LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 December 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Post Office at Hamilton. Hamilton's new post office, which has just been completed at a cost of more than £70.000, was officially opened yesterday by the Postmaster-General. Mr. Webb. Parcels for Soldiers.

A Masterton soldier writes to a local resident that the parcels which soldiers like to receive in Egypt should contain cakes, properly sealed tins of mixed coffee and milk, tins of condensed milk, fruit, peas and asparagus. These being extras, are much appreciated by the soldiers and are difficult to get in Egypt.

Charge Against Motorist. Pleading not guilty in the Magistrates’ Court today to a charge of failing to stop after an accident and ascertain if any person was injured. George Clark was committed to the Supreme Court, Wanganui, for trial. Clark was also charged with driving in a manner which might have been dangerous to the public and without a warrant of fitness. To these charges he pleaded guilty, and the penalty was deferred.

Land for Settlement. A total of 1246 acres of coastal country fronting the west coast, about 10 miles south of Dargaville, has been acquired by the Crown for closer settlement. The land adjoins the southern boundary of another block which was acquired by the Crown for small farms about 1929. It is understood that the land will be into 100-acre blocks. All but about 250 acres is ploughable. Other blocks of similar country in the vicinity are under offer to the Crown.

Labour Shortage. Immediate action to assist in meeting the serious position in the building industry throughout the Dominion was urged by the Master Builders’ Association at a largely-attended meeting at Auckland yesterday. The meeting considered the extreme shortage of labour, particularly carpenters and general labourers, and unanimously resolved to approach the Prime Minister with a view to delaying further the calling up of skilled tradesmen for three months, the position to be reviewed at the end of February; also to urge, that skilled tradesmen now in camp be released for three months and that Mr. Wbb be-asked to arrange a conference next week with the trade unions concerned with a view to an extension of the working week, additional hours to be paid for on the basis of a flat rate.

Soldiers Injured in Accident. Six members of A Company (Wellington) New Zealand Scottish Regiment, encamped at Wanganui, were injured when a rental car in which they were travelling left the main road at Staple’s Corner, a mile south of Manakau, at 11.45 p.m. on Sunday. Those injured were: —Henry Robert Russell, company sergeant-major, severe cuts and bruises to the face and lips. He was the driver. James Geoffrey Anderson, Miramar, injured ribs. Thomas James Cannon, Willis Street, Wellington, injury to one forearm. Donald Harry Peat, Molesworth Street, Wellington, bruises. William Boyle, cuts to face and bruises. Samuel Holt, Johnsonville, bruises and shock. They were taken to the air station hospital at Weraroa. Yesterday some were taken to the Wanganui Public Hospital and the others returned to the camp at Wanganui.

Petrol Restrictions. Members of the executive of the Automobile Association (Wellington) agreed with their chairman, Mr. E. A. Batt, when he said at a meeting of the executive last night that he was not prepared at the present juncture to advocate further'a relaxation in the restrictions on the petrol consumption. Remarking that petrol restrictions, specially during the holidays, was a burning question among the association’s -members and motorists generally, the chairman said his own view was that very rapid changes were taking place in world affairs, specially in the Pacific, and there had been striking indications, particularly in the last week, that the enemy was at New Zealand’s door with raiders. It was his opinion that it was not for them to say any more about petrol while danger existed in the Pacific. It would be unfair to the defence of the country and against their own interests. Payment of Troops.

Aspects of the system adopted by tfle Government for the payment of NewZealand soldiers in Egypt were explained by the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, in an interview yesterday. He said that all such payments were charged to the New Zealand Government. “Arrangements have been made to borrow from the British Government the cost of maintaining our forces abroad, but the Government’s policy is to meet such cost from New Zealand as far as possible, and to use the borrowing arrangement for the balance only,” Mr. Jones said. He mentioned that a private soldier received 7s. 6d. a day, of which he was required to allot, before leaving New Zealand, 4s. 6d. a day. He could allot more if he chose, but must retain not less than 2s. a day for himself. Whatever sum the soldier elected to draw abroad he received free of exchange, New Zealand currency into sterling, the Minister added. If the amount was 35., then he was paid in Egyptian currency the equivalent of 3s. sterling.