LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21189, 12 August 1940, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Crowd at Rugby The value of the improvements at Rugby Park which have provided adequate accommodation for crowds was again demonstrated on Saturday when the Auckland-Waikato game was held. The gate takings at the match amounted to £164, which represented a fairly large crowd. School Terms Ending The Hamilton secondary and primary schools, with the exception of the Diocesan School, will break up for the August holidays on Friday, August 16. The Diocesan School will close the term on Thursday. The classes will be resumed on Monday, September 9. Excess Profits Tax in Australia Several important amendments to the Bill to impose war-time tax on excess company profits in Australia will be proposed by the Federal Government when the Bill reaches the committee stages in the House of Representatives this week. Opposition spokesmen said that the Labour Party would support the Bill. The tax is to be imposed on companies earning more than 8 per cent, on capital employed. The tax is a graduated one, commencing at 4 per cent., and increasing to a maximum of 60 per cent.

Petrol Station Hours The hours of petrol stations in Auckland city and adjacent areas as from next Monday are to be from 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on week-days, with an extension to 9 p.m. on Fridays, and with an all-day closing on Sundays. Exemption is given for the purpose of emergency supplies to three resellers, one in Grey’s Avenue, one in Shortland Street, and one at Takapuna. In addition, the two taxi companies received partial exemption for the supply of licensed taxidrivers, while two boat-building concerns are exempted in order to supply launch-ow r ners.

Camp at Wanganui An advance party of about 35 arrived in Wanganui last week to make ready for the establishment of a military camp on the racecourse. Officers and non-commissioned officers from three regiments will arrive this week and will be in camp by Thursday. Other ranks drawn from the three regiments will arrive about the end of the month, and the camp strength then will be between 700 and 800. The regiments are the Queen Alexandra Mounted Rifles Manawatu Mounted Rifles and the Wellington East Coast Mounted Rifles.

Glut of Market Following a favourable winter and increased crops provided during the past season, mangolds, pumpkins and hay are in over-supply in the Gisborne district and prices are only a fraction of the high rates of a year ago. There is practically no demand for field pumpkins and mangolds, and, whereas rates of £2 and £2 10s a ton were ruling last year, it is difficult to secure 10s a ton at present. Baled hay is similarly available at a very low figure compared with the 6s and 7s a bale demanded a year ago, and good quality hay is selling at 2s a bale.

Land Revaluation The fact that some Crown lessees, who had recevied relief under the mortgage legislation, had now been deprived of that relief as a result of the revaluation of their properties by officers of the Lands Department was mentioned to the Minister of Lands, the Hon. F. Langstone, in an interview in Gisborne. It had been claimed by settlers that the department should have been prepared to accept the values fixed by the mortgage commission and the Court of Review, instead of which it was found that rentals were restored to their former levels and in some cases were even higher than before the mortgage adjustment. The Minister explained that the valuation officers of the department were bound to fix what they considered the true values. If settlers felt they had a grievance they had a right to have the values determined by an independent authority and any mistakes made would be rectified.