LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 October 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Serial Story. There commences in the “Times- . Age” today a new serial entitled “Gay Venture,” by T. C. Bridges, one of the best-known fiction writers of today. It tells the thrilling and romantic story of a New Zealand girl who has left the dull life on a farm to visit England. Political Address. A political address is to be given in the Masterton Opera House on Monday night by Mr J. A. Lee, M.P. Waipawa Election. An announcement that the writ for the by-election to be held in the Waipawa electorate would be issued on Tuesday, October 29, was made yesterday by the Clerk of Writs, Mr J. W. Heenan. The writ will fix Saturday, November’ 16, as polling day, and Saturday, November 2, as the latest day for the nomination of candidates for the election. In accordance with Section 65 of the Electoral Act, 1927. the roll will close at 6 p.m. on the day of the issue of the. writ. Gifts to Red Cross. The Masterton Sub-Centre of the Red Cross gratefully acknowledge gifts of parcels of clothing from the following donors: Mrs Pinkerton, Mrs Wardell, Mrs Kerr, Wairarapa College, Mrs Chalmers, Miss Vallance, Miss B. Vallance, Mrs G. Ward, Mrs P. Neilson, Mrs McKeon, Mrs F. O’Connor, Miss Willison, Miss Price, Mrs Wagg, Miss B. Lee, West School, West Side School (stamps), Masterton East School, anonymous parcel of blankets and rugs left at Kenner’s. Superannuation Act. At a mass meeting of Hillside (Dunedin) Workshop employees the following resolution was adopted unanimously;—“That this meeting of Hillside employees expresses its .appreciation to the Government for recent legislation amending the Superannuation Act, j which has removed a disability im- , posed on widows ever since the inception of the fund. We further express our satisfaction that the justice of more than a quarter of a century of agitation by railway organisations has been recognised by the Labour Government.” False Fire Alarms. Of 46 false fire alarms recorded in Wellington during September, 24 were deemed to be justifiable and 12 malicious. The Wellington Fire Board is concerned at the persistence of the practice of giving false alarms, which is extremely costly and necessarily bears hard on petrol consumption, as three machines turn out for every alarm given within a certain mid-city radius. At yesterday’s monthly meeting of the board it was resolved to approach the Minister of Justice with the proposal that the law be amended to provide that any person convicted of the offence of giving a false fire alarm be punished by imprisonment for a period of not more than three months, instead of being fined. Motor Vehicles Licensed. The Postmaster-General stated today that at the end of last month 277,017 vehicles had been licensed for the current year, this figure being only 6,631 (or 2.34 per cent) less than the number licensed at the corresponding date in 1939. Some improvement in the position has taken place during the past three months as the decrease at the end of June last was 2.63 per cent. The number of cars licensed at the end of September was 196,229 —a decrease of 7,314 (or 3.59 per cent) compared with 1939. The commercial vehicle licences, viz., 66,600 were higher by 1,242 (or 1.90 per cent) than those for the previous year. The motor-cycle licences, viz., 14,188, show a decline of 559 (or 3.79 per cent). Poaching of Workers. An appeal to employers to co-operate in order to prevent the practice of poaching employees was made yesterday by the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb. “My attention has been drawn by manufacturers engaged on war work to the poaching of employees,” said the Minister. “This is a matter that could largely be prevented by manufacturers themselves by a spirit of co-operation without unduly restricting the right of . a worker to change his employment. “It is necessary in order to obtain the fullest effort of both manufacturers > and workers that there shall be a com- ; plete mutual understanding. It is also desirable that this should be brought ' about without invoking regulations, ■ and I therefore appeal to employers io co-operate in order to prevent the i practice of poaching which has given : rise to the complaint.”

Damages for Death of Son. The hearing of a claim for £l5OO general damages under the Death bj Accident Compensation Act, 1908, and £36 6s special damages occupied Mi Justice Kennedy and a jury in the Dunedin Supreme Court yesterday afternoon. The plaintiffs were Robert McKee Sullivan, school teacher, ol Dunedin, and his wife, Hilda Emelia Sullivan, and the claim against Cleary's. Otago Bottle Stores, Ltd, was the sequel to a fatality at Macandrew Baj on April 20 when plaintiff’s son was killed by a motor lorry. The claim foi special damages was admitted by defendant company. After a retirement of 55 minutes the jury awarded special damages and £6OO general damages. £5OO to the plaintiff, Robert McKee Sullivan, and £lOO to the plaintiff. Hilda Emelia Sullivan. Judgment was entered accordingly with costs tc plaintiff.

Undelivered Letters. “Large numbers of letters posted in I New Zealand are being returned from the United Kingdom and other overseas countries marked ‘gone away.’ and the return of these by the Dead Letter Office to the senders is being hindered fin many cases by the absence of the : senders’ surnames and addresses,’’ said r the Postmaster-General, Mr Webb, last evening. “Even in ordinary times, the Post Office requests senders of all letI ters to show their surnames and addresses on the covers so that return to them is ensured in the event 1 of nondelivery. In war time, and particularly in the cases of letters to overseas addresses, the need for compliance with this respect is considerably greater. , Shortly after the outbreak of war. the censorship authorities stipulated that the name and address of the writer were to be shown on the back of the cover of every letter for overseas. Senders are strongly urged to write their full address (including surname) on their letters, preferably on the reverse side of the envelope," said the Minister.