Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 137, 4 August 1941, Page 4

Local and General

Harbour Board Finance. At Friday's meeting of the Whakatane Harbour Board accounts totalling £692 16s Id were passed for payment. River Action. River action has been responsible lately for filling at the end of the new wharf falling away and at present workmen are engaged in building a wall to prevent such damage. Many Cows in Milk. Cows are coming to profit rapidly on farms in the Whakatane district, and it is not uncommon to hear local farmers with large herds relate thai they are now milking 70 or 80 cows, with more cows calving every day. Whakatane Wharfages. At Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board it Avas reported that wharfages for June amounted to £260 lis lid. In the same month of 1940 the total Avasi £261. 3s lOd, while in 1939, £327 4s Id was the tally. Gel It Both Ways. "If Ave let the Pig Council lapse ,ve Avill never get it started again," said Mr R. Dunning at Thursday's Farmers' Union meeting. "And if w r c go on it Avill lie sp successful thai the Government avill take it over.'' Help For Ohope. At Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board in a letter Mr F. Mahy, of Ohope, stated that already shipping companies operating at Whakotane had remitted freights to the extent of £12 on material obtafnieu for the construction of the SAvimnii.ng pool at Ohope. Launch Steps. Mr C. H. Brebner, consulting engineer, stated at Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board that the work at the launch steps had been completed. The ground Avas uoav being consolidated so lhat the concrete paih could be laid, Avhile shortly a start would be made in building the dressing sheds. Wrongly Situated'. "I don't think the baths are in the right place," said Mr G. A. Brabant Avhen the Ohope Learners' Pool was being discussed at Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board. He addject, that it appeared that the bath would lake up 100 much of the picniic ground Avliicli Avas not sufficiently large in the summer season.

Work at Old Wharf. When Avork completed at the oik! wharf site Avas being discussed at Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board members remarked tha;t the New Zealand Road Services had losl no time in using the area as a parking ground. "The only way to stop that is to put a rail up," commented a member. Never Mentioned. "It was stated in the House that the farmers were subsidised to the extent of £1,450,000 last year, but no mention was made anywhere of the F act that the secondary industries received an £8,000,000 subsidy—the farmers need some means of getting this information to the people of the Dominion,'" said as peaker at Uie Farmers' Union meeting on Thursday. Sea Erosion. Stating that erosion at the Heads had been extraordinary and unferseen, Mr C. H. Brcbner, consulting engineer to the Harbour Board, stated on Friday that the bed of Llie harbour had been dropping for some time and in particular lately. The bed had subsided nine feet and the sea wall had been fortified with additions, the Avail noAV being cxtencV ed beloAV the ordinary sea level so that there would be 110 chance of further erosion. Starlings on the Plains. Huge flocks of starlings are a feature of the bird life on the Rangitaiki Plains. Starlings gather in I flocks Avhere there are shelter belts, and perform manoeuvres like so many aircraft in a "blitz." Farmers value the starling as a friend because it keeps down the grass grub best, which ruins pastures in some parts of NeAv Zealand. It appears that the Whakatane district is Avell protected ■Jrom the grass grub or any other grubs by its strong force of starlings on the wing.

Generous Donation. A donation of £10 lias been received from Mr Neil Carter towards the local fund for soldiers* gifts. Work of Port Whakatane. At Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board the Harbourmaster reported that during June he had mado two fishing trips and in J-u7y had gone out on excursions on three occasions. The bar had been during July unworkable on three days whe i the Clansman and the Altair had been bar bound. "Always Be An England." Some idea of the interest' taken Ay many Americans in the outcome »f the Avar, is conveyed by the et> velope of a letter rcci-ived by a Wellington resident from a friend in the United States. On the address side r>f the envelope is printed the Union Jack and a bulldog, with the slogan 'There'll Always be an England" in red and. blue ink. The envelope was sealed with a sticker which was the map of Etngland in white on blue background, with a red scroll bearing the same slogan across the map. River Erosion. A letter from the Borough Council was received at Fridaj T 's meeting of the Whakatane Harbour Board pointing out that serious erosion was occurring at the end of Landing Road and asking the Board to take sonic action to prevent this. The chairman stated that some years ago when a similar position had arisen the Board had found that the responsibility was not its and he suggested thai together with other works the place where erosion is occurring be inspected by the Board when shortly he would arrange a tour.

Donation to Ohope Baths. At Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board a donation of £3 3s was made to the Ohope Swimming Pool. Mr Mahy had written asking for free wharfages for materials usee for the pool, and members fell that a better suggestion would be to charge wharfages but make a donation. The figure mentioned will be less wharfages already given gratis. The first arrangement of the Board was that the Board would waiye wharfages where freight was also not charged, but this lapsed as shipping companies were making n partial charge. Need for Unity. "The organisations of other section of the community: appear to have as a slogan 'organise, educate (ind agitate'—we should take a tip from that," said Mr F. E'-> Carter. Farmers' Union Area Officer at the Edgecumbe meeting on Thursday. He stressed the need for not only members of executives getting to the bottom of farming troubles, but the urgent necessity that all farmers learned the position and did not receive their "education" at the hands of others whose interests differed. "Let us get unity in our own ranks first," he said. "Blood and Honour." An "exhibit" in the indictment against Nazism is on view in a shop window in Auckland. It is one of the sheath-knives; that are presented to small German boys as insignia of their membership in the Hitler Youth. On the handle is an enamelled plaque of the swastika against a background of red and white, and the blade bears the mot'to, "Blut and Elire" (Blood and Honour) etched in script. Perhaps the best commentary on such Nazi slogans was made by an English writer before the war: "In Germany, 'honour' is something that only concerns what people do to you, not what you do to them." "O.K. Boss, Cherrio!" 1 The decorum of a sitting of the Christchurch Armed Forces Appeal Board was upset by a well-meaning, carefree reservist. In his evidence he referred to the "Terries" and introduced other popular slang expressions, but the masterpiece was as he was leaving the court. The chairman, Mr F. F. Reid, S.M.. suggested that it would be as well if the reservist's brother lodged an appeal and then the whole question of a partnership could be taken into consideration. By this time the reservist was standing with one hand on the door, and, pushing his hat on his head, he addressed the chairman, "O.K. Boss, Cherrio!" Broad smiles went round the court and nobody seemed to enjoy the incident more than the chairman himself.

Footballer Hurt. While playing for the Taneatua Rugby team at Waimana on Saturda5 r C. Sykes dislocated a cartilage in his knee and on Sunday had ,to enter the local hospital. Public Meeting. Ladies are especially invited to attend the public meeting of residents interested in the Boys Band which is to be held in the King Street Hall to-morrow night A front seat is being reserved for bandsmen. Red Cross Work. The secretary of the local Red Cross Society has. received a further £5 from the Ohope ladies in support of the Red Cross campaign. This small band of ladies has given wonderful service in all branches of patriotic work since the outbreak of war. Well Looked After. "The interests of the sheep farmer are being well looked after," said Mr R. W. Strugn'ell chairman of the Bay of Plenty sub-proyincial executive of the Farmers' Union at Edgecumbe on Thursday, adding that more than half the delegates at the Dominion conference had been sheep farmers.