The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Tuesdays and Fridays. TUESDAY, NOV. 23, 1943 WHERE WERE THE BUSINESSMEN!

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 26, 23 November 1943, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Tuesdays and Fridays. TUESDAY, NOV. 23, 1943 WHERE WERE THE BUSINESSMEN!

GERMAN OIL SUPPLY

ANNUAL PLUNKET APPEAL

WHEN the annual meeting of such an organisation as the Chamber of Commerce lapses for want of a quorum of ten,, it can only mean one of three things; members are so completely apathetic that they are prepared to leave the work to others; or again they do not feel the need for the organisation and desire its collapse, or finally counter responsibilities make it quite impossible to attend on' the evening set down for the meeting. It would seem that number two was probably nearest the mark for with 103 financial mem' bers already pledged to support the Chamber it is hardly feasible that any would desire a complete breakdown. There were unfortunately counter "attractions on last Thursday evening which were borne out by the number of apologies received but on the other hand the great bulk of the members appeared to have had little or no excuse for not being present, and were therefore prepared out of sheer habit to leave it to others to 'carry on.' Possibly this in itself has two sides, for the decision to call only quarterly meetings (or thereabouts) has sown its own seeds of apathy. Continuity of thought or considered action becomes next to impossible for the individual members, who can only hope and trust that the executive has taken up the various matters arising from time to time and handled them efficiently. This habit probably had a strong bearing on the poor attendance, last Thursday. Another case of 'leave it to the executive and don't worry me' spirit. Since the last open meeting there have been numerous subjects in which the Chamber might have interested itself, Harbour Board extension plan, pollution of the river, Borough water supply, conservation of electricity, Hospital extension and proposed loan, sewerage, labour problems, and a dozen and one other questions of vital importance to our town. To-morrow evening has been fixed for the adjourned annual meeting, every enterprising businessman who can possibly do so should be there.

THIS is a war in which oil is the lifeblood of the armies fighting it. The great German drive last year to the Caucasus was engineered to win the vast supplies awaiting a conqueror there. It failed, but there were times when it seemed as if success were within the Germans' grasp. They risked everything to get this prize and the defeat was bit-< ter and costly. One result of Hitler's failure can possibly be perceived in his disastrous reverses during the Russian summer. Had he been in possession of vast reserves of oil would he have launched only a limited offensive at Orel? Frederick the Great's dictum was that "an army moves on, its stomach"; the Fuehrer can say with even greater certitude that without oil—both fuel and lubricant —his Wermacht, Seemacht, and Luftwaffe cannot function at all. In mentioning this recently, Lord Lee of Fareham observed that how much, or how little, of this lifeblood of war Germany now possesses must be the most closely guarded of secrets, and the published estimates of experts have been fantastically conflicting*. Hitler, he also points out,, expended oceans of oil in trying to reach the: Caucasian fields and did not secure one barrel from that quarter. The only other natural source he controls is the Rumanian field which the Americans have materially damaged. Synthetic production remains, but the R.A.F. is "increasingly attending to that." Need we look much further for an explanation of Germany's progressive loss of punch on land, sea and air? Lord Lee of Fareham adds in hazarding* a prediction, as an old student of war, that the defeat and unconditional surrender of Germany will in large measure be due to the exhaustion of her oil supplies.

ON Friday the Wliakatane Plunket Society will be holding* its annual street appeal plus the running of two street stalls one in the Grand Theatre entrance, on the Strand and the other at the Caledonian Hall, Kopeopeo. By patronising all or any of these, citizens will be rendering a real service by assisting forward.one of the most vital and efficient services in the community. 'Saving the Babies' a slogan initiated by the late Dr. Truby King has become a national undertaking which has raised this Dominion's infant mortality figures from the highest in the world to the lowest. Here is your chance to co-operate by helping forward an institution conducted on voluntary lines yet dedicated to the greatest work in the world —the healthy foundation of future New Zealanders.