LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 September 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Drilling For Oil. The New Zealand Petroleum Company reports that the Morere well is down to 6155 feet and the Alidhirst well to 8615 feet with no change in the formation at either location. Victoria College Terms. The Victoria University College Council has fixed the following terms for 1942, the dates being inclusive: — First term, Alarch 2 to May 2; second term, May 25 to August 22; third term, September 7 to October 10. Bank Clerk’s Sudden Death. Bruce Courtenay Bush, bank clerk, a single man, aged 20, collapsed and died in Sydney Street East, Wellington, at 5.30 p.m. yesterday. Death is believed to have been caused by heart failure as he was known to have been suffering from asthma. “Cobweb Social.” The “cobweb social” organised by Mrs Major Dick, of the Salvation Army and members of the Home League, in aid of the Self Denial Appeal, was very successful and enjoyable. The programme was presented by members of the League and visiting friends. Major Dick occupied the chair. Woman Bigamist. An extraordinary story of a young woman’s adventure in marriage was unfolded in the Auckland Alagistrate’s Court yesterday, when Dorothy Aluriel Christensen, aged 27, pleaded guilty to two charges of bigamy and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Two men with whom she admitted having gone through a form of marriage were each also charged with committing bigamy. One pleaded not guilty and was committed for trial; the other, to whom she was legally married only last Monday, is not to go for trial, the magistrate, Mr Hunt, dismissing the charge against him. Back-Country Roads. But for .the war, the Government’s five-year plan to provide roading for back-country settlers would have been completed, said the Minister of Railways, Mr Semple, replying during the debate bn the Public Works statement in the House of Representatives yesterday to criticism by Mr Dickie (Opposition, Patea) of Government expenditure on highways. The plan, said Mr Semple, called for the construction of 6711 miles of roading. When the war began 3401 miles had been completed and 2145 miles formed, and in addition 48.395 lineal feet of bridges had been built.

Employment of Apprentices. Under the Labour Legislation Suspension Order gazetted this week the electrical industry in the Northern, Wellington and Canterbury Industrial Districts is permitted to employ apprentices in excess of existing prescribed proportion of apprentices to journeymen. Applications for increas-, ing the proportion of apprentices are to be made to the Apprentices Committee, which will grant them unless there is proof of insufficient work available, or inadequate training facilities. There is the right of appeal to the Minister of Labour whose decision shall be final. It is stipulated that the proportion of apprentices to journeymen must not exceed one to one. and that employers must have had at least one qualified journeyman employed Tor two-thirds full time for six months preceding the application.

Territorials Fined. Five territorial soldiers were charged in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court yesterday with having failed to attend training parades of their units. The charges were the first to be heard in Auckland under the recent regulations making attendance compulsory and providing for the penalties of up to £25 or three months’ imprisonment. Fines ranging from £1 to £5 were imposed. The Licensing Laws. Mi’ R. M. Watson, at a farewell gathering on his last visit to Taumarunui before his retirement from the magistracy, said he had been dealing with sly grog cases here for 15 years. He could say it was time amendments were introduced into the licensing laws in the King Country as they had created a thoroughly unsatisfactory situation. He hoped the authorities would not leave the matter much longer in abeyance. Public Works Estimates. With a thin attendance at times, the House of Representatives spent the whole of yesterday in discussing the Public Works Statement. The debate lasted until 5.25 p.m., but the Public Works Estimates were passed without discussion in less than five minutes. The first of the end-of-session wash-ing-up Bills, a Local Legislation Bill, made its appearance immediately before the adjournment, and was read a first time. The House rose at 5.41 p.m. till 2.30 on Tuesday afternoon. Price of Woolpacks. An announcement that he ■ expected that it would be possible to reduce the price of New Zealand woolpacks by several pence each this year was made by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr Sullivan, during the debate on the Public Works statement in the House of Representatives yester-l day. "Ultimately, when we get all the I modern machinery we require, I be-1 lieve we will be able to compete with I any country in the world in the production of woolpacks,” the Minister added. Home to be Closed. After being in continuous operation since 1920, the Evelyn Firth Home in Parnell (Auckland) is to be closed, according to a decision of the Great War Funds Administrative Committee. The chairman, Sir James Gunson, .reported that there were only three patients at the home who could be regarded as being permanently disabled through war service. Of 15 patients in the home one was first admitted when the] home opened. Twelve of the patients, were more or less invalids, but by no; means the type of case for which the home was originally provided. The present weekly expenditure was £62, of which the Government found £45. Measles and Mumps Prevalent. Measles and mumps are reported by medical officers in Wellington to be very prevalent at present. The cases of measles are practically all of the German type. Both measles and mumps are stated to have been fairly common in the military camps at Trentham. Waiouru, Foxton, and Wanganui. Though the Trentham racecourse hospital has been open only for intermittent periods since November, 1939, soldier patients numbering 2600 have been treated there, and in less than four months there have been 510 cases of measles and mumps admitted. There has been no influenza, comparatively speaking, this winter, but the experience of the past two years has; shown that it makes itself particularly | manifest in October and November.