Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 71, 11 May 1943, Page 4

Local and General

Theft of Bicycle Proceedings against an offender in the Whakatanc Police Court yesterday Cor the theft of a bicycle were stayed when it was discovered that the defendant was only 17 years of age. He was remanded, to appeal at the next sitting of the children'scourt. A Junior Pipe Band Townspeople heard with pleasure the spirited playing of the Junior Pipe Band attached to the Scottish Scout Troop last Saturday morning. Here is a further potential a.sset to tlie town's institutions and we warmly congratulate the Caledonian Society and those Avho traisned the bovs up to their present standard ol' excellence.

Scouts Cheers "Did I hear anybody whisper," said the Rally organiser, S.M. P. W. Grinder, when calling on the assembled 250 Scouts and Cubs for three cheers for their Excellencies,. Sir Cyril and Lady Newall. The boys over-awed perhaps at first made no bones about the sccond effort and their lusty young voices sent the Domain Tuis scattering for shelter. Capital of the Bay "Despite all your Excellency may have heard to the contrary in Tauranga and Te Puke I can assure you that you arc now in the capital of the Bay of Plenty," said His Worship the Mayor, Mr B. S. Barry, on Thursday, amidst laughter, in the course of his address of welcome to the Governor-General. His Ex. ccllcncy was not slow to pick up the quip and in his reply gravely assured him that both Tauranga and Te Puke fully conceded, the point that Whatatane* was the capital of the Bay and had nothing but praise for it as such. Tribute' to Guard of Honour Two pakcha service men who Ave re watching, fascinated the snap-drill of the Maori guard of honour on Thursday prior to its march to the Rock were overheard to be in furious argument as to whether' the detachment belonged to the regular army or not. Neither appeared to be able to believe that the. men were merely Home Guardsmen. This unconscious tribute was merely a rcllection of the general admiration of the crowd for the. smartness and bearing of the Maoris who must have trained assiduously to attain such steadiness and high standard of military drill. Biscuits by the Tin Ah Auckland representative traveiled as far as Christchurch recently on business bent. While passing along one of the main streets of the city he was amazed to see a window display of biscuits —tins of them. The sight .held him spellbound for a time. Then he ventured into the shop and askcxl the manager if the biscuits Avcre for sale. Answered in the affirmatiA'e, he ventured to ask if he could purchase a tin. "Certainly,'' was the cheering reply. The Aucklander was so impressed with, the forthright attitude of the shopman that, taking his courage in both hands, he asked if it Avould be possible to have 1 tAvo tins. No trouble at all to the salesman], and the Aucklander left cheerfully for the biscuitless north with tAvo tins of the precious, delicacies. Forwarding the aboA*e to the Beacon f>ffice a local storekeeper explains that it lias been impossible to buy biscuits for loA r e or money.

Child' Stripped l of Clothing

In these days of wool shortages and difficulty for mothers of young children in procuring woollen gar--ments, a certain type of woman will apparently go to any length to repair a deficiency in her child's wardrobe. For sheer audacity a recent case has probably no parallel. A woman had left her young child in his pram outside a drapery store in Hamilton while she went inside for a few minutes. On coming out of the store she was amazed to find that

her child had been stripped of his woollen clothes and was sitting up in the pram in his underclothing. Another case also provides mothers with a warning against such a despicable type of sneak thief. A baby's woollen blanket and a bag of sweets, were removed from another pram Avhilc the baby was left sleeping outside a shop in Hamilton's main thoroughfare. Several cases of unattended prams being stolen in Hamilton have been reported to the police in recent months.