NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 21, 20 October 1942, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

The success of the collection of waste rubber in Wellington on Saturday provides proof of ihe importance of thorough organization and adequate publicity for campaigns of this kind. Greater care was taken in planning this one-day campaign than in the case of any of its predecessors, with the result that, according to all reports, few households failed to contribute their share of valuable waste, anti fewer still parcels were missed by the collectors. Doubtless those that were not collected will be gathered up during this week, and it is likely that citizens who overlooked their duty on Saturday will hasten to add to the remarkable store of disused rubber articles which has been amassed in the city. All who took part in the effort are to be congratulated on the outcome of it. Moreover, the. organization might well be looked upon as a model of its kind, and be retained for future use. Occasional, well-planned collections of needed materials would seem to be the most effective means of salvaging waste.

In the absence of a detailed official statement, the intention behind the dispatch of United States troops to the negro republic of Liberia, on the west, coast of Africa, can only be guessed at. Already Paris radio (Nazi controlled) lias seen in the move signs that “the United Nations are bn the eve of opening a second front in Africa”; but this is obviously speculative propaganda. Not only is the Liberian territory rich in timbers and minerals valuable for war purposes, but the coastal position of the republic is one of considerable importance in naval strategy. It. would appear, therefore, that at. least, the primary intention of the United States, by agreement with Liberia, is to establish bases for naval, mercantile shipping and possibly air operations, and to ensure the safety of those bases by adequate military