NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 186, 3 May 1940, Page 11

NEWS IN BRIEF

Recruiting Figures

Registrations in tlie Wellington and Hutt Valley area for military service total 75 so far this month. Since recruiting began there have been 5100 registrations in the area, and 3423 men have been passed as fit, 345 temporarily unfit, and 085 permanently unfit. The number of men sent to camp totals 2350.

Friendly Societies. Friendly Society Emergency Regulations gazetted last night empower friendly societies for the duration of the war to amend their rules so as to safeguard the interests of soldier mem bers similar to action taken during the last war.

Returling of Green. The sports ground in front of St. Patrick’s College, Wellington, which was recently reclaimed, is being returfed. The soil used in the reclamation set very hard after the recent rains and the grass became patchy. The ground, which is about 3ft. above the level of Cambridge Terrace, has also been fenced. Essential of a Good Speech.

A story that is given point by the fact that the person about whom it was told is noted for the shortness of his speeches was related yesterday by Mr. B. J. Jacobs, Dominion vice-president of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, at the annual conference of the association. Mr. Jacobs said that after some troops had been inspected recently lie asked an officer how the inspection went off. “Very well, indeed,” the officer replied, “but after the inspection (a high official) made a truly wonderful speech, I could not hear what he said, but it was short.” >

Longer Working Week Proposed. Reintroduction of the 44-hoiir week without increased wages, as a means of reducing costs to assist farmers, was suggested by Mr. IV. E. Hale, cliainnnu of the New Zealand Dairy Board, to the board’s Christchurch ward conference. If this were done, eVen if only for the duration of the war, he sitid, it would be highly beneficial to the farming community. “If a considerable number of our men go overseas,” he added, “it is difficult to see how production is to be maintained, not only in the country but also in our factories : and the additional four hours a week would greatly assist the position.”

Wfleaih from R.SJL Conference. As in previous years, delegates to the annual conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association yesterday paid tribute to their comrades who had fallen. Led by tlie Military Band of Trentham Camp, and headed by the banner of the association, about 100 men marched to tlie War Memorial Carillon. At the memorial the returned soldiers faced the tower and their Dominion president. Mr. Perry, M.L.C., and Mr. L. A. Robb, C.M.G., representing the Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia, placed a wreath in the shrine. The ceremony with tho sounding’of the “Last Post” and "Reveille.”

Federal Union. “At the present time many see in federal union tlie open sesame to a new age of peace and prosperity,” said Mr. A. J. Campbell, iu his presidential address to the Christchurch branch of the League of Nations Union. “In effect, this new idea is in many cases ‘Scrap the League; it has failed and this new idea is the solution’.” He was not condemning tlie idea outright, but from what he had read he felt it demanded more than the League Covenant, and would be for many years impracticable. Federal union, and other ideas that might arise, should not be used as a means of escape from the stern duty of getting down to a study of what the peace at tlie end of tins’ war should be.

Deep Sea “Dairying.” The collection of data on supplies of whale oil, as a possible means of dis* covering whether margarine production could stand up to greatly increased consumption for a long period, was suggested by Air. W. G. Macartney at the Christchurch ward conference of the New Zealand Dairy Board. The chairman of the conference, Mr. J. Dunlop, mentioned that New Zealand hud sold all its butter for the duration of the war, and margarine competition was a problem for after the war. “By that time we hope that the supplies of whale oil will be exhausted,” be said. His optimism was not shared by Mr. IV. E. Hale, chairman of the board, who remarked that even if all tbe whales rtere killed off other substitutes would be found. R.S.A. and White Feathers.

A desire to forestall tlie attentions of white feather distributors was stated at tlie Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association office to be at. least partly responsible for an increase in the memlbership of tlie association since the outbreak of war. Tlie membership at Christchurch by April 30 this year was 1240, compared with 905 by April 30 last year. While general interest in the association was among the reasons for increasing membership, some of tlie men had wanted to show their former war service, by use of the association’s badge, to avoid misunderstandings, and the attentions of distributors of white

feathers. Returned men, who in some cases had not been members of the association for 15 or 20 years, had rejoined lately, the office having handled up to 12 applications a day.