LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 December 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sweltered in Heat. Central Hawke’s Bay sweltered in heat yesterday, the maximum temperature being 84 degrees, which was maintained for some hours. Street Appeal . A street appeal was made in Masterton today on behalf of the British Sailors’ Society, which is conducting a campaign to raise funds to provide a hostel in Wellington for men of - the merchant navy. A, good response by the public was reported. Throughout the world, branches of the British Sailors’ Society operate hostels for the men of the Merchant Navy, and it is stated that a hostel is urgently needed in Wellington. The objective is £30.000. Theft of Ammunition.

“If you had been a regular soldier or had been in the Army for any considerable time there would have been only one thing for me to do, send you to gaol for a considerable time,” said Mr W. H. Woodward, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court, Eltham, yesterday, to Ivan Daniel Leo Castle, a soldier released from camp, who admitted the theft of 1000 rounds of ammunition valued at £l2 5s from Trentham Military Camp. Castle was fined £l5.

Warning to Students. I A warning that if there was any evidence that young persons were attending full-time university courses to escape their obligations for national service, action would be taken to deal with the situation, was given yesterday by the Minister of National Service, Mr McLagan.- He said that the question of fixing quotas limiting the number of students that could attend full-time university courses had been considered by War Cabinet, and in the meantime it had been decided not to apply quotas. Order Modified.

The scope of the order declaring restaurants and eating-houses to be an essential industry is modified by an amendment gazetted yesterday. The Minister of Industrial Manpower, Mr McLagan, said that the intention had been to protect the provision of meals and this was a particularly necessaiy measure when so many people were working under conditions which necessitated meals away from home. It had been considered, however, that the present coverage was unduly wide for this purpose, and consequently the declaration had been amended so as to cover only those concerns which were providing proper meal facilities to the working public.

Fined for Not Joining Union. What is believed to be the first case of its kind in the Dominion was heard when a taxi driver was fined in the Palmerston North Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for not having joined a union when requested to do so by an officer of the union. The prosecution was laid under an amendment of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. passed last session, making a worker equally liable. Previously only the employer could be proceeded against for employing a non-unionist. Under that condition if a worker still refused to join his union the only alternative was to dismiss him. Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., imposed a nominal fine of 10s, the departmental representative, Mr C. P. Collins, stating that the driver had since'joined the union and the department had brought the case as a warning to other workers. The employer was also fined 10s for employing a non-unionist.

Sugar for Jam Making. Some misapprehension seems to exist about the quantity of sugar for jam-making at present allowed. The position is that the Y2 coupon on sheet 11 of the current ration book can be redeemed for 31b. of sugar at any time up to December 24. The period of availability of this coupon began on November 1.

Dunedin Rabbitskin Sale. At the Dunedin rabbitskin sale on Tuesday approximately 36 tons were submitted. All grades met good competition, with complete clearances. Values, as compared with the rates ruling in November, were slightly easier, and the prices paid, together with the subsidy on milky does and smalls (unmarketable skins), were entirely satisfactory. Gaol Sentence to Stand.

Mrs Clara Hallam, sentenced to three months’ gaol and fined £lOO by Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., on September 23, for allowing premises in Abel Smith Street, Wellington, to be used as _ u house of ill-fame, had the fine remitted by Mr Justice Smith in the Supreme Court, Wellington, yesterday. The sentence is to stand. She was ordered to pay 15 guineas costs on her appeal. Auckland Wool Appraisal. For wool submitted at the second appraisal of the Auckland season growers will receive £312,888, which compares with £271,722 for the corresponding fixture in 1942. The average price per pound shows a slight increase over the average of a year ago. Details (figures for the correspondingappraisal in 1942 in parentheses) are: Bales appraised, 15,820 (13,850); total ■ value, £312,888 (£271,722); average price per bale, £l9 15s 7d (£l9 12s sd); average price per lb., 13.73 d (13.63 d Bigamist Sent to Gaol. * A sentence of two years’ imprisonment, for bigamy committed at Whakatane, was imposed by Mr Justice Fair at Auckland yesterday, on Cecil Walter Stanton, aged 35. The judge said the probation officer’s report showed that except for a short period the prisoner did not maintain either of the .women he married, but spent his money on himself and wrecked the lives of the women involved with him. It appeared that he seduced a girl and went through a form of marriage with her. He was due to go overseas, but the Army was better without men of his type. Exemplary punishment must be inflicted. Waterfront Hours of Work. The waterfront situation was discussed with representatives of the Waterside Workers’ Federation yesterday by the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, who stated in an interview last evening that he had pointed out to them that the curtailment of working hours on the Wellington waterfront reported in the Press met with the complete disapproval of the Government. Ho said the published paragraph was the reflection of a misunderstanding, which would be rectified in the very near future, while work would continue as in the past. Mr Webb said that while the war situation looked better it would !be pure folly for the people of New Zealand to relax their war effort in any way at the present time. More work and more production was needed. Had it not been for the great efforts of the British people and those of the people of America and Russia, New Zealand might by now have been dominated by a foreign Power with a foreign language spoken here and a foreign standard of living.