LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 August 1939, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Beer Handles Increased. From this morning hotels in Wellington will serve 12oz handles of beer in place of the lOoz measure. This decision was made by the Wellington Licensed Victuallers' Association. The price will still be (Id. Long Car Trip Avoided. To land a little girl, a daughter of one of the keepers at Cape Palliser lighthouse, the Government steamer Matai. which has been attending to lights in Cook Strait, berthed at Seatoun wharf on Tuesday night. The child had been ill for several days, and as it was thought she had appendicitis she was taken to Seatoun by the Matai to save a long trip from the lighthouse by car. Boxing Finals. Finals of the Hawke’s Bay amateur provincial boxing championships, fought as preliminaries to the New Zealand light-heavyweight bout in the Municipal Theatre. Hastings, last night, resulted: —Flyweight: J. Govenor (6st 131 b) beat R. Davis (7.12); Welterweight: S. Deinstall <10.6) beat J. Lucas (9.9): Bantamweight: C. Hutchinson (8.6) beat K. Halliwell (8.6) on a technical knock-out; Paperweight: J. Govenor (6.13) beat D. Howlett (7.1); Lightweight: C. Beal (9.8) knocked out J. Mclvor (9.8). Tongue-twister for Announcer. “Ao-tea-roa” was nearly too much for the announcer reading the Empire news Bulletin over the Daventry shortwave stations the other afternoon, and there must have been thousands of listeners who .found amusement in his candid admission of the fact. He was referring to the message saying that the New Zealand Minister for Defence (the Hon F. Jones) would not go to Auckland “to meet the British flyingboat —(a very long pause)—Oh dear, I’m afraid I must admit my defeat . .” Then, cautiously, he enunciated “Ao-tea-roa.” He had no reason to be ashamed of his attempt. Cheap Bananas. Bananas will probably be cheap in Christchurch during the next few days. In the latest shipment from the islands a quarter of the 9000 cases of bananas were in bad condition because of a breakdown in the refrigerating gear of the ship during the trip. Yesterday morning the damaged fruit was auctioned at the city markets, and cases were sold at as low as from 6d to Is. each. These low prices will probably result in a glut of low-priced fruit in the shops for the next few days, followed by a shortage of the fruit. A good portion of the shipment has been placed in cool stores, and it is hoped that this will last till the next shipment is due. Trade Union Membership. New Zealand has proportionately the highest organised worker population in the world, according to statistics in the report of the Department of Labour for the year ended March 31, 1939. Trade union membership has now reached the total of 249,231, an increase of 16,245 over last year, and represents approximately 53 per cent of the wage-earners in the Dominion, and approximately 16 per cent of the population. Sweden leads European countries, trade union membership being equivalent to nearly 14 per cent of the population. France, Denmark, Norway, and Britain have the nexthighest percentages. Further Remand. The police stated yesterday' that a further remand will be sought today in the case in which Horace Timothy O’Connor, aged 17, and John McDonald aged 21, are charged with assault and armed robbery, arising from an armed hold-up at Wilson’s petrol station, Karamu Road, Hastings, on the night of August 14. The men will appear in Napier and will be remanded till Thursday, September 7, when, it is stated, the police will be in a position to proceed with the prosecution. The principal witness, Albert Arthur Wilson, who was injured in a struggle, has now recovered and was discharged from the Napier Public Hospital on Tuesday. Theft from Post Office. The thefts of sums of money totalling £23 10s 2d., the property of the Post and Telegraph Department, was admitted by Vincent Brinsley Nielsen, clerk, aged 38, when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, yesterday. Accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was allowed in the sum of £lOO, with one surety for that amount. DetectiveSergeant P. Doyle prosecuted. Evidence showed that accused, a single man with 22 years’ service, was a senior telegraphist at the To Aro Post Office. During the present month he relieved for a period as a teller at the Te Aro office, and an examination disclosed a deficiency of £23 10s. 2d. in his cash. Accused admitted having stolen this money. Native Claim. Claims of Natives from Thames, Coromandel and Thames Valley, for land and gold revenue dating back' to 1851 and involving a sum approaching £90,000 are being heard in the Native Land Court at Auckland, before Judge MacCormick. The hearing was begun some months ago. and the last hearing was in Thames in March of this year. The hearing in Auckland has already occupied two days. At the last sitting of the Court. Mr J. Prendeville of iiie Crown Law Office, suggested that the Crown prepare a statement of all receipts and e-xpenditure on all matters in the petition and submit this to the Court. As this would take some time, conclusion of the hearing was adjourned. Legal argument was heard yesterday, and will be continued today.

