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Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 25, 27 December 1932, Page 6

Members of 320 families of Hamilton relief workers received from the Waikato Social Welfare League a Christmas hamper. By 8 o’clock over 150 people had formed a long queue at the Winter Show Buildings. The hampers contained a plum pudding and groceries, and the funds for that purpose were publicly subscribed.

What is believed to be an unusually early local seasonal fruitage from an apricot tree has been obtained by a Palmerston North resident. The tree bore fruit this year for the first time, but the apricots have matured so rapidly that on Christmas Day a large quantity of perfectly ripe fruit was taken from the tree, which also has other fruit approaching ripeness. Deported by one resident of the district to have been the most severe he had seen there for 22 years, a vivid electrical storm, with frequent and brilliant flashes of lightning, passed over the Pohangina Valley on Saturday afternoon. Power lines were struck by lightning and considerable dnmage done, some transformers being blown clean out of their holders. The Mana-watu-Oroua Power Board’s staff spent all Christmas Eve repairing the damage. During excavations at Chester (England) a Roman amphitheatre was discovered. Writing to the Chester Archaeological Society, the Prime Minister of England said: —“I understand that there is every indication that scientific excavation will reveal an outstanding monument of Roman civilisation. The unexpected discovery of this structure offers us an invaluable addition to our historic inheritance, and I hope that the society’s appeal will continue to meet-with a generous response. The Amphitheatre appeal fund now totals £SOOO. In the opinion of Sir Edward Grigg, late Governor of Kenya Colony, the League of Nations will be obliged to xook to the British Empire for its security instead of the Empire depending on the League. We had to iaco the fact, he said, that the League of Nations, to which we looked for security and peace, was showing very serious signs of strain. While at first it was supposed that the Empire could depend on the League, it iwould soon appear that the League depended on the Empire. Only the effects of a solid group such as the Empire might compose within the League could give it anything Hire the security and strength it required to tide over the present period of tension in Europe and elsewhere.

There’s never any need to pay high prices for eggs. The economical housewife always preserves a goodly supply while they are cheap with Sharland’s “Moa" Brand Egg Preservative. Keeps eggs fresh for months. —Advt.

Only 108 bankruptcies have been filed in the Auckland district in the past year, 24 fewer than in 1931, and 42 fewer than in 1930.

Permits were issued by the Auckland City Council for the year for buildings to the value of £264,247, an increase of £33,000, compared with 1931. After three unsuccessful efforts during the past two months, thieves broke into Mr It. Lomas’ store at Hikurangi on a recent evening and took about £IOO worth of goods. A remarkable recovery to health after suffering a broken back has been the good fortune of Mr It. L. Hughes, of Tiratu, near Dannevirke, who met with an accident while hunting about seven months ago. Grave doubts were at first entertained as to the possibility of his recovery, but after six months’ massage while being in plaster of paris, Mr Hughes has almost completely recovered and was able to walk about at his home on Christmas Day.

Last month when the fast British liners were tied up to the quay at Southampton for the purpose of undergoing overhaul, British mails for America were carried in German ships. Throughout the present winter in England all the British liners will bo off the service for varying periods and there will be other breaks in the joint service, but both the United States Lines and the North German Lloyd are maintaining their big and fast ships in service. Mr John Edmond, of Surry Hills, Sydney, gave expression to the seasonal feelings of goodwill in a manner that brightened the lives of a number of young folk (says the Otago Daily Times). He forwarded a donation to the secretary of the Presbyterian Social Service Association in Dunedin (Mr J. B. Brugh) which enabled a Christmas gift to be made to every child under the care of the association. At the present time the association has 66 children in its charge.

The monoplane ACX, piloted by Sir Bruce Stewart, arrived at Milson aerodrome from Ashburton shortly before dusk last evening. The two passengers on board proceeded on to Auckland by the Limited express later in the evening. This morning another passenger who had arrived from the south by the ferry steamer was picked up and the ’plane left for Auckland at noon. The machine lias sufficient tank capacity to travel if necessary from Christchurch to Auckland without refuelling.

The new Apprentices Bill, which was postponed to be dealt with during the adjourned session of Parliament next year, is not viewed with enthusiasm by employers. “There will be too many eontrolling authorities if the Bill becomes law,” said Mr S. E. Wright, secretary of the Auckland Employers’ Association, on Monday. He pointed out that there would be six authorities' controlling apprenticeship matters, the apprenticeship council, the central registrar-, district registrars, apprenticeship committees, magistrates, and the Arbitration Court. Mi- Wright expressed the opinion that the apprenticeship committees should be abolished and that the authority of the Act should be carried by district registrars and magistrates, as in all apprenticeship matters, whether in taking on apprentices or dealing with cases- of friction between apprentice and employer, the quicker the case was dealt with the better. Mr Wright held that all the details of the Bill should bo simplified so that the apprenticeship contracts should bo as simple as possible, and that there should be more elasticity in them. In particular he suggested that there should be more elasticity in regard to the proportion of apprentices, and that they should be allotted to a shop according to its ability to teach and educate them rather than in fixed proportion to the numbers of workers engaged. The qualifications of individual shops could bo decided by the registrar, • with the assistance of the Labour Department, and in cases of dispute a magistrate should decide.