VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 15, 16 October 1942, Page 4

VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

FIVE months ago the Government of this country declared it illegal to destroy paper. To-day that piece of legislation might just as well have never been enacted. Well intentioned householders,, with an eye to the seriousness of the situation sommenced in the first instance to conserve, save and store: all paper which came into their possession. Whten however there appeared to be no method or system of collection to follow the Parliamentary decision, people viewed their growing piles of paper,, with apprehension and later with disgust. To-day we doubt if there is any attempt being made by individual householders to meet the acute shortage by complying with stringent terms of the legislation. The onus of collection and organisation has been neatly thrown by the formulators of the law upon the already over loaded local bodies, who are expected to find the necessary voluntary workers ana arrange for the entire scheme without any further compensation other than fatherly words of advice from an organisation in Wellington known as the National Waste Council, who have as yet failed to grapple with the even more unperative question of rubber stocks. In the meantime Whakatane has halted at the cross-roads for lack of a voluntary organiser. The press has been asked to give the matter 'publicity.' Well we trust that it has been effective, but feefthat where His Worship has failed to persuade suitable persons to undertake the work that we can do little better by broadcasting a position which has not the nicest reflection on the town we live in or the manner in which we rush to fulfil the new requirements of our war effort.