LOCAL & GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 May 1939, Page 6

LOCAL & GENERAL

Braille Readers. How many of Wellington’s blind can read by the Braille system? In the city libraries annual report presented to the Wellington City Council hist night the number of regular Braille readers was given as seven, an increase of one over the previous year. There were 85 issues to them, an increase of 21. Use of Bicycles by Children. “I don’t think we should encourage the children in Wellington city schools to ride bicycles to school in congested areas,” said Mr A. Donald at yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Education Board when an application for the erection of bicycle stalls was being considered. Mr G. M. Henderson: "They should be kept off the streets as much as possible. Some are a danger to themselves as well as to others."

Masonic Hall Burgled. Thieves forced entry into the Masonic Hall, Waipukurau, on Monday night and ransacked several cupboards. Even a box on the electric slot meter was not overlooked but was wrenched off and the money it contained, about ss, stolen. An unsuccessful attempt was made to force the main door, but the intruders later succeeded in breaking in by one of the back doors. Only a small haul rewarded their efforts.

National Party Conference. Enthusiasm marked the proceedings of the Wellington divisional conference of the New Zealand National Party, held in Palmerston North yesterday. Eighty delegates, representing 27 electorates included in the Wellington area, attended the conference, which was presided over by Mr Cheviot Bell, Wellington. The gathering was addressed by the Leader of the Opposition; Mr Adam Hamilton, in. the afternoon.

P.O. Savings Bank Returns. Deposits with the Post Office Savings Bank during March amounted to £2,557,545, and withdrawals to £3,076,830, an excess of withdrawals of £519,285. For the financial year-ended on March 31, 1939, deposits totalled £30,434,291, and withdrawals £34,597,709, an excess of withdrawals of £4,163,418. Comparative figures for 193738 were: Deposits, £33,041,082; withdrawals, £29,629,074; excess of deposits, £3,412,008.

Guild Formed by Showmen. To co-operate with agricultural and pastoral associations throughout the Dominion and obtain recognition from them, a New Zealand Amusement Caterers’ Guild has been, formed in Auckland. Members are showmen anxious to continue their work without friction with show authorities. It is claimed, that successful negotiations with agricultural authorities have already been opened. Mr H. Davey is president and Mr F. De Lyall vice-president.

All Black Football Team. “The New Zealand Union has no intention whatever of playing a match between the All Blacks and Australia when the team is on the way to South Africa next year,” said the chairman of the executive of the New Zealand Rugby Union, Mr S. S. Dean, referring at a meeting of the executive last night to suggestions that such a match should be played. “If any matches are played in Australia,” Mr Dean added, “they will be in. the nature of practice matches at the ports of call —Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.”

Sales Tax Collections. Sales tax collections during the financial year ended March 31, 1939, amounted to £3,572,110, compared with £3,519,109 for 1937-38 and £3,050,985 for 1936-37. The amount of sales tax collected in New Zealand during Match totalled £314,707, an increase of £60,223 above the figure for February, and of £37,017 above the total for the corresponding month of the previous year. The March, 1939 total has been exceeded on only three occasions since this tax was introduced namely, in January and December, 1938, and January, 1939,. all of which months reflect the payment of this tax on goods bought for the Christmas trade. Maui Pomare Held Up.

Because several members of the crew of the Government motor-ship Maui Pomare objected to a deck cargo of timber, which, they claimed, left them insufficient deck room, the vessel was unable to leave Wellington as scheduled on Tuesday afternoon for Apia and Niue Island. Yesterday morning the president of the Seamen’s Union, Mr F. P. Walsh, addressed those responsible for the holdup, and informed them that the union would not countenance frivolous stoppages, and was determined to see that the shsb maintained its proper sailing times. After this the deck timber, which had been unloaded on Tuesday night in a futile attempt to get the ship away was reloaded, and the Maui Pomare left port at 1.10 p.m. yesterday.

World’s Greatest Telephone User. “For many years international telegraph statistics have placed New Zealand at the head of the list as the greatest user of the telegraph in proportion to population,” said the Post-master-General, Mr Jones, at Dunedin yesterday. “This position was well maintained during the year ended March 31 last, when the telegraph section of the Post Office handled 5.712,037 messages, showing an advance over the previous year of 250,450, or just over 4 per cent. Included in these figures a overseas messages, ordinary cables totalling 660.350; radio-telegrams to and from Pacific Islands. 10.925; and the growing ship-to-shore radio traffic, 20.271 messages to. and 10.816 messages from New Zealand radio stations.” Toll of the Motor Car. "Forty-six lives have been lost in the last 46 days,” said the Minister of Transport, .Mr Semple, at Wellington last evening. “At the present alarming rate of one traffic death every day. a loss of over 309 valuable lives will bo the price of carelessness on the roads during the next 10 months. "Deaths to motor-car drivers and passengers accounted for two-thirds ol the total during the last five weeks. The urge for speed, the desire to take risks and the reckless disregard of the rules of road courtesy inevitably took their toll." Mr Semple said that the necessity for extreme care on the part ol pedestrians and bicyclists at this period of the year was indicated by the death of seven pedestrians and five cyclists in the last five weeks. More than half of the traffic deaths had occurred at night-time, “off the road” accidents to cars being especially common after dark. Nearly all of the night accidents could have been" avoided had the necessary precautions been taken.