Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 23, 10 November 1944, Page 4

Local and General

Xmas and New Year Holidays Mr C. W. Secretary of the Retailers' Committee, reports that at the general meeting of retailers held on Tuesday the following Christmas and New Year holidays, were arranged: Late night Friday 22nd December; open Saturday 23rd till noon; closed Saturday Monti ay } Tuesday and Wednesday; resume work Thursday 28th. The same sequence will be observed for New Year. Weapon of Future The opinion that the rocket would be the weapon of the future was expressed by Flying Officer Lester Woodward R.A.F. of Christ church in a talk to the Christcliurch Business Men's Club. He said that, squadrons of rocket-firing fighters alone would be able to defend New Zealand. Fiying Officer Woodward served in rocket-firing aircraft in England before going out to Burma. The projectile, he said, travelled at a speed of 1000 miles an hour and had the striking power of an Sin. ' naval shell. In France one fighter with a pair of rockets had blown a train —an engine and ten carriages —200 yards off the rails and up into some trees_ while a Swordfvsh had put a rocket right through a marine. That gave some idea of their hitting power he said.

New Books At the monthly meeting of. the Public Library Committee the following books were selected: The Porch antl the R. Church; Katherine Hans Habe; Clung Brown, Marg. Sharp; Hell I'm A. G. Elliot; Joy as it Flies, B. K. Seymour; So Immortal a Flower, Cecil Roberts; The Wood and the Trees M. Mitchell; Death of Two Brothers, M. Burton; A Little Season, D. Patrick; The Fair Venetian, E. Fargeon; The Case of the Tea Cosy's Aunt, A. Gilbert; Kenya Mist, F. Riddell; Out of the Mist, F. Riddell. Allies Preferred "The. honest. Itie will tell you that, taken on the whole, the average German soldier was a. decent type of chap and was as polite as we are now" writes a member of the Second Division to an Auckland relative. "But '' he says "of course 5 5 there are the rougher type who won't stop at anything, and there j have been some atrocious things happen from time to time in some of the villages. That, is why the Ities consider the British and American soldiers better men than the Germans for although the Allies, too, have their roughs in their respective armies, none yet has gone to the extremes the Germans have." The writer adds that the Italians now had greater freedom and they said there was a different, feeling in the air since tlie Allies had arrived.

Hospital Figures The following figures were tabled by the secretary (Mr A. Britlger) at the. November meeting of. the Whakatane Hospital Board yesterday: Remaining in hospital as at October 1 49 males 44 females (93); admissions for October 49 males 60 females (109); discharges 6 males 2 females (8); remaining in hospital as at October 31 40 45 females (85); births, 14 males } 8 females (22); operations major 6 ? minor 38. Daily average occupied beds, 91.55. St. John Appeal Today A final reminder to the public lat large is given relative to the St. John Ambulance street appeal which takes placf today. All who wish the movement well, and who recognise its singular worth and vital services are calli. |«d Upon to assist and l to subscribe liberally either in cash or in, kind. The 'shop' on the Strand iai open for donations of all kinds and we 1 have every confidence in appealing to residents to give the movement their warmest support. Debt Cases Judgment was entered for plaintiff in the following debt cases heard before Mr E. L. Walton in the Whakatane Magistrate's Court last Tuesday: Wheeler's Garage v Thomas McCulloch £16 4s 7d costs £3: An- ' > ' thony A. Kinley v Mac Davis i? £3 16, costs £2 15s 6cl;; same, v George Elliot £9 Is 9d, costs £1 18s 6d. 9 ' Judgment summonses: Farmers.' Coop Ltd. v Donald Scott £47 14s 7d ! payment ordered forthwith in default 30 days; F. Wiseman v Lizzie Kingi £19 9s 2d ? order for payment forthwith in default 19 days. Free Angling Licenses Angling licenses are isued fre«* by the Otago Acclimatisation, ciety to returned servicemen whc have received a complete jlisqjiarg* from the armed forces and to date fifty licenses have been so issued While most of the servicemen concerned are anglers of experience, there are several who are trying, their hand at the sport for the firstime. In addition, there are somp who are convalescing after angling being recognised as an admirable form of recreation in such cases.

"Germans" Not Recognised Wearing German grey air uniform, two youths mingled with holi-day-makers at Whitley Northumberland y for nearly an • haul and a half—unquestioned. „Thes walked the promenade and the busy streets, and though some people stared, they remained unhindered. Then six British aircraftmen spotted the challenged the. and handed them over to Service police.. the "Germans'' were two R.A.F. men,.sent out'offi* cially to test mass observation.-A? a safeguard they had a police escort following discreetly. Field Service Operating from a field in Normandy solely for the benefit of the Royal Air Force is one of the larg--9 est general stores ever put on Wheels states an English exchange. This giant store, consisting of several large lorries, can supply anything from a reel of thread ■ to an entire, aeroplane engine. It supplies and carries pieces of equipment and can replace any of. these at remarkably short, notice. One section of this huge portable, store, for instance, has a stock of over three tons of radio valves "of 300 different types.