West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Saturday 22 January 1949, page 2


NEWS AND NOTES Higher Temperatures: Today's weather forecast for the metropolitan area is: "Fine with higher temperatures .and moderate to fresh easterly winds. Estimated maximum temperature, 91deg. Yesterday's maximum temperature was 86.3deg. and the minimum 59.4deg. Radio Control: Members of the Broadcasting Board, which will control Australian broadcasting, may be appointed by the Federal Cabinet next Thursday. A long list of applications will be considered by a Cabinet sub-committee on Thursday morning and if recommendations are complete they will be placed before the full Cabinet. One member is certain to be a technical officer from the Postmaster-General's Department. Fire Brigade's Tour: Permission has been granted to the Bassendean Volunteer Fire Brigade, the Champion brigade of the State, to compete in the Victorian Fire Brigades demonstratiqn at Ballarat during the first week of March. The brigade, which won the championship at the Victorian demonstration last year, and hopes to repeat that performance, will compete against several other brigades at a demonstration to be held at Bassendean on January 30.River River Control: After discussion yesterday of a letter from the Perth Road Board, the Swan Road Board 'decided to support .a recommendation of the River Pollution Committee that the. Government be requested to introduce legislation during the next session of Parliament to set up a statutory body with similar powers to those of the Thames Conservancy Board in England, to control the Swan, Helena and Canning Rivers. It also agreed to contribute £5 to the Perth Road Board's incidental and administrative expenses in connection with this move. Road Safety Speeds: Replying to a letter from the Swan Road Board challenging the safety of the speed limit of 40 miles an hour for motor vehicles on the Great Northern-highway -from the boundary of the metropolitan area to Bullsbrook, the chairman of the Traffic Advisg Committee (Mr. R. Rattsy) said that members of the committee regarded this speed on the highway as not excessive for inotor cars. The speed limits laid down by the traffic regulations for heavy mtopr trucks, however, should not be exceeded and the board's traffic inspector should be instructed to apprehend drivers who contravened them. W.A. Whallng: The Federal Government intends to proceed with plans for the development of off-shore whaling on the West Australian coast. It was disclosed in Canberra yesterday that the Prime Minister had further talks recently with Capt. A. Melsom, the Norwegian whaling expert brought to Austr4lia by the Federal Government to survey prospects for the development of a permanent Australian deep-sea and off-shore whaling industry. His report will be examined soon by a Cabinet sub-committee. The Government has not abandoned the project for the establishment of a deep sea industry based on Tasmania, but a mother shipf has to be obtained first. The Government has been informed that it would be four or five years before a mother ship could be built in Britain. No order has been placed pending the outcome of negotiations to Obtain a mother ship from Japan's repa'ations.