The Bay of Plenty Bearcon PUBLISHED MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28, 1942 A SEVERE MAULING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 9, 28 January 1942, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Bearcon PUBLISHED MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28, 1942 A SEVERE MAULING

SPEAKING OF ANNIVERSARIES!

STEADY HANDS—COOL HEADS

WHO DIES IF ENGLAND LIVE?

No easy hopes or lies Shall bring us to our goal, But iron sacrifice Of body, will, and soul. There is but one task for all, For each one life to give: Who stand,s if freedom falli ? Who dies if England live ?

Engineer's Travelling During the month of December the Whakatane County Council's acting-engineer's car travelled 1157 miles. County Workshop Authority has been received from the Ministry of Supply to finalise the building of the County Council's new workshop.

THE picture of the Emperor Horohito receiving the sanction of his ancestors to the declaration of a war Avhich was to engulf the whole of the Pacific nations would doubtless have impressed and inspired his people in the righteousness of their cause. The same people however cannot be expected to relish the result of the first real test of sea-power between the rival forces, which took place in the straits of Malacca, near the Celebes last Friday. Thirty-two vessels sunk and damaged is news of a major nature and cannot be: dismissed' lightly in spite of the ancestral blessing of the Mikado by the unseen. The information to the Allied nations however is most heartening, for it indicates that Japanese boastfulness about the complete control of the Pacific, which in view of the growing number of conquests embarked upon, appeared to have some foundation,, was so much air.lt shows further that the unified sea-command is bringing swift results for Americtan,, British and Dutch naval forces took pa.rt in the destruction of the convoy—which incidentally, by virtue of its position was possibly making its way toward New Guinea, and thus increasing the threat to Australia. The destruction of fifteen vessels and the disablement of a further seventeen is without parallel in the history of convoy losses in this or any other war and will serve to warn Japan of the weight and effectiveness of the coming offensive which will be directed against her. From the meagre information coming to hand it is learnt that most of- the ships were troopships indicating that the loss of life must have been anything up to 10,000 men,, probably more. Whether the apparent ease of the previous transport of so many troops to the Phillipines and to Malaya had made the: Japanese war cabinet careless of protection in their drives further south is a matter of conjecture, but the fact remains that the severe mauling of so large a contingent will be a sharp and bitter lesson likely to be long remembered.

THE fact that Anniversary Day falls to-morrow, reminds us that Whakatane's twenty-fifth anniversary as a Borough also falls due this year. In April 1917 the *Town. Board ceased to exist, and gave way to the constituted borough, with Mr G. A. Brabant as the first Mayor. Tht steps to lift the status of the town were taken during a war period, when the threat to the Allied cause appeared to be very grave. To-day it would seem that the date of the Silver Jubilee will also fall during stirring times,, with the threat to our shores being even more real than ever the tide: of the Great War produced.. In spite of war we see that the citizens of this town were progressive enough in the past to introduce the wider and greater responsibilities of a borough.' May we hope that the anniversary of this event, in spite of the present hostilities will also be marked in some manner (not necessarily spectaculax) which will remind citizens of the progress made over the past quartet century.

ONLY those who manage or control business concerns can have any conception of the strain upon industry at the present time. Never before has the realisation been brought home so forcibly that one line of business is so much dependent upon another to build up a prosperous whole. Apart from labour shortage, there is stock shortage and transport shortage. Upon these three items depend another three almost as vital —customer shortage, service shortage, and supply shortage. In the face of diminishing returns the businessman however is expected to liberally support patriotic efforts and open a War Savings Account. AH these difficulties are being put up with to-day, without complaint,, but it is a fact that many a reservist in the last ballot has sighed with relief, and mentioned casually that "at least camp life will be a freedom from worry."

Rudyard Kipling. Ragwort on Native Lands At yesterday's meeting of the County Council it was resolved that the Registrar Native Land Court, Ro~ Corua, be advised that ragwort on all scheme lands urgently required attention and that the Registrar be 1 sited to assure the council that the matter would receive urgent attention.