JOCK AND AL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 21, 3 November 1944, Page 5

JOCK AND AL

T»E PACKET RACKETEERS

, EMBRYONIC WHAKATANE INDUSTRY One of Auckland's most colourful business personalities breezed into our town last week; paused awhile amidst bursts of homeric laughter; and zoomed off again in sole. possession. of Whakatane's whole supply of size sixteen and seventeen gent's natty shirts. He does it with mirrors! Jock's robust physique and his hop-in, knock-dawn and drag-out methods of getting things done are wellknown in transport circles throughout the Pacific. As a sideline he is a big shareholder in the Whakatane Paper Mills and director of a large Auckland manufacturing concern which cunningly conceals homeopathic doses of riboflavin and penicillin in its principal product—the "Prince of Ales" (Advh) On., v.Jiis visit Jock may have excelled himself with regard to the prosperity of our town; for he brought Avith him an equally outstanding character in the shape of Mr A.B. (call me "Al") Brackett an American ally. '

Jock introduced his friend as Al Brackett of the packet, racket and this gentleman proved to be smallish, and greyish—with powerful

brown hands and that air of indestructiveness common to American! football quarter-backs. Executive officers of the Paper Mills gathered to do the visitors honour; and they themselves did honour to New Bremner's supper of erayjfish, mayonnaise on sprightly lettuce leaves and also samples: of Jock's riboflavin. As the evening mellowed—Al Bracket* quoth } and I quote "All the Allied leaders have, their secret weapon—Churchill has a four-fun-nelled destroyer from the last war — Roosevelt lias the Dodgers Baseball Club—Marshal Stalin has Vodka and the Don Cossack Choir—but this is A 1 Brackett's answer to the Axis ? " and he flourished what looked like a wing section assembly of a model aeroplane. Experience has bred a deep respectful fear in your correspondent of anything remotely resembling a model aeroplane—but this specimen brain-child of xSli's folded up in answer to a few deft twists of his powerful lingers into a water-tight packet of wax-impregnated cardboard . You've got it—cardboard. Our townsfolk "made cardboard, at the Paper Mills t and there perhaps we saw the? first evidence of an invaluable addition to our town's, financial resources. A 1 explained that in reply to President Roosevelt's appeal the cardboard and packetting boys had got together and produced a combination of glue-sized carton and waximpregnated cardboard packet that defied seventy-two hours of Pacificimmersion to damage their precious

contents ! "I am proud to know/' said A 1 "that the Brackett packet takes medicines and food to Allied soldiers undamaged through the most rugged of physical conditions.'' He certainly had bags of knowdid Al; for when an argument cropped up concerning American bombers he quietly settled it all, and produced his silver medal which had been struck to commemorate a famous stratoliner air voyage to prove his case. But as usual it remained with *5 9 Jock to fold up the packet racket in a way that will always be i*emembered. His spare tyre was punctured— and he arranged with one of the townsfolk to root out one of. his friends to fix the flat at some heavenly hour in the morning. Sure Jock arrived at. this citizen's hotel room just after dawn with a silver jug and a beautifully made oaken cabinet about the size of an attache case. This box was a triumph of the cabinetmaker's highly polished with heavy brass brass handle and brass plate declaiming "Delicate handle with extreme care." • • "What in the name of pea-soup is that > Jock?" queried the local, but Jock was busy with a pocket level squaring off the box on the floor. With the case adjusted to his satisfaction Jock breathed mysteriously its a model of the Norden Bomb-sight'' and swiftly threw back the lid to reveal l'elt-lined inside— a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label and six crystal high-ball

glasses.. * "These are the only kind of instruments permissable on transport lie said.

Its> easy to see how he got to the Lop of. the transport heap! He uses plain New Zealand initiative!