In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24869, 8 October 1942, Page 4

In the News

Clarendon Phosphate “The phosphate deposit I referred to is not the old deposit worked by the Ewing Company, but a new one 200 feet higher up,” said Mr W. J. Polson, formerly Minister of Primary Production for War Purposes, when commenting at Stratford on the report that Otago experts do not support his claim that the Clarendon deposit may be worth £100,000,000 to New Zealand. The Dunedin report stated that the deposit was worked by the Ewing Phosphate Company until 1923, when production ceased because of the inability of the company to compete with the higher grade Nauru phosphate. The company had mined 132,000 tons. Mr Polson explained that the deposit he had referred to had never been worked, and a prominent geologist had thought it worth investigating. It was estimated to be worth £100,000,000. Rubber Growing As a result of experiments carried out for the past six months by the Department of Agriculture, there may be grown successfully in New Zealand the Russian dandelion, Kok-sagyz, which is stated to contain a higher percentage of pure rubber than any plant other ( than the native Brazilian rubber tree. Seeds are expected to arrive shortly. Kok-sagyz is reported to yield up to 27 per cent, of rubber from the roots, and, as the soil and climatic conditions in this country seem to be suitable for the growing of the plant, the research officers are hopeful of success. Research is stated to have proved that the root of the New Zealand dandelion contains approximately % per cent, of rubber. A sample of rubber from this plant has been prepared by the chemistry section of the Department of Agriculture in Wellington. Extraction of rubber from the roots of the dandelion is not, however, an economic proposition. Service Exemptions “The public is becoming concerned over the calling up for military service of men with families of four and five children, while younger fit men are exempted,” said Mr A. Best at a meeting of the Auckland District Council of Primary Production. The council adopted a resolution requesting that appeal boards, when reviewing exemption cases which had been adjourned for a definite period or sine die should obtain the opinion of primary production councils. Mr Best said there was public dissatisfaction with the way in which such cases were reviewed. He had been requested to bring forward this matter, as many people felt it was wrong to call up married men while single men were allowed to remain in industry. The chairman, Mr R. C. Clark, said he ha'd received similar representations from various sources. Damage by Wind As a result of a fierce north-west gale, a huge cherry tree at Mataura Island was uprooted recently, This tree has been claimed to be the largest cherry tree in the world. It was planted more than 80 years ago in the grounds of the beautiful Oaklands homestead now owned by Mr R. J. Howden. The tree, which grew to a height of about 100 feet and had a sideways span of 40 feet and had a sideways span of 40 yards, was planted by the late Dr F. H. Richardson, who took up the Oaklands station in 1854. The palatial homestead was destroyed by fire about 40 years ago. Such was the violence of the wind at Mataura Island that a bicycle shed was lifted bodily over a fence and deposited 12 feet away. Several tiles from the roof of the school were lifted and six windows were broken. Lack of Loyalty “I have been appalled at the want of loyalty I have seen about me in the general life of New Zealand and elsewhere,” said Lieutenant-General E. Puttick, General Officer Commanding the New Zealand military forces, in a speech he made to anti-aircraft officer cadets. “I have seen people disloyal to the firms they work for, disloyal to the men they work with, and disloyal to their cause. Unless you have a loyalty you have disruption and a rotten show.” School Equipment A request that the Government should provide funds for the purchase of equipment in schools, such as paints and sewing machines, is to be forwarded to the Prime Minister by the Auckland Education Board as a result of lack of such equipment at the new Pasadena intermediate school. At yesterday’s meeting of the board members complained further of inability to get the Minister of Education, tire Hon. H. G. R. Mason, to attend a conference to devise means of dealing more effectively with child delinquency. Replying to the board’s latest request, Mr Mason said departmental business had taken him away from Wellington frequently and he had difficulty in catching up on back work. If he responded to such requests from boards all over New Zealand he would never get anywhere. After members had criticized the attitude adopted by the Minister, the board unanimously decided to communicate with the Prime Minister with a view to the provision of proper power to deal with child delinquency.P.A. Two-Toed Shoes A great deal has been made in overseas reports of the two-toed rubber shoes worn by Japanese jungle fighters, as indicating that much attention had been paid by the Japanese to the smallest details of special equipment. An Auckland business man scouts the suggestion that these shoes have been specially designed for use in jungle warfare, for in the course of a visit to Japan 25 years ago he observed that two-toed rubber shoes were the" ordinary footwear in the street of a considerable section of the native people. He states that, while it is no doubt true that a combination of German-Japanese thoroughness and adaptiveness has been shown in the equipment of the Japanese troops, the two-toed rubber shoe, being widely manufactured and worn in ordinary times, is just what might be expected to be found as footwear in any cross section of Japan’s soldiers. Registration of Women More than 9000 women in the Canterbury district have registered for work of national importance. The women are those in the age group from 20 to 30 inclusive. The women in the 24-30 group total 3619, in the 22-23 age group there were 1987 registrations, and in the 20-21 group, 3485. The grand total of registrations is thus 9091. The district man-power officer (Mr M. I Ross) pointed out that the 20-21 group total was always increasing as more I young women reached the age of 20. He emphasized that girls reaching the age of 20 were required to register. Flag From Tobruk Bloodstained from fighting in the Tobruk corridor and tom by desert sandstorms, a flag flown in Tobruk last year by some Blenheim members of the Maori Battalion has reached Auckland after being found by Private B. W. Smith, a son of Mr A. E. Smith, of Auckland. Private Smith, who fought alongside the Maoris, brought the flag with him from Tobruk and gave it into the keeping of an uncle, Sergeant A, March, Australian Imperial Forces, who was a member of a supply column which was sent up to Tobruk. The last time Sergeant March had seen his nephew was when the latter was an infant. Sergeant March later brought the flag back to Australia and gave it to Mr Smith, who as a member of the crew of a merchant ship was then visiting the Commonwealth.