ITEMS OF INTEREST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 24, 16 November 1943, Page 3

ITEMS OF INTEREST

♦— Supply of Gumboots The likelihood of supplies of gumhoots being made available by the Government for farm -workers us reported from the Whangarei subprovincial executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union is confirmed by inquiries made among officials in the dairy industry. The report stated that supplies were expected to be obtained from a Christcliurch factory and from the United States. It. was understood that fully 50,000 pairs of gumboots would be reserved -for distribution to farmers, stated an official.

supply of beef to the forces. Tuberculosis in Dominion There were 10,000 sufferers of tuberculosis in New Zealand to-day, Said Dr. Turbott, of the Health Department, in an address; to the Wellington Young People's Club recently. The large proportion of these cases were Maoris, who were ten times as susceptible to the disease as whites. A film on tuberculosis %vas also shown. Stressing the need for people to drink more milk, Dr. Turbott remarked that 30 per cent, ■of New Zeaand soldiers had artificial teeth simply because they had not liad sufficient milk as babies.

Rationing of Beer Rationing in Sweden extends to beer, which country finds it works very well, so it is stated. The allowance is: 21 years, 1 bottle; 24 years, 4 bottles: men and women l>cing treated alike. This information was given at the annual Council meeting in Wellington of the Dominion Federation of Townswolnen's G uikls, the Wanganui Branch iiaving put forward a remit to urge the Government to ration beer. The remit was lost. The source of out information does not state whether the ration is per minute, hour, day, month or year. Increased Cost of Newsprint A consignment of many tons, of newsprint destined for The Express office left Canada recently its value sit the port of departure being £285, says the Marlborough Express. Conversion, insurances, exchange on London, ocean and coastal freights, and handling charges in New Zealand. adtled- another £435 to the cost, and by the time the paper reached a Blenheim store the bill had reached £720, in round figures. Subscribers can therefore be excused for declaring sometimes, perhaps, that their copy is "worth its weight in gold." Butchers to Meet Following the decision of Napier and 'Feilding butchers to cease selling beef. Palmerston North butchers are calling a meeting to consider the matter. The president of the Palmerston North branch of the Master Butchers' Federation considers, the position extremely acute in view of the sharp rise in beef and cattle prices as compared with tlu retail price*, fixed by the Price Tribunal, and to this must be adder the supply shortage, causing rationing in some cases. The main reasor for this shortage was the abnorma .season in Waikato., Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa districts and. the •"Things Do Change" "Things do change," said Second-1 Lieutenant Keith Elliott, V.C., when speaking at the Tin Hat Club's tattoo in Wellington. He was on the platform with the (lowrnor-Gcn-eral. Sir Cyril Newall, Lieutenant-C-olone! L. W. Andrew, V.C., and Captain S. Frickleton. V.C. "The last time 1 met the. Governor-Gen-eral was in Britain. Before his: arrival our colonel,, Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew, came along and inspected us and promptly shot us olf parade again, telling us: "Go and get dresseel!'' To-night, when ii met Colonel Andrew he greeted me with: 'Lome' and have a beer!' Things do change!" Opinion of Japanese Speaking of the Japanese I'crees in the South Pacific area, a senior United Stales officer visiting Auckland from the Solomons, said the general opinion in the Inlands was that the Japanese soldier was still fighting just as well and j ; usl. as hard us lie fought 15 months ago. Some officers thought the Japauese on New Georgia Island fight even liarder than they had done on Guadalcanal-. On Kolombangara, however,, the Japanese had rum for they were in a trap, with Velia Lave!la on one side of them and New Georgia on the other. Every Japanese .ship that put out was promptly .sunk by the Navy, and unremitting warfare had been waged against the Japanese barges. It was also thought, the officer stated, that Japanese airmen were now of a poorer average standard than they had been. Their planes were 'just as good,, but their losses were still six and. seven times greater than those of the Allies.

Literally Speaking Plaintiff's son, aged 10„ was called as witness in a County Court action. He had tremendous boots, long trousers rolled up so that the baggy knees were at his ankles, and a swallow tail coat that engulfed J him. The. judge stared in amazement and enquired why he was so dressed. Solemnly the boy produced his summons and pointed to the ; words: "To appear in his father's 1 suit." ' "The Early Bird Catches the Worm" That procrasination is sometimes costly 'is> borne out by the fact that many who left the securing of their ration books until the last two days were unable to cash in Y1 coupon for half j)oun<l of butter. Until the institution of butter rationing many people had. not bothered to secure their new ration books. The rush was then phenomenal and apparently it was impossible for the post office to augment their supplies when stocks became, low on Friday land Saturday. The public demand for children's books on Friday could not be satisfied, while on the Saturday the same position arose in connection with adults' books. Prize Vegetables A . goal for amateur gardeners in the "dig for victory" campaign 'is set by some of the prize vegetables of the past- In a country journal published not far from Auckland, in June. 1888. it was stated that Patoke., a Maori chief, had brought into the office and shown the editor a huge potato weighing grown in a bush clearing where there was plenty of wood ashes. In an adjoining paddock, the chief said there, were drumhead cabbages 2ft. Gin. across the leaf and Bft. high. He had also seen a peapod Gin. long and a large sheaf of cocksfoot, the shortest straw being over Bft. It had been grown in the bush. Maori War Debts A correspondent, "A Subscriber!." asks whether it is a fact that New Zealand is still paying interest on money borrowed during the Maori wars and whether so far nothing has been paid off the principal (states the Wellington "Evening Post").. The Treasury Department,, to whom the matter was referred, stated that of the money borrowed during the Maori wars, there was now only a small amount outstanding. If necessary, the amount outstanding could be repaid, but often | in determining such matters it was j considered more expedient to repay j some other debt which perhaps was bearing *a higher rate of interest. New Coal Supplies' The Minister of Mines, Mr Webb, last week inspected in Waikato areas ol land from which it is believed that substantial supplies of coal can be won from seams lying close to the surface. Reports on the prospects of increasing supplies in this manner were considered at a meeting of the Waikato Coalmines Control Hoard., if the proposal were found to be practicable it was hoped that coal would be procured I rom these seams before next winter, said ' liie Minister. It was, suggested that bulldozers could lie used to remove the earth so that the coal could be worked by the "open east" system.

"For the Duration"

"I.eases or contracts are .sometimes drawn up "for the duration of the war." In England there has been some discussion as to what this term implies. According to one

newspaper no legal ruling lias been s*iven. When does tliis term, Jor the duration of the war, terminate—at the armistice or at the conclusion talks'? One legal authority said that lViost of sui-li cases would he affected by a law similar to the one made alter the last war. It was called -The Termination of the Present War (Definition) Act." and ruled that the end. of Hie war in Aui>usH 19-1- T!,!lt was l<) ivc U ' :ISCS and contracts time to terminate !-without undue hardship.

Tribute to N.Z. Butter

A New Zealand airman who recently returned from Canada tells of a line tribute paid to New Zea 1 - land butter by an American business man. While stationed in British Columbia> the airman went on leave, with others to the State of Washington, across the border. The proprietor of a service station exchanged their Canadian money for American dollars. When he saw the New Zealander's badge ho said: '"You came from the country which makes the linest butter in the world. I came from Vancouver and I never miss a chance there of buying your butter." He then handed American dollars to the full value to the airman, refusing to deduct the usua!l exchange of 11 per cent.