Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 129, 14 July 1941, Page 4

Local and General

Petrol Price Rises. TJie price of petrol was increased by one penny on Friday last, being now 2/1034 d per gallon. Gave Alarm ; Died. A fire, which destroyed the farm home of Mr A. Balmer, of Pohangina, was attended by, the sudden death of Mr James Andrew Nairn, aged 70, of Koliuratahi, Taranaki. While passing, Mr Nairn saw the flames and rushed inside and warned two children. He collapsed, however, and died. Mr Balmer was in Palmerston North at the time.

Value of Gold'. "I, should like to feel assured,' 1 said the chairman, Mr H„ L. Gill, at the annual meeting of the Nokomai Gold Mining Company, Ltd., "that the' Government is fully alive to the potential value of gold. Armaments and munitions are to-day costing millions of pounds, and it may well be that the Empire gold resources will prove one of the decisive factors in our final victory." It wa* disappointing, Mr Gill added, that the Government has seen fit to retain so largei a portion of the in crease in the price of gold. Mining companies were now paying something like 30s an ounce in taxation.

Men Returning. Sixteen men in the Paeroa Military Area who have been invalided home because of sickness or wounds, are expected to arrive at their homes In the course of the next two days. Three Gpotiki men are included in this number, these being Messrs E. L\ Day. H. Tawhai and J. R. Parkei The Home Guarcf. The numerical strength of the Home Guard in Tauranga has now reached 16-14, according to the latest returns that have been made available to the Bay of Plenty Times. The total membership for the Rotorua district is now 5764 made up as follows: —Tauranga, 16-14; Rotorua 1(537; Whakatane, 1605; Opotiki, 533; and. Taupo 345. Free Library Service. Support for the proposal that the facilities provided by the Country Library Service should be made available to the people of Tauranga was expressed by the Borough Council of that town. The council de< cided to approve the scheme, which j is to be referred to the Library Committee; for its consideration, after which the County Council will be consulted with the object of obtaining a subsidy ta enable the service to be made available to country readers. Physical Training 1 . The hope that physical training for young people would be extensively undertaken in the future was expressed by Mr F. A. Snell at the, Auckland Education Board meeting last week, when urging that the board be empowered to give subsidies for the provision of equipment at schools. "I hope that after the war it will be compulsory' for pupils after leaving siecondarv school? to undertake five years' phy-« J sical training," Tie stated. "One is impressed with the necessity for it when one looks round to-day." Seventh Day Adventist View. The attitude of members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in the event of an invasion of New Zea- ! land, was stated before No. 3 Armed Forces Appeal Board in Palmerston North by Mr S., Palmer, principal of that church's mission college at Longburn. "I think you will find," he told the board, "that Seventh Day Adventists will take all the risli? other people are asked to endure but they would not take up arms." Mr T. H. • B. Evans (member): "That means that you would just stand by." 1 Mr Palmer: "We would just stand by." He pointed out, however, that Seventh Day Adventists were willing to risk their lives in 'noncombatant work and make (inaricial sacrifices. Nearly Twins. When the. management committee of the Canterbury Football Association was discussing sundry grading complaintsi, several members complained that players seemed to have no idea of the y;ear of their birth. As chairman of the clas.siflcation committee, Mr G. Sanderson told the meeting how he asked one player, "How old is that brother of yours?" "Well, he's just about my age," said the brother. "We are! more or less twins. My brother was born two months after me." In the absence of evidence to the contrary, i the committee had to accept thp statement, one member suggesting [ that it was no part of the associaj tion's duty to inquire into biologi- [ cal miracles (alleged).