LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 February 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Talk of General Election. The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Barclay, speaking at Hikurangi yesterday, said he was half expecting a General Election this year. If the war continued as at present, he thought it would be a good idea to have an election. Rotary Gathering. There is to be a Rotary “get-togeth-er” at Palmerston North on March 6 and 7. The district governor, Mr F. Hall-Jones, Invercargill, is to be present, so that to all intents and purposes the gathering will take the place in the North Island of the annual district conference. Taxi Stand Refused. An application from several taxi proprietors to have a stand in Queen Street from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. outside the taxi office opposite the Knox Church, was declined at last night’s meeting of the Masterton Borough Council. The Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, said that it was not the council’s policy to have taxi stands in Queen Street. Avalanche Tragedy. A finding that Albert David Jackson, schoolteacher, and Frederick Oswald Tozer, student, met their deaths on or about August 27 by suffocation when overwhelmed by a snow avalanche while alpine climbing in the Cass Valley was given by the coroner, Mr H. Morgan, at the conclusion of an adjourned inquest held at Timaru yesterday. Medical Students. Reconsideration of the restrictions placed on the number of students permitted to enter the medical course at the University of Otago is to be undertaken by a special sub-committee appointed by the Council of the University at its monthly meeting at Dunedin yesterday. It was pointed out during the meeting that the present output of approximately 100 students annually had been considered by officers of the Health Department three years ago to be sufficient to meet current and possible future needs of the Dominion, but that circumstances had now arisen which might suggest the need for a revision of the arrangements made on the previous understanding. It was also suggested that if the Medical School at Otago University could not cope with any possible demand for an increased number of students provision might be made for pre-clinical studies at other centres. War Damage Insurance. ' Two concessions in respect to war damage insurance charges will operate from March 1. Under the original War Damages Insurance Act policyholders have to pay premiums at the rate of 5s on £lOO or part of £lOO. Thus, the premium for property insured for £125 was 10s, the same as it would be for £2OO. From March 1 the basis of charging will be the same as for fire insurance, pro rata rates being introduced, with the result that the cost of war damage insurance on property valued at £125 will not be 10s but 6s 3d (5s plus Is 3d). The other concession, also to operate from March 1, relates to short-period policies. At present premiums on shortterm policies have to be paid for each month named in the proposal, the rate being 5d a month on £lOO. Thus, a policy for that sum for a period extending from February 1 to March 1 involves a charge of 10d, as for two full months. Under the new arrangement the charge for a similar period will be 5d only.