The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1942 "DEADLY INERTIA"

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 37, 8 April 1942, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1942 "DEADLY INERTIA"

IN describing the "deadly inertia" of Singapore s white population during' the calm before the northern Pacific storm, Lady Brooke-Popham has told, a London interviewer of a certain lady who refused to give two hours of her day to A.R.P. because she had "entered, for the tennis tournament and A.R.P. would interfere with her tennis.' Small though it is, this incident illustrates pointedly—and poignantly —the blindness and foolishness of public apathy in the face of a looming crisis. To what extent such inertia permeated Singapore's European circles may be estimated from accounts now being belatedly written; but rather than condemn that which already belongs to the past, we in this country should ask ourselves whether every section of our own community is sufficiently alert and whole-hearted in precautionary effort to be immune from any similar charge. Are there those among us who feel that national service is an interference with/pleasure? Arc there any who by word or action have displayed a preference for the status quo of life, content to hope that the storm will not break here? What is more, are there those who have accepted precautionary duties in unwilling and therefore perfunctory fashion? Unless an emphatic "no" can be given to these questions, nc one can afford to be scornful of the inert minority of Singapore, now scattered and homeless. Instead their experience should be pondered as a solemn, and urgent, object-lesson. 'THERE'LL ALWAYS BE A N Z." WHEN Hitler's blitz was devastating big blocks of English cities people kept their spirits up by singing "There'll Always Be an England." Now, when war clouds are dark on the Pacific horizon it is pleasing to observe that farmers at least are in good; spirits. Reports of contemplated sales and leases of farms, of forthcoming movements of sharemilkers and their families, are good news. These farmers have faith in their country and their country's ability to win out. Whatever happens on the battlefields overseas the great farming industry of New Zealand must keep producing at full capacity. Farmers are making their plans for next season so that Britain and the Forces overseas shall get all the supplies they need. This quiet Confidence of the farming population, so amply backed up by hard work, should be an example to town dwellers, especially those who delight in rumour-mongering and listening to Axis broadcasts. Hitler may boast about his "spring offensive," and the Japs may threaten India, and Australia, but that does not frighten the farmers of New Zealand. They too have a "spring offensive" for which they are already preparing. Their offensive of spring time production will be going well 'in a few months time —by which time, as we confidently expect, the dreams of the Axis propagandists will have been falsified by the continued stout resistance of the Allied nations.

THE NEXT BALLOT SEVENTEEN thousand men are the anticipated result of the forthcoming ballot —the third for married and familied men. On the 28th of this month it will be released and will include all men, irrespective of family responsibilities between the ages of 28 and 32 years. The Minister of National Service has given a similar announcement to that which prefaced the last ballot; immediate steps will be taken to institute a medical examination of the new reservists, and no time will be. lost in drafting them into camp. From the rapidity of the successive ballots it is obvious that the Government is now making every effort to place all ablebodied men under arms. The last three ballots have followed at intervals just slightly short of eight weeks. Each successive stage must necessarily mean a weakening of the Home Guard and an increasing strain on industry. We still fail to understand why it is not possible to offset compulsory camp life by an intensified compulsory training of the Home Guard. WELL DONE OPOTIKI THOUGH many of our Opotiki friends will probably take our praise with the proverbial salt grain, we can assure them nevertheless that .it is genuine and spontaneously engendered by the splendid effort made by the residents of that town and district to meet their individual Pa!\iotic Interzone quota. To date almost half the required sum has been subscribed (£2435). The comparison with Whakatane is a stark contrast of less than a, fifth (£1902) subscribed. Whakatane requires no less than £10,481 and the fact that several of the outlying districts have already nearly reached their quota and are included in the sum in hand indicates a very serious lag in other directions. Whakatane could well emulate the lead given by its forty-mile-distant neighbour.

Latest returns show that 2790 men have already returned tci New Zealand, all but 90 of them being discharged from military service and only 25 had means to acquire farms or businesses of their own. We have read that the Government had spent £86,570 in buying grassed dairying land at less than £5 an acre lor rehabilitation purposes, and all well wishers of our soldiers should defend them against this sort of treatment. In dry seasens Ave see men who have wasted years of life work, walking off Government sandhill land and we can walk for hours over deserted cattle sick country Avhere again men have lost years of toil. In this part cf the Bay of Plenty, there arc still areas up to thousands of acres, which is if subdivided would carry a famity to 100 acres, in fact there are instances where families on as small as 80 acres are doing well having every convenience including private motor eras. Within the last few weeks, discharged soldiers in search of information, are being sent on endless chain of calls through Government Departments, only to be brought up against bureaucratic red tape. It is time local men formed a committee which was friendly disposed towards returned men, and supplied Mr W. Sullivan,* M.P.. with the needed ammunition for waking up Parliament on this subject, so that we could give our men a fair reward and A GOOD WELCOME HOME. BOROUGH WATER SUPPLY

Sir, —Years ago, an effusion of mine appeared in the Whakatane Express, re a cup of tea in bed— \Vitfh coffee in the bath to follow— the result of decayed vegetable matter in the Wairere Stream. To-day Whakatane Matrons are desperately defending their snow white linen from the infiltration of the "yellow peril If our irrigation experts transferred their attention from wash-tub taps to the Borough reservoir they might discover the remains of the Mikado. In the meantime we' can rest assured that for "local homes sake" our City Pops will do their best to remove the cause of the red menace in mother's eye on Monday mornings. Yours etc., H. SERGANT. ARMS PRODUCTION Sir, —Whilst we the residents of the Whakatane and surrounding districts look upon cur County Council as a form of local Government, are wc to expect a Tai Hoa policy from them instead of giving us a lead ? Are we to remain passive whilst the enemy is at the door. Let us organise munition production right away and consider costs afterwards. We have the plant right here in our garages and factories, and our chemists can produce formulas for explosives if required. Under tlieso conditions, I am sure Ave can rely on the people to find the funds to carry on! After the good response to bonds for bombers that have not been produced yet. It is pleasing to note the start made at Edgecumbe, and our council should lose no time in giving us a lead. Procastination is the thief of time, time is the limit. "Act now" not a month hence. Yours etc., W. BRADSHAW.