LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 May 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

National Savings. National savings receipts at the Masterton Post Office yesterday amounted to £275, making the total to date for the week £619. Sugar for Breweries. The supply of sugar to breweries, according to a statement made at the Labour Party’s conference in Wellington, has been cut by 50 per cent. In yesterday’s issue the figure was given as 5 per cent. Beach Cottage Gift, The Auckland R.S.A. gift to Mr J. W. Kendall, who has retired after 13 years as president, will be a new cottage and section at Muriwai Beach. A member of the association has offered to build the cottage free of cost, if transport of materials is arranged. A building fund to purchase the materials has been opened. Democratic Labour Candidates. Four additional recommendations as candidates for the Democratic Soldier Labour Party in the general election have been received. They are: C. M. Mills, Waitemata electorate; Mrs Clare Jowsey, Otahuhu electorate; Warrant-Officer II H. K. B. Ansley, Raglan electorate; Lawrence Allen Wheatley, Auckland Central electorate. Petrol Ration For May. An announcement that it had been decided by the War Cabinet that the petrol ration for private motorists during May would continue at the same rate as for some months past was made yesterday by the Minister ot Supply and Munitions, Mr Sullivan. Accordingly, Coupon No. 26 at half its face value will be available for this month. Poison for Rabbits. Regulations published yesterday under the Poisons Act enable the Minister of Health, on the request of the Minister of Agriculture, to authorise in writing the storing or selling of strychnine not packed in the regulation fluted bottles, provided the strychnine is subsequently sold or used for the poisoning of rabbits. The Minister of. Health, Mr Nordmeyer, said last evening that' the flutings required on poison bottles were intended to make them easily recognisable in the dark and in ordinary cases were a very necessary safeguard. Recently, after considerable delay, a shipment of strychnine had arrived and was urgently required for the poisoning of rabbits. This strychnine came from sources which had not supplied the Dominion before and was not packed in the usual way. Endeavours had been made to find enough fluted bottles for repacking the strychnine, but this had not been possible.

Tea and Sugar Allowances. It was announced yesterday by the Food and Rationing Controller, Mr J. E. Thomas, with the approval of the Minister of Supply and Munitions and the War Cabinet, that the following tea and sugar rations would apply in May:—Tea: Boz to each consumer against coupons Nos. 25 to 28 inclusive available during the calendar month of May, each coupon having a value of 2oz of tea. Sugar: 31b to each consumer, against coupons Nos. 25 to 28 inclusive, available during the calendar month of May, each coupon having a value of 12oz. Consumers had to re-register with a retailer for their sugar supplies before the end of April. Allowances to manufacturers remain the same as for April. “As there appears to be some confusion in regard to the marmalade or jam issue of 31b of sugar against the surrender of coupon No. 49, I wish again to make it clear that 31b is the total extra issue for the four months up to July 31 and may be collected only once during the period,” said Mr Thomas.

Strikers Resume Work. It was intimated yesterday that the flax and textile workers at Foxton who have been on strike over the differences in pay for operating two scutching machines which they claimed did identical work, would resume at midnight, but under protest, pending a settlement of the . dispute by negotiation. Interhouse Dance. The Wairarapa Interhouse Association held a well-attended dance in the Masonic Hall, Masterton, last night. Many New Zealand and visiting service men were present. The music was supplied by Mrs Ashton's orchestra, and Messrs L. Askew and J. Bruce were the M’s.C. Extras were played by Miss Corlett and Mr B. Parsons. A Monte Carlo waltz competition was won by Mr E. Compton and partner. Supper was served by the Interhouse girls. R. Control. The wholehearted welcome to men of the Second N.Z.E.F. to take a leading part in R.S.A. affairs was shown in the election of men who served in the present war to three out of four positions filled at the annual meeting of the Auckland branch on Thursday night. The voting revealed willingness on the part of the old “diggers” to give the younger men a large voice in the control of the organisation. Alleged Theft. The statement that charges involving over £lOOO were pending was made by Detective-Sergeant McLennan in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, when a remand till May 7 was granted by Mr A. M. Goulding, S. in the case of David James Bruce Howe, a salesman, aged 52, who was charged with having failed to account for £7 9s received on behalf of One Price Tailors, Ltd. Bail was allowed in one surety of £2OO. Sly Grog Seller Fined. Senior-Sergeant' Paine had a good word to say for defendant when Augustus Stephen Parsons was charged in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, before Mr A. M. Goulding, S.M., with having sold liquor without a licence. Commenting that defendant was fortunate That the police spoke well of him, the magistrate said he could not do less than impose a substantial penalty of £75, with 15s costs. An order was made for the confiscation of the liquor. Building Permits. The Masterton Borough Council issued five building permits in April, to an estimated value of £1964 (earthquake restoration work accounted for most of the amount), as compared with no permits for the corresponding month last year, when building restrictions were enforced. The total number of permits issued by the council over the past two decades (years 1924 to 1943, ending March 31, respectively), amount to 2396, for an estimated value of £1,049,224, irrespective of £lB,OOO for rebuilding and modernising four schools, and a further estimated sum of £170,000 for new dwellings erected by the State Housing Department up to the end of the previous financial year. Man and Wife Sent to Gaol. A European, David Briggs, and his wife, Edith Briggs, a Maori, both pleaded guilty in the Magistrates’ Court at Auckland yesterday to a charge of permitting premises they occupied at Parnell to be used as a house of ill-fame. They also admitted two further charges of supplying liquor to a female Native. The premises were described by the police as what is commonly known as a “rough house,” where drunken parties frequently commenced at 4 p.m. and continued till 2 a.m. The defendants, neither of whom had anything to say, were each sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour on the major charge, and convicted and discharged on the lesser counts.