,” stated the Postmaster-General, Mr Jones, yesterday. “Today more than 84 per cent of the Dominion’s household have licensed radioreceiving sets,” he said. “Ten years ago this proportion was 14 per cent, and five years later it had risen to 35 per cent. But in the last five years the licences showed another advance of 49 per cent, and if this rate of progress is maintained the time when every household in New Zealand will have its radio set is less than two years ahead. Licensed receiving sets total 317,523, distributed as follows: Auckland. 101,726; Wellington, 114,023; Canterbury, 58,530; Otago, 43,244.” White Elephant. A settler near Taihape, Mr C. B. Heatley, has what could truly be described as a “white elephant.” Some years ago, under the will of a Maori, Mr Heatley acquired an interest in a block of some 9000 acres. The land is poor and covered with scrub, and is valued at 2s an acre. The cost of bringing it into productivity is so great that Mr Heatley is anxious to give away his share, but no one will have it. The area is becoming a nursery for noxious weeds, and although Mr Heatley is only one of the many owners, he was prosecuted last year for failing to keep the property clear of weeds. In desperation Mr Heatley has applied to the Government for relief, but so far he still has to carry the burden. The native owners are to be . called together to try to find a solution of the problem.- ■ ■