Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 34, 17 December 1943, Page 4

Local and General

Flat Air-mail Rate The the lion. P. C. Webb, has announced tin* introduction I'J'om December K5 of a flat rate of postage for air mail addressed. to naval personnel and members of the Merchant Navy. I lie rate will be sixpence a half-onnce for letters and threepence for let-ter-cards issued by the post oil ice* The rates will apply irrespective of Llie destination.

Minister Vocalist The most popular on the list or musical items presented at the complimentary dinner at Westport wa.s that in which the Minister of. Works, the. Hon. R. Semple, was one of the principals. He and Mr Ray Kemp, secretary to the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb., '"brought down the house" with the .singing of "Waltzing Matilda," one: of Mr Semple's favourite s\>ngs. Boot and Shoe Industry The statistics of the boot and shot industry for 1912 i:? show an increased production of 110.11.'i pairs of adults' boots, or fi. 1 per cent, above the. figures for 1941 42, but there are recessions in the numbers and values of children's shoes, adults sandals, slippers, and canvas and rubber shoes, hi spite of a reduction ■ of 107. or per cent., in the number of persons engaged, the salaries and wages paid advanced £91,815, jor 10.1 per cent. License Stickers Samples of next year's. licence stickers forwarded by the Post and Telegraph Department were examined by the delegates to the North Island Motor Union meeting in Wellington. The acting-secretary, Mr W. O'Callaghan, said that the stickers were definitely of better quality than before, but. he pointed out that they were affixed in exactly the same way as previously. The meeting decided not to commit, itself on the question of approving the samples, but to reply expressing the hope that the stiickers would, prove to be up to the standard of those issued by the automobile associations.

Work for War Prisoners The work of the Y.M.C.A. among prisoners, of Avar was not generally recognised, said Mr G. R. Edmond, chairman of the. national committee, at the annual meeting of the Y.M.C.A., Wellington. The Red Cross and the Y.M.C.A., lie said, were the two internationally-recog-nised organisations for prisoners of war work. The Y.M.C.A. was charged with educational, recreational and spiritual work and was doing that among 'prisoners: of war throughout the world to-day.. Some of it was being done by New Zealand men like Mr John Ledgerwood, a secretary who was a prisoner of war. Christmas Cake "Residents' who rely on their bakers for their Christmas cakes will be supplied this year, but what will happen right after the Christmas period remains to be seen," commented a baker when asked what effect the rationing of butter would have on his firm's output. He said the bakery trade had had to face up to one difficulty after another, with the shortage of eggs., sugar, butter, fruit, spices and, other ingredients of the popular lines of cakes and pastry. There was mention also of margarine., but the baker said lie had heard nothing so far of the statement made in Auckland that there would be a reduction of onethird in the amount of margarine supplied as from December J.