The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1942 THE WAIMANA DISPUTE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 7, 23 January 1942, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1942 THE WAIMANA DISPUTE

INTENSIFYING THE E.P.S.

COMING INTO THEIR OWN CR CREEKE'S remarks at the recent Borough Council meeting indicate that the. Heads Park and Beach are coming more and more into their own. Now that Ohope is more or less isolated owing to the benzine restrictions it Avould be, as Cr Creeke points out a very worthy and timely undertaking for the Borough to concentrate more upon that popular area. Not merely at the Heads Beach itself would the attention be appreciated but along the whole of the town's waterfront, where at high tide there are now dozens of bathers taking advantage of the water and the shade of trees on the foreshore.

Town Busier After a period of quiet following the Festive Season the town became busier yesterday when farmers visited the business arc to dispose of their January dairy cheques. More ears lined the streets than had been seen for some time and shopkeepers learned that after all business was not quite dead.

SOME issues before Christmas it was suggested through these columns that steps be- taken to bring the parties* to this long-standing dispute together, with a view to getting the whole unpleasant business settled in. a decent and straightforward manner, with the help of an unbiassed outside opinion. From comments which followed it was obvious that many welcomed the suggestion and would be heartily glad to see it put into effect. Unfortunately letters supporting such a project have also, been treated as a means of ventilating still further some of the wrongs (of which we know little; and care less) which have apparently assisted to build the dispute up to its present proportions. If however the opportunity for friendly adjudication were given we are sure that the proposal would be taken full advantage of by those concerned and the whole wretched affair dismissed forever over a handshake. It is most unfortunate that private affairs of this nature should become public property and a topic of common conversation. There is no real reason why they should be prolonged and to this end we have taken steps to assure both sides that the County Council for its part would be willing to give the question of such a meeting its fullest co-operation. The whole procedure would have to be undertaken in a friendly atmosphere, in which frankness and adherance to fact would play their part in obtaining a fair and constructive conclusion, the only condition being that whatever the decision arrived at both parties would agree to respect it,, permanently. The. next step towards such a conference lies with the disputants .

IT will be seen from recent reports in the BEACON that the local committee responsible for the conduct of the Emergency Precautions Scheme is applying* itself in a comprehensive and efficient manner. All its varied departments are working- smoothly stnd well from the Fire and Transport services to the Temporary Hospital provision and the enforcement of the Blackout. Out of all these activities has arisen in the minds of a certain section of people the belief that war is coming inevitably to these shores, and that it will be only a matter of time before all the emergency arrangements Avill be put into operation. This is. an erroneous and needlessly alarming attitude:. The whole of the E.P.S. is a precautionary sclfeme, directed to no certain date, and dedicated not only to war, but to earthquake,, flood, epidemic or any other state of emergency which may arise:. We all heartily hope that its many activities may never need to be utilised but it would be folly to allow the country to remain in a state of unpreparedness to-day. There is no cause for fear as a result of E.P.S. restrictions which it must be admitted are necessary all the same.

ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN MEN PERHAPS it failed to strike car readers last Wednesday that the 117 names whicih appeared as this district's quota in the last ballot represented a thirty-five per cent business proportion from Whakatane and the townships over the Plains. Working on the precedent already established that the majority of those men -called from- the country will be exempted owing to their connection with the primary industry of dairying it will be seen that something like forty men, on the main, holding responsible positions will be drawn away from commercial life. In many businesses the effect must be revolutionary! The fact is however that the realities of war are now doming home to us and the sooner we prepare ourselves for this and even greater inroads into, our already depleted man-power the better.

Dry; Time for Road Stock Several large mobs of sheep have passed along the main highway through Whakatane County during the present dry weather. The result is that roadside grass lias been eaten down severely, so that unless rain falls soon the roadside and accommodation paddocks will be bare and hungry places for later mobs of sheep.