LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Coal Mine Idle. The Linton (Southland) coal mine was idle on Monday and again yesterday. The stoppage of work was caused on Monday by truckers because the company refused their demand for additional payment over and above the present contract trucking rate recently fixed by the Coal Mines Council, stated a representative of the company. After a meeting of the men had been held, the truckers were agreeable to start work. However, it was then found that men at the screens had gone home without waiting for the decision of the meeting, and the mine was again idle yesterday. New Telephone Book. A new telephone list is being prepared of Auckland, and will probably be ready about the first week in April. As the list in use is dated June, 1941, the new list will save the information section of the department a great deal of work. Many changes of numbers in the interim have been necessary for technical reasons, and there are many numbers now in use which have never got into the book. The delay in the issue of the new book has been caused by the paper shortage. The department is providing boxes in which subscribers will be asked to place the old books, as the paper is valuable, and can be treated and used again. It is not yet known when it will be possible to issue a new book for Wellington.

Matriculation Candidates; At the Otago University Senate meeting yesterday objections were raised regarding the privilege extended to the Public Service Commissioner in securing the names and addresses of matriculation candidates while other people and bodies could not get this information. Mr Hogben proposed that no person or organisation should be given access to the lists. The scheme at present was for the Commissioner to send out circulars to all the successful candidates when the results were made public, setting out the conditions of appointment to the Public Service. The effect in some cases was that boys who had intended entering professions were induced to accept the security of the Public Service. The university was stultifying its own work by allowing potential students to be directed from the university in this way. Matriculation was not for such purposes as this. It was essentially an entrance examination for the university. The matter was referred to the executive coffimittee for consideration and action.