Fruit Marketing. Dissatisfaction with the condition and price of fruit released to them by the Internal Marketing Department was expressed yesterday by a group of Wellington retail fruiterers, whose views, they stated, were representative of the trade as a whole. They spoke about (.ranges, particularly Australian, bananas and New Zealand lemons and expressed apprehension of the consequences should the department take over the marketing of pip fruit (pears and apples). Should this come about, they said, many would have to go out of business. As the position was now, the public was paying for the department's control of certain fruits. It was stated that the Wellington Retail Fruiterers’ Association had recently written to the Acting-Minister of Internal Marketing. Mr Lee Martin, setting cut the complaints and asking that in the interests of the consuming public a deputation be received. The reply was that the matter had been, referred to the department.

Code Prohibi d. The Post Office, Masterton. has received advice that until further notice, telegrams (except Government messages) addressed to France and Algeria must be written in plain language —i.e., the use of code and cipher is prohibited. Sporting Gesture. At the usual half-yearly, meeting of the New Zealand Badminton Federation held at New Plymouth on Saturday, the meeting expressed appreciation of the generous action of Mr Phil Hawksworth, .Masterton in presenting to the Federation the N.Z. singles cup which he had won outright. Record Membership. The total playing membership of associations affiliated to the New Zealand Badminton Federation has reached the record of 6,174 members. The 10,000 mark is expected to be reached within the next twelve months, when a large number of country clubs will become affiliated. Canadian Timbers. > The Canadian Court at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, with a floor area of 8.322 square feet, is constructed entirely of Canadian timber. The walls will be panelled in Canadian cedar and yellow birch. The annual value of Canadian forests in production is about £85.000,000 and the forest areas total 1.223.522 square miles. Refrigerated Space. The urgent need for more refrigerated space for the storage of meat in Nev/ Zealand was emphasised by Mr Forbes (Opposition. Hurunui), during the Imprest Supply Bill debate in the House of Representatives last night. An assurance was given by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Lee Martin, that the fullest precautions were being taken and that the work was in hand. Masterton Ladies’ Golf Club. The results of a bogey and rosebowl competition played by the lady members of the Masterton Golf Club are as follow: —-Seniors: Miss Todd all square 3 pts; Mrs G. Burridge 5 down. 2pts: Miss .Jordan 6 down. Apt: Mrs Fagan 6 down, Apt. Juniors: Mrs Nitz 4 down, 2|pts; Miss Carrick 4 down. 21 pts: Miss Innes 7 down, 1 pt. Low-Grade Seeds. An allegation that quantities of lowgrade grass and clover seed were being sold to New Zealand farmers wa; made by Mr C. W. Boswell (Government, Bay of Islands) in a question ol which he give notice in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Boswell intends to ask the Minister ol Agriculture. Mr Lee Martin, what steps if any the Government proposes to take to cheek the sale of low-grade grass and clover seed to farmers. In a note he said that such seed was being sold in alarming quantities in the North Island and was having a detrimental effect on the grasslands of the Dominion The Port Bowen. With big seas oil’ Castlecliff backed by a wind at gale force, the stranded liner Port Bowen moved 15 feel inshore on Tuesday night. The loading ramp, which had been extended to opposite No. 1 hold, has been damaged along spans between eight lengths of piles, and the end of il has been broken away and the timber washed ashore. Yesterday the forward part of the Pori Bowen was still bumping against (he ramp at high tide. There was also a swing at the stern of the steamer. No cargo has been unloaded since Saturday. It. Is not known now when unloading will hr? resumed or whether repairs will be carried out to the ramp. Instructions are being awaited from headquarter:- in London and it may be decided to dump the whole of the remainder of the cargo and make an early attempt -to low the Port Bowen ofl the beach.