In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24838, 2 September 1942, Page 4

In the News

New Union Supported Support for the Dairy Farmers’ Union was expressed at the annual meeting of the Oteramika Dairy Factory Company Ltd. The union was fully discussed and the following resolution, submitted by Mi - John Hoddinot and seconded by Mr G. Skerrett, was carried unanimously: “That this meeting approves of the principles of the Dairy Farmers’ Union, recommends all suppliers to join and is disappointed that , other dairy companies have not given their suppliers a similar lead.” Cottage Hospital At the request of the medical officer and the officer in charge of the base training camp, the Southland Red Cross Society has equipped a cottage hospital which is attached to the regimental aid post at the camp. It has six stretchers and will serve those soldiers who are not ill enough to be admitted to the public hospital but who need special care and attention. The aid post was already well equipped with medical supplies, and the Red Cross Society has provided stretchers, mattresses, sheets, pillow-cases, towels, face-cloths, pyjamas, brush-and-comb bags, soap, hot water bags and covers, in addition to floor matting, pedestals, books and paper?. The bedside pedestals were made from kerosene cases by primary school boys attending the manual training school under the guidance of the instructor, Mr S. C. K. Smith. The boxes were taken, to pieces, put together again and planed, sand-papered, and varnished. When finished they had an appearance which belied their humble origin. The officers and men at the camp have expressed their gratitude to the society, and state that the cottage hospital will be a useful adjunct to the camp. Discharged Guardsmen The complaint that a Home Guardsman had been discharged from camp with insufficient notice and that he was without a job and in most distressing circumstances, was made last week by Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon, chairman of the standing committee of the Canterbury Provincial Patriotic Council. The complaint has been answered in a letter to Mr Mac Gibbon from the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones), who says that new regulations provide that members of the Home Guard employed under special instructions will in future, like members of the regular Army, be granted a period of leave on full pay when they are discharged. This will enable them to find new employment. In certain other cases, the letter states, notwithstanding the number of their children, men discharged from Home Guard employment will be re-employed or else will be given the period of leave on full pay provided for in the new regulations. A mistake had been made originally, the letter said, in employing the man referred to and several others in similar circumstances on full-time work in the Home Guard when he had more than three depend- [ ent children; this was against instruc- . tions issued in January last. Mr Jones ’ added that instructions had now been : given to re-employ the men concerned. City Rates the year 1942-43 collected at the Town Hall during the statutory discount period, which ended on Monday, is not i yet known, but it is thought to be more 1 than £60,000 out of a total levy of £99,045. The reason for the delay is the breakdown in an adding machine. Certain totals have been recorded on the machine, but until it is set going again these cannot be ascertained. ; Lambing Season > Lambing is becoming general in ; Southland and the season will be in full ; swing within the next few days. Far- ■ mers are entering one of the busiest i periods of the year and will be busy . during the next few weeks tending the young lambs and doing the other seasonal work, which includes the preparation of ground for the greatly increased areas of crops required . this year. Hopes are entertained that the beautifully fine weather of the last few days will continue throughout the lambing period. ’ Home Guard Parades The difficulties of farmers in attending parades of the Home Guard at this / time of the''year were emphasized at the annual meeting of shareholders of the Oteramika Dairy Factory Company Ltd. On the motion of Mr J. A. Nicol, seconded by Mr F. White, it was decided without dissent to. ask the Primary Production Council to make representations to the appropriate Government authority to grant dairy farmers who are Home Guardsmen leave of absence from day parades during the months of September, October, November and December and ask that the minimum hours be reduced from 24 to 10 during each of these months. Key Men in Emergency It seems that both these men are in a position to do responsible work in the event of an emergency and the appeals are therefore adjourned sine die, said Mr E. H. Mumey, chairman of the Southland Armed Forces Appeal Board, at a sitting of the board yesterday when giving the board’s decision on. appeals by the National Service Department on behalf of two traffic in-* spectors. A statement supporting the appeal pointed out that traffic congestion on the roads had played an important part in the collapse of France.