Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 198, 31 December 1941, Page 4

Local and General

Beacon Publication Next Monday The Beacon will not be published again till Monday next, it being necessary again to observe the New Year statutory holidays. No Longer Permitted The Postmaster notifies that telegrams for Indochina, Thailand and places in China in enemy occupation are no. longer permitted. The Front Line * "We must realise that we ean only win the war from the front line," declared Mx R. J. Glasgow, of Onewhero, at last Executive meeting of the Auckland Farmers' Union. Methods of Armed Forces Appeal Boards and Manpower Committees were under fire at the time, and Mr Glasgow added: "Theirs, is o rotten jipb, and I wouldn't like to take it on." Show Cancelled The Opotiki A. and P. Association's;' committee met last week when it was decided to abandon all arrangements made in connection with the Jubilee Show to have been held in February next. This step is in keeping with that taken by numerous associations all over New Zealand' 4 . In addition to cancellation of shows, some of the smaller racing clubs have already decided to cancel their race meetings in view of the petrol restrictions.

Lupins a Menace

Will: the yellow-cowered lupins so conspicuous a'.l along the Bay of Plenty coastline become 1 a menace to farm land? Some settlers are afraid that will happen before long. Already the lupins have overwhelmed the sandhills and are marching inland. Tlicy are getting a hold along drains and dredge canals, and taking possession of odd corners of farm land. Cattle will not cat lupins, so the lupins appear to have no national enemies to hold them in chcck.; • A Little Easier At last Executive meeting of the Auckland Farmers' Union Mir E. Palliser reported that the petrol position seemed a little' easier. Harvesting, shearing and milking requirements would be covered, he said, but licences for farm trucks and tractors would be reduced onetliird and would have to be taken out monthly instead of three-month-ly. Farmers were to be •allo'sfed sufficient petrol for a weekly visit to the nearest shopping centre where no public passenger transport is available.

Water in the Tanks Now!

Rain on Boxing Day and since brought welcome relief to numerous households in the Whakatane district which depend on rain water for drinking and washing. Lasl week these good people either had empty tanks or tanks with a water level so low that a stringent waterrationing was in force. In many cases people were carting water in cream cans from neighbours who were in the happy position of possessing more tanks or good artesian or river water. Now the districts water tanks are "holding well." To Mow —or not to Mow? To misquote William Shakespeare and his hero Hamlet: To mow —or not to mow? that is (or was) the question discussed, argued, thought about and so on by Bay t)f Plenty farmers at , the moment,, and for some weeks past. Every farm has (or had) paddocks of tall grass ready for the mowing machine. The question is (and lias been): Will the wfeattier stay fine until the hay is in stack. Fortune often favours the bold, and so many farmers who made hay before Christmas hadtheir hay in stack before the weather broke on Boxing Day. Christmas Eve Milking Farmers' families from "the cheese area" of Rangitaiki Plains flocked into Whakatane's crowded Strand on Christmas Eve. By common consent there was an understanding between milkers and milk lorry drivers that milk from the "first run" roads would be collected at 5 P*n^. an hour earlier than usual. This suited the milkers, nearly 100 per cent of whom were bent on parading in the Strand that evening. No doubt the lorry drivers also finished their evening tasks in time to get to town before the shops closed. Where there's a will, there's a way —on Christmas Eve.