Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 221, 4 October 1940, Page 4

Local and General

First Offender Charged. Charged Avithbeing found drunk in a public place, a first offender appeared before Mr J. G. Mulholland, J.l\, in the Police Court on Wednesday morning and, pleading guilty, was fined 10s. Newspaper Publication Affected. Owing to the ballot for Territorial service reducing the staff, the "Opotiki News'' is compelled to become a bi-weekly publication instead of n tri-weekly: It Avas stated in the latest issue that this step Avould be necessary only as a temporary measure and it Avas hoped to resume the tri-weekly rate in about three months time. Football on Saturday. Attention is draAvn to the advertisement in to-day's issue advising that Tl Rugby football game Avill be staged on the Domain on Saturday between teams representing the Maoris at Papaltura Military Camp and the Wliakatane Maoris. Scheduled for a 2 o'clock sfart, a collection will be made during the course of the game. A social and dance Avill be held in the evening in the Paroa Hall. Some Inconvenience. The recent decision of the servicestation proprietors to regulate the hours of attendance in Whakatane, Avas the cause of some inconvenience to an Opotiki motorist last evening. Arriving in the town after 6 p.m. he was unfortunate enough to puncture a tyre and as he had already used his spare and did not have the necessary repair outfit in the car he made the round of the service stations. At about 7 p.m., after much Avandering, he secured the loan of a repair outfit and continued his journey at 8 p.m. Indecent Language Charge. At Opotiki on Monday, before Messrs J. T. Merry and C. Pipe, J.P.'s, Mate Mokomoko Avas charged with being found drunk in- Main Street, and also Avith using indecent language. The Bench took a serious vieAA' of the second charge.-On the first charge defendant Avas convicted and discharged after consenting to the issue of a prohibition order against himseM, and on the second charge he AA r as convicted and fined Chocolate fo ; r the Troops. It Avas stated at Wednesday's meeting of the Inter-Zone Patriotic Committee that where chocolate sent to the troops in figypt Avas not adequately protected it usually arrived in crumbs. One delegate said his committee had found that one of the best methods Avas to Avrap the parcel of chocolate in an insulating cover of Avoollen goods. Other delegates said that the method adopted by the committees, that of despatching the chocolate in sealed tins, ensured its arrival in Egypt in good condition.

Strong Exception. Strong exception to the proposed excess profits tax as it would affect farmers was voiced at a meeting of the Whatawhata branch of the New ZealVind Farmers' Union, Several speakers declared that the farmers appeared "fair game for everybody'; and that it was time they organise!] on national lines. In objecting to the proposed excess profits tax one speaker said it would be a tax on energy. Another speaker referred with feeling to the position of the farmers, saying that it was time the farmers organised themselves on lines as strong as the various unions. If the farmers formed a strong union they might have the chance of receiving the same treatment as the J freezing workers, miners and watersiders.