Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 72, Issue 7, 12 May 1944, Page 4

Local and General

To Aid Si. John The promoters of the successful Paper Mills (lances of the past announce that they will he running another function on Wednesday, June 28, the proceeds of which will lie devoted to the St. John Ambulance Hall Appeal Fund. Judgment for Plaintiff In the Whakatane Magistrate's Court last Tuesday judgment was entered for plaintiff in the follows ing debt cases: Hay and Rogers v " John Henry, £5 costs 25/6; Mrs A. ' "L. Cutler v Leonard Thompson, £5 ' and possession in default 14. days. ? Gym Club Dance j Reports state that all arrangements for the coming Gymnasium dance 'which is to be held in the Awakeri Hall this coming Tuesday are well in hand, and to all appearances. the evening should be even more successful than the previous ones sponsored by the Gym Club. Football Competitions The annual meeting of the Whakatane Rugby Union 'was held at Taneatua on Wednesday evening, where it was decided that all football competitions should start on I Saturday 20th of this month. A des tailed report of the meeting will appear at a later date. 1 Opossum on Mountain Top A mountaineer who climbed to the summit of Mount Egmont recently found the body of an opossum on the westerly peak of the crater. The animal was well grown and ap-« peared to have been dead only one or two days. Opossums are rarely seen above the bush line, and there is no indication how the animal reached such a high altitude. Traffic Offender At the instigation of the County Traffic Inspector, C. H. Swann appeared before Mr E. L. Walton, S.M., in the Whakatane Magistrate's Court last Tuesday on a charge of operating a heavy motor vehicle without a license, and also without a Avarrant of fitness. To both charges defendant pleaded guilty and was .fined £2 and costs 32/6 and 10,/and costs 20/6 respectively 1 . Concern Over Delays A decision to request the Government to speed up the work of land

sales committees was made at the monthly meeting of the Waikato Sub-Provincial Executive of the Farmers' Union. It was indicated that more speed' was needed particularly in the transfer of farm land, as delay caused uncertainty and held up preparation for the new season's production.

Bulk Electricity Supply The discussion oil the Borough electricity supply was waxing warm at the meeting of the Borough Council last Monday evening when Cr Sullivan said "If our bulk supplies had been attended to and conserved as they should have been at the beginning of the war, we woufd not have been in the trouble we're in to-day and there would have been no necessity to ration." Sweeps on Second' Front Date - A number of offices have arrange ed sweeps on the opening date of the second front.. One office, for example, lias organised a sweep in which 47 tickets have been sold at Is each, the winner to take 23s 6d I and the other half of the entrance money to be paid into the patriotic appeal. There is a stipulation that if the second front is not opened by August 2, the total proceeds are to go to the patriotic funds. Commando raids are not to count. Staffs of other offices, are also stated to have organised sweeps on similar lines.

"The Eighth Army" Hie latest publication prepared for the War Office by the Ministry of Information is now available to the public. This work, entitled "The Eighth Army" is a full record of the magnificent achievements of the force which drove Rommel out of Africa., and contains manj' insights into the part played by the New Zealanders in some of the heaviest fighting. The desert, which was described by General von Ravenstein, the captured commander of I the 21st German Division, as "the tacticians paradise but the quartermasters hell" is featured in all its i moods, while a thorough explanation of the tactical manoeuvres of both sides and the fighting which resulted right up till the end of the campaign is given. Fully illustrated with detailed maps and action photographs, this book should be of great interest to all, especially those who have followed the desert campaign since its commencement.