The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1942 FORESTALLING THE AXIS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 50, 8 May 1942, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1942 FORESTALLING THE AXIS

MADAGASCAR the fourth largest island in the world with a population of three and a quarter million is now the focal point of this amazing- war. The incident which is hailed with satisfaction by all the allied nations is yet a fuithei illus tration of how the conflict can rage unchecked in any quarter of the globe. Even the most remote points ha.ve felt the suffering and the heartbreak of bombardment and invasion. Witness Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Iran, Crete, Thiala-nd, Equatorial Africa, the Dutch East Indies all these unlikely and peace loving countries have suffered after long decades of unbroken peace. And now the French possession of Madagascar. The war has stretched its tentacles to within a stone's throw of the African coast and this time it is the Allies who have taken the initiative. The decision was a bold one, dictated by force of circumstances owing to the Japanese expansion and the dangerous lull which is even now preceeding the storm of new aggression. Madagascar in the hands of Vichy France might easily have gone the same way as French Indo-China; but in the hands of the British forces it becomes a strategetic bastion of safeguard to. the seaways of Empire and a base for the protection of the British possessions in the Indian Ocean and in the Pacific. Japan's war strategy of infiltration is not merely applicable to her land forces. It is a policy which has been broadly applied to her whole method of waging war,, Stepping stones have been seized ahead of her path of invasion by 'pioneering' military forces or expeditions. One by one the world has been rudely shocked by their fall in the path of the oncoming Japanese war machine. Each new base, has formed a link in the chain to. the objective and when the time was ripe for the genuine movement to begin, each of the newly-won footholds played their part. With these bitter lessons clearly in mind the Allied leaders had every reason to suspect that the weakly held island of Madagascar with its wealth of natural harbours, its abundant natural food supply and its cowed population would possibly ht the next strategical point of Japanese attack and the move was forestalled. The garrisoning of New Caledonia, another French possession, this time however under the Cross of Lorraine or Free France is another move to safeguard the lands of the South Pacific and the two hubs of military defence will when properly con solicited constitute a new barrier across Japan's southward path, should she ever feel disposed to follow it. SUGAR RATIONING NO apparent provision has yet been made by the. Minister of Supply to meet anomalies likely to arise out of the 12ounce per head per week system of sugar rationing, which was introduced last week. Flat-dwellers in the city, who do little or no home-baking and preserving, axe to receive as much sugar as housewives on farms who are accustomed — indeed, often obliged—to do their own baking, and who would be wasteful if they omitted to make their own jam and preserve their own fruit. The only special provision., so far as the general public is concerned, is mentioned by the Rationing Controller in the course of a reference to factory cafetarias. He states that "sugar will also be supplied for the making of tea, to workers engaged in factory production." Rather than ironing-out any anomaly, this seems to create one, inasmuch as it singles out workers in factories for a special privilege—that of enjoying an extra personal sugar allowance. What of other workers in offices, on constructional works, on farms, in the bush, along the roads, and wherever other groups of persons are habitually engaged away from their homes? Surely the morning tea and afternoon tea habit, so far as it involves the consumption of sugar, is not officially to be looked upon as the prerogative of a section of workers. Such concessions should be open, to all or withheld from all. If any concessions are practicable they should be in the favour of those industrious private individuals who are conserving national resources for the manufacture of foodstuffs and sWeet-stuffs by their own economical domestic efforts.

MOTHER'S DAY THE thoughtful institution of Mother's Day, which falls on Sunday should this year be marked more: than ever in view of the increasing strain upon the mothers of Empire and the silent suffering' which is endured by countless thousands the "world over. The gift, the letter, the message— whatever shape the recognition of this day will take, it constitutes but a fragment of the spirit which must grow to world-wide proportions if we are to outlaw war and make for a better and a happier world. From the: mothers of the earth will spring the true moulding of better things for is it not only they who understand the sacrifice of love in its purest form. May the softening effect of 'Mother's Day' breed with it an. even more precious endowment for the world of the future.

even Auckand and they all say the same. No fish. Military contracts are the first served then any surplus fish go to customers. I have been here long enough to see several fishermen discouraged and leave the industry. Because amateur fishermen catch half a dozen fish around the rocks does not infer fish is plentiful. The Harbour Board boat took twelve amateur fishermen out and caught three fish between them in one day.. Why if the bottlenecker holds the monopoly do the other shops outside the monopoly who are quite privileged to get their supplies from markets in other towns closed for days' I sometimes weeks at a time. I have no authority to prevent them from getting supplies outside Whakatane. After all I didn't make the law but [ abide by it. I can prove also that in other towns fish shops have had | to close permanently on account of shortage of supplies. I think if the Editor did enquire from the proper source all this controversy about fish supplies would cease. Why isn't there a leading article written periodically about shortage of wool in the local shops as there is a bountiful supply of wool grown in the country. Yours etc., P. COUTTS, (If our correspondent will re-read our sub-leader he will note that we do not allege fish to be in plentiful supply at the present time but rather that we criticise the monopoly held by one man, which dictates; that ail retailers must buy through him whether he cares to exploit the position or not. Such powers seem foreign to our understanding of constitutional methods of marketing. Any real light on the subject will no doubt be welcomed. Eil.)