Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 64, 12 June 1942, Page 4

Local and General

Boys' Band at Hospital By way of giving some entertainineent to patients at the Whakatane Hospital the Boys' Band will play selections in the grounds on Sunday next at 2 p.m. Some Wait ! In a communication from the Minister of National Service, the local E.P.S. committee last evening were officially notified that a number of specially trained 'demolition squads' were now available throughout the Dominion for the removal of unexploded bombs. The nearest of these was at Hamilton. "So," rejoined the Mayor, who presided, ''we would have to send to Hamilton whenever we found an uncxploded bomb." The secretary, Mr D. V. Saunders, said that further instructions of course covered the picketing of the area in which the bomb had fallen. New Ambulance Trailer One of the features of the Home Guard manoeuvres last Sunday was the recently constructed ambulance trailer which figured ill the activities of the Ambulance Corps. Specially constructed to carry all the necessities for the A.R.P. post the trailer attracted considerable attention and it is noteworthy that its construction was financed b) r the Awake N.Z. committee. Something of its utility value may be guaged from the fact that during the previous manoeuvres it took just 2? minutes to dismantle, pack up ani evacuate the ambulance position. Last Sunday the whole movement was carried out in three minutes. Aviation Petrol One reason why aviation 100 octane petrol is comparatively scarce and costly is that to produce one gallon of aviation spirit it is necessary to strip 16 gallons of motor petrol of its high octane components, states an overseas journal. The importance of this product to the Allies may be judged by the allocation of some £40,000,000 for the building of 30 additional plants in the United States to make 100 octane aviation spirit and its components. This outlay is additional to the American refining plants already jjroducing in the region of 2,000,000 gallons of this special fuel each day. The United States is planning to spend more than £150,000,000 for the purpose of aviation peirol.