LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 October 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Labour Caucus. A caucus of members of the Parliamentary Labour Party is to be held in Wellington next Wednesday. Capitation Grants. Steps are being taken by the Wellington Education Board to re-open the question of securing from the Government a sufficiently large capitation grant to permit of the payment of award rates of pay to school caretakers, without imposing such a heavy financial burden on school committees, who are required to find in addition, sufficient funds for other requirements. The matter was discussed by the Education Board yesterday when the chairman, Mr W. V. Dyer, said that to give effect to this meant a very large sum of money, but not more than was justified. Christian Teaching in Schools.

“The Wanganui Education Board would be failing in its duty if it did not give the authorities a lead by urging legislation for the teaching of Christian principles in schools,” said the chairman, Mr E. F. Hemingway, Patea, when moving the following motion at the board’s meeting yesterday: “That this board, realising to the full the words of Mr Winston Churchill that the Christian faith is the rock on which the British character has been built, strongly urges the Prime Minister to include in the proposed Education Amendment Act a clause making the teaching of the principles of Christianity an integral part of the school syllabus.” The motion was carried.

Injured Man Awarded Damages. A retirement of only 10 minutes was required by a jury in the Supreme Court, Wellington, yesterday to find for plaintiff in a claim for damages and to fix the amount, £990 12s 6d. Plaintiff was Victor Furniss, machinist, and defendant the Clyde Chair Co., Ltd., 14 Ebor Street, Wellington. Plaintiff alleged that on October 5, 1942, while he was employed in the company’s factory a bale of sawdust was negligently dropped from an upper floor on his head and he received a sprained ankle, sprained neck and shoulder, concussion and injury to his nervous system. He was still totally disabled and might be permanently partially disabled. He claimed £240 12s 6d special damages and £l2OO general damages.

Worst Enemy of Trout. The council of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society at its meeting last night received a letter from Mr K. R. Davson, Moonshine, in which he stated, in referring to trout and their enemies, that he considered the worst to be seagulls. In the last season, during the dry spell, he had come across numerous trout of from lib to 31b with their eyes and insides torn out, and the rest of the fish left to rot—the work of gulls. In commenting on the letter, the chairman, Mr D. J. Gibbs, said he knew from experience that the black-backed sea-gull wrought havoc among trout. Last season he had seen a gull take a 2|lb fish from a stream and drop it on rocks, where he had picked it up. The gull had followed him for some time, flying at’ him, and he had been forced to beat it off with a stick.

Trafalgar Day. Flags were flown on Government buildings in Masterton today in honour of Trafalgar Day. Price of New Potatoes. The price for full-sized new potatoes from Pukekohe this month at the Wellington markets is 3fd pei- lb in cental bags. In most of the retail shops these potatoes are sold at s>>d or 6d per lb. High Prices for Tomatoes. Some remarkable prices have been obtained in Wellington this year for hothouse tomatoes. Last week saw one line from Nelson realise 3s 6d pci’ lb at the markets, and yesterday a small line from the same quarter brought 2s lOd per lb. Island tomatoes have faded out for the time being. The last lot which came under the hammer was in poor condition by the time it reached the market, and prices reflected the lack of firmness.

Invercargill Licensing Poll. Considerable interest is being shown throughout the Dominion in the Invercargill licensing poll, but it is not expected that the result will be available for some days, as overseas officials have been dealing with electoral results among the services before going on to the licensing issue. The estimate of servicemen's votes in the licensing poll has increased and it is thought there are about 1660 to be counted, as that number of soldiers’ votes was recorded on the Invercargill electoral poll. The official count showed a majority for restoration of 1860, but this was 322 short of the required three-fifths majority. Fines for False Statements. The first prosecutions brought in Auckland under the new regulations governing the hire of taxi-cabs were heard yesterday before Mr F. H. Levien, S.M. Defendants were Owen Stanaway, waterside worker, and Leslie Joseph Power, soldier. Both men were charged with making false statements and deceiving a taxi telephone operator in order to procure a taxi. In each case it was stated that defendants represented that the cabs were required in connection with maternity cases. Fining each man £2 10s and costs, the magistrate said that in future the fines would be considerably heavier. Land Sales Act. There has still been no announcement of the personnel of the Land Sales Court (apart from the judge) and the committees provided for in the Land Sales Act, which came into force last Monday, nor have any details as to procedure yet been issued. The delay is thought to be because one or two committees have not been completed. Though they are anxiously awaiting this information, land agents in Wellington do not suggest that any serious inconvenience has yet been caused, though there may be some delay in the completion of transactions concerning empty houses, the transfer of which has hitherto been possible in about one week. It is known that some offers to sell and buy have been signed since the Act came into force, but these arc subject to the provisions of the Act: that is, they cannot be completed except with the concurrence of the land sales committee of the district. The market, however, is quieter than before the Act came into force,