ITEMS OF INTEREST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 56, 14 March 1944, Page 3

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Fire in Hotel

A deserted ])ar with full glasses of beer on it greeted the eyes of firemen who answered a call to the Carlton Hotel, Wellington. Little damage. was done by the fire, which was located in the basement among some rubbish, but the clouds of smoke which issued from it must have convinced the drinkers that a disaster was imminent. Duration of War "We will be iuckv if we beat the. Germans in two years, and, it may take, six or ten years to beat' the Japanese," said Air Commodore Sir Robert Clark-Hall, when presenting

"wings"' lo a group of airmen pilots passing out from Wigram, reports the Christclvurch Star-Sun. He. was .speaking, to men held back to be instructors who, he said, might have a fear that the war would be over before they had an opportunity to go overseas. Blissful Ignorance Exploration is rather at a standstill in New Guinea to-day, but it is worth while noting that just before, the Japanese invaded; the Island Profesor Matthew Stirling, the antliro- , pologist, found on the jungle-cover- 1 ed plateau of Dutch New Guinea a race of pygmies who musit be J.Ucc those, of the African Equatorial Forest and one of the most promitive peoples of the globe. The}' have no metal tools and had never seen a white man. Imports of Goloshes A limited quantity of goloshes has been made available for export from Canada to New Zealand, the Customs Department has advised the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. The Government has decided to grant licenses for the importation of goloshes to the extent of the value of licenses granted for the importation o.f these goods from any source in 1941: Orders are to be sponsored bj r the Ministry of. Supply and a copy of the order must be sent to the Minister by importers.

Greenstone Unprocurable Greenstone being almost unprocurable, American servicemen in New Zealand anxious to obtain .souvenirs typical of the country have created a steady demand tor ornaments and, jewellery made from pa 11 a shell. When greenstone was available, ornaments made from the stone, particularly in the form of tikis, were extremely popular but because it was cut in Germany and other parts of Kurope, supplies wore rapidly exhausted. For the past two years it has been almost unprocurable.

Conduct of Girls A correspondent signing himself "Second N.Z.K.F." 'writes as follows to an Auckland, paper: "Since my arrival in New Zealand about six weeks ago after an absence of four years I have been amazed at the conduct of a large section of the girls and women of Auckland. Imi the. nine countries I have visited I liilist admit I have not seen such lack of racial pride or sense of decency. Even Ihe street women of Cairo are not half so brazen as many seen in Queen Street in the evenings."

Knitted Comforts for Forces The estimated requirements of the National Patriotic Fund. Board foe 1911 include more than 20 tons of wool to make knitted comforts for the three services. The Navy will need 1(5OOOlb of wool, the Army G.'JOOlb and the Air Force 2.'i, OUOlb. The estimated cost is £2!},000, of which £7000 will be recoverable. Under a reorganised .scheme, the whole cost of the knitting wool an - ill be debited against the board, but tlie provincial councils will be responsible Tor the knitting, as previouslv.