LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20510, 28 May 1938, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Club Resuscitated. —Resuscitation of the New Plymouth Savage Club was decided on at a meeting attended by over 60 men.

Lower Hutt Election. —The application for a recount in the election of councillors in the Lower Hutt Borough has failed, on the ground that it was lodged too late.

Alleged Forged Cheque. —A cheque for £4OO, alleged to have been forged, was cashed at the Bank of New South Wales, Suva. The police are investigating the matter.

Currency In London. —Fine gold was quoted in London yesterday at £7 0s 9d an ounce (the same as on Thursday), the dollar at 4.94 3-8 (4.94 1-8) and the franc at 178$ (178$).

Highway Reopened. —The NapierGisborne highway, which had been closed since the floods on April 25, has been reopened. For the first time since the flood a service car was run northward from Napier to Wairoa, and it connected with a Gisborne car there.

Death of Authoress. —Following internal injuries sustained when she was kicked by a horse on Wednesday, the death has occurred of Miss Elizabeth Mary Guiney, aged 38, of Howick. She was well known in New Zealand and Australia as a writer of verse and short stories.

Bicycle Thefts. —Stated to have stolen bicycles in Hamilton, Penrose and Auckland, Roy Albert Fletcher (17) pleaded guilty in the Auckland Police Court yesterday to five charges of stealing bicycles, and also to obtaining 12s credit by fraud. The magistrate remanded accused till next Friday and ordered the return of the cycles.

200 Workers Dismissed.—Whakatane Paper Mills, Ltd., in pursuance of a policy to slow down operations at the buildings at Whakatane, as it is not expected production will commence until February instead of August as contemplated* has reduced the staff from 250 to 50. The dismissed men include skilled and unskilled workers.

Social Hygiene. —A number of recommendations are to be made to Parliament by the Dominion conference on the problem of criminal abortion, which met at Wellington yesterday. The recommendations cover such matters as sex education of children and parents, family spacing, concessions to parents in respect of children, and domestic assistance for mothers.

Egg Marketing.— A move to organise the' Wellington egg market has been made by several distributors at a meeting convened by Mr C. G. Fox, of Ihc Internal Marketing Department. For some time the need for control of prices on the market has been felt by distributors, and the unsatisfactory movement of the market during the past few months has biought definite action.

Electrified Fences. —A recent report that the Franklin Electric-Power Board had approved of electric fences for stock was commented upon by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, yesterday. The Minister said that his department was not yet satisfied as to the safety of fences charged with electricity and it was unlikely that such fences operated from power mains would be permitted for some time.

Australian Wool Exports.—The value of Australian wool exports for the 10 months ended April was lower by £14,366,000 than for the corresponding period of the previous trade year. Exports during the period amounted to 2,072,966 bales, valued at £36,384.394 in Australian currency, compared with 2,310,876 bales, valued at £50,750,823, exported in the corresponding period last year.

Oil on West Coast. —Natural seepages of oil have been found near the township of Kotuku, 21 miles southeast of Gre'ymouth. Thick black crude oil is bubbling from the ground and a prospecting programme will soon be commenced. Although prospecting for oil by a Government party of three men was commenced last year in an area of many square miles near Kotuku, little or no publicity has been given to their work.

Poisonous Snake. —The snake found on Mahia Peninsula last week has been identified by the Wellington Museum authorities as a common yellow bellied sea snake, known as pelamis platurus. It is mortally venomous to man, and is believed to be found off the northern coasts of New Zealand all the year round, though It is by no means common. There have been ten other records of specimens of the snake being found ashore.

Loan Offer Accepted.— An offer by the Invercargill Savings Bank to lend the Invercargill City Council at 3$ per cent interest .money required for its works programme for the first year, £55,000, was accepted by the council at a special emergency meeting last evening. It was agreed also that the Savings Bank should be given the first opporlunity of lending the money required for the remaining two years of the term of office of the council. The amount of money required, including the £55,000 for the first year, is £117,500.

More Railcars. —Six new railcars of a standard type are under construction in the Hutt railway workshops. They are being built with all-steel bodies, and, will contain many improvements.

British Treasury Bills. —The total amount applied for in tenders for £4 5,000,000 worth of British Treasury Bills was £69,025,000. The average per cent for Bills at three months was 10/9.37, against 10/1.11 a week ago.

Swords of Sovereigns.— A cable message from London states that the King has deposited in the armouries of the Tower of London six swords which belonged to Sovereigns from George II to Ge'orge V.

Royal Show In 1940. —A remit suggesting that a Royal Show be held at Wellington during the celebration of the New Zealand Centennial in 1940 was adopted for submission to the Royal Agricultural Society by the Southern District Council of the society yesterday.

Minor Collision. —During the height of the race traffic to-day a collision occurred at the intersection of Bridge and Victoria streets between a light van and a truck. Little damage was done and neither driver was hurt, though for a time traffic became congested at each end of the bridge.

Captain Cook’s Crockery.—Believed to have been used by Captain James Cook on the Endeavour in his voyage of discovery to New Zealand, a cup and saucer of blue and white porcelain have been received by the Dominion Museum. The articles were presented by Mr John L. Mercer, of East Preton, Sussex.

Boclal Security. —The Government’s social security proposals are to be the subject of a referendum of members of the Wellington Clerical Workers’ Industrial Union. That a division of opinion exists on the executive is revealed in a circular letter heading the voting paper which has been sent to members.

Builder’s Labourer, son of Viscount. —Described in a receiving order as a builder’s labourer, the Hon. Francis Southwell, aged 38, second son of Viscount Southwell, will not be declared bankrupt. He told the first meeting of his creditors in Birmingham that his debts, amounting to £2ll, would be paid in full.

Touring Libraries.—The two country library service book vans are nearing completion at the railway workshops at Wellington and will enter service on Wednesday. The opening ceremony for the service will be performed at Parliament Buildings on Monday. One van will tour the South Island and the other the North Island.

Father and Bon Charged.—At Ashburton yesterday Samuel Joseph Beaven and 'his son William Gordon Beaven, were charged with sheepstealing. TJie son was admitted to two years’ probation and the father was remanded till June 10. Evidence was given by three men recently convicted of sheep-stealing that the son accompanied them on one occasion. Two of the men also gave evidence against the father, who was charged with stealing two sheep in 1936.

Sustenance Fraud.—At Auckland yesterday Ow • '’••rber was fined £SO for making * statement to the

Labour Dop I. thereby obtaining £O9 in sust«*i>;'in*c and payments to which be was not entitled- The evidence showed that Mrs Barber had been working in a laundry and earned considerable money, and owned property valued at £7OO, which facts Barber did not disclose. He declared that he did not know his wife was working, a statement which Mrs Barber supported. “ I do not believe it is possible for a man to know nothing of his wife’s earnings, but I am not going to send a man to gaol for getting into trouble through a wife who is prepared to make money out of his lies,” said Mr C. R. Orr Walker, S.M., in imposing the fine.