Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 25, 19 November 1943, Page 4

Local and General

Opotiki Patriotic Effort

The Opotiki Patriotic- quota is £2700 and of this- amount the sum of £2251 l!)s .'id lias been raised, leaving a balance of £448 Os 9d to be collected before the. end of the year. Borough Patriotic Quota "All indications are that the. Borough will meet its Patriotic quota for I!)4<J comfortably,," said Mr D. V. Saunders, secretary to the local "committee to a Beacon representative yesterday. Pheasants and Trout Mr A.. S. Keane, Fish and Game Conservator for the Rotorua district. which includes Whakatanc visited Taneatua and other parts of the county yesterday for the purpose of liberating pheasants and trout fry which will replenish the present .supply. November Pension Payments The Post Office notifies: that pensions for the month of November may be drawn as under: November 22nd old-age pensions, November 23rd miscellaneous benefits and November 25th family benefits. Pensioners are asked to note these days and to facilitate payments by being early in attendance. The "Lift" of Spring Even war restrictions cannot prevent the "lift" that comes in business with .spring. It is of course, as noticeable or as definite as; in-pre-war years, but it is there, and will continue as. long as people continue to use .spring as .the season for renewing. *■ Birds Help Win' the War Birds by destroying insects and caterpillars are a direct aid in maintaining production, says a correspondence of the Forest and Bird Protection Society. lit is only when the prodigious amount of insects consumed by birds is comprehended that their value to the war effort is appreciated. Changing Forestry Methods 111 the Omahuta State Forest, states, a contributor to "Forest and Bird,/' every effort is made not to destroy the forest, when trees are felland young kauris and other trees are left standing. Forty years ago, however, much timber was needlessly wasted and a number of useable logs from the old workings have been recovered. Destruction of Gorse If gorse takes charge of an area, states a writer in "Forest and Bird," it grows very thickly and in from ten to twenty years its mature stage is reached, when it becomes open enough to provide shelter and a good home for birds and allows native trees to germinate which, if the all-destroying fire is prevented, will | overgrow and kill the gorse in from j 10 to 15 years. Forestry Corps' Training Members of the New Zealand Forestry Corps who have returned to the Dominion from service in Great Britain paid warm tribute to the people, of Britain under the stress of war and. over four years of rationing. They w r ere; enthusiastic in their appreciation of the hospitality extended to them and to other Pominion troops despite the. difficulty in rationing. The hospitality and goodwill continued up to the time of the corps' departure for New Zealand, and many valued and lasting friendships were made.

Priceless Bush Scenery A Ncav Zealander, now an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, writes the Forest and Bird Society as follows: "At present Ii am stationed out on the eternal Canadian prairie, lands, and I can assure you I yearn heartily for a glimpse at green New Zealand; what a contrast are these prairies compared with our own beautiful forested country. I only hope that New Zealand, will continue to realise the priceless beauty and value of what forest and bird life she still possesses." Doctors Take Firm Stand "Cream, brandy, honey and hot-« water bottles are things for which a. section of the public is pursuing the doctors," said a leading Wellington general practitioner when referring to the issue of medical certificates which give access to some rationed commodities. Tlic medical profession generally is stated, to lie taking up a firm attitude in baling with their issue. Immediately a rationing or prohibition of supplies is introduced, it is stated, urgent , and often specious representations are made to the doctors to allow the applicants a greater share, than somebody else.