Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 2, 27 August 1943, Page 4

Local and General

Licenses for 'Furlough' Men In common with many other local bodies throughout the Dominion the Whakatane County Council' has decided to issue drivers' licenses free of cost to members of the Armed Forces now on furlough. Applicants will re required to produce their pay-books before a license Avill be issued. Staff Position Unless more labour can be found before the flush of the season will be necesasry for suppliers of the Riverdale Co-operative Dairy Factory Company, Ltd., to take turns in supplementing the. permanent staff so that cheese manufacture I may continue uninterrupted, according to statements made at the annual meeting of suppliers at Inaha. "Maori Money" New Zealand is still unknown to many people in Britain, and servicemen who have, returned from the United Kingdom te'il stories thai arc amusing to people living in the Dominion. Some of these were told in Gisbornc by Flying Officer C. G. (Wink) Fenton, who has returned home on furlough. Some people «in Britain expect all New Zealanders to be black, while he was asked on one occasion for Maori money for souvenir purposes. In camp one day, lie, with other New Zealanders, were . talking together, when some English airmen who had been within earshot and apparently taking some interest in the men from overseas went up to the New Zealanders, looked at their shoulder tabs and one remarked: "New Zealanders, eh! It did not take you, chaps long to pick up English."

Snow on Tarawera Residents in Onepu district declare that Tarawera mountain has been snow capped for the past week. Perhaps this explains the raw wes•tcrleys we have been experiencing of late. Candidate for Eastern Maori Advice has been received that the Maori Advisory Council ~ and the National Executive of the New Zealand Labour Party have considered the names of candidates for the Eastern Maori scat at the general elections and after deliberation, the choice has fallen upon Mr J. Orin-. ond, of. Mania, Wairoa, Hawkes Bay. The scat, is at present held by Sir Apirana Ngata, in the interests of the National Partj r . The Recent Whirlwind Damage by the recent destructive whirlwind in the Edgeeumbe and Awakeri districts has to be seen to be believed. A BEACON represent tative; last. Wednesday made the round trip following as near as possible the 1 course taken by the phenomenon. It was. most uncanny to see the long lines of gum and pine trees standing undisturbed except foxgreat gaps which occur wherever the whirlwind pursued its freakish course. In these places huge trees are flattened for a distance varying from iy 2 to 2 chains. Near Mr Alex McLean's house the wind has played havoc with the tall shelter belts and looking at the tangled mass of trunks and foliage makes one realise how narrowly the house missed being totally destroyed. Indeed it is something of a miracle that no more serious damage was done than the demolition of Mr A. Penny's milking shed and the verandah of the Awa'keri Store. In the latter district the whirhvind took whole rows of boundary trees end on and levelled them like a giant roller.

National Party Broadcast Readers are directed to the adver- > tisemcnt in to-day's issue drawing attention to the Policy Speech to be made by Mr S. G. Holland, Leadei of the National Party, on Tuesday • evening next,, A«S ust 31st at 8 p.m, Hospital Rate Grant In lieu of the usual Hospital Rate the County Council has decided tc make application to the Native Department for a grant of £250 in lieu of hospital rates, on the same basis a.s last. year. Eighth Army 'Flash' r j.'he distinctive badge of men ol the Bt-h Army, issued at the close ol the Tunisian campaign, is -worn b> very few members of the. New Zea land. Division. In fact, the onlj New Zealander.s who wear the Btli Army "flash" are those who were detached from the 2nd N.Z.E.F. tc other Bth Army units, such as th< 7th Armoured Division. The ilasl is worn above the "New Zealand' flash on the shoulder strap of tli< battledress, and. consists of a whitt shield, bearing a yellow cross,, ant fixed on a navy blue, background. "The Other Bookmaker" "Ii shall ask you to lay the odd: on it, as I did. with the other mcdi cal witness," said Mr Justice Blai: to a doctor in the Gisborne SuprenK Court on Saturday, when question ing the witness regarding the pros pects of a child securing a certaii type of bruise accidentally on tin cheek one day and. the same typj of bruise on the other side the next The Avitness replied that the chance against this happening were abou 90 to one. His Honour laughed. "1 would be better to go to the othe bookmaker," lie. said. "His odd were much higher." Factors in Child's Life "L do not. think that the schoo is the greatest factor in the grow ing life of the child," said the As sistant Director of Education (M< A. F. McMurtrie) speaking to th< Wellington branch of the. New Zea land Crippled Children Society. "O three, factors I would place it last The first is the .warmer the family life, the belter the boys or girl: will be. I believe, there is soiru slackening of the home in this eoun try, but also I believe that it is no l confined, to this country. Secondly I "would place the 'gang' or grouj of people in which the child lives Thirdly, I would place, the school.' Union of Motorists North Island motorists have join ed together to the number of GG.,B3] for the year ended June 30, 1943 which is fewer than tlTc first 3'eai of the war, but much bigger thar it was in 1937, when the nurabei was 4(5,008; in 1938, 56,253; and ii 1939, G9,055. These figures were given by the president of the North Island (N.Z.) Motor Union Inc., Mt A. Grayson, in his report to the thirtieth annual meeting (states n special' message received by the Beacon). Of the total, no fewer than 34,755 belong to the Auckland area "The claim is justified, I think, that motorists appreciate their A.A. membership., adds Mr Grayson. Appeal by Churches "Some weeks ago an appeal was issued by leaders, of several 1 of the Churches in New Zealand asking girls engaged to men on active services and waves of such soldiers to remember that their men are enduring danger, fatigue, and discomfort on behalf of, all of us, and to be faithful to them," states the "War Cry." "It is to be regretted that on an important issue li'ke this, affecting t.lie morale of the people at home and men overseas, other religious bodies did not have the opportunity to unite in that appeal. The Salvation Army is concerned about this matter, and will direct all l efforts possible towards the task of strengthening, the moral fibre of women and girls and encouraging them to play a worthy part in preserving a good, home life, and thus supporting the absent men."