In the News

Southland Times, Issue 24872, 12 October 1942, Page 4

In the News

Captain Cook s Arrival The 173rd anniversary of the first landing of Captain James Cook in New Zealand occurred last Friday. Two days after land was first sighted on October 7, 1769, Cook’s ship, the Endeavour, anchored in Poverty Bay, at the mouth of the river later named Turanganui, on which Gisborne stands. While in Poverty Bay Captaixt Cook hoisted the Union Jack and took possession of the land in the name of the British Crown. Hospital Taxation The appeal by the Waikato Hospital Board for support of representations to the Government fox- an alteration in the incidence of taxation for hospital maintenance and construction, drew 32 replies from other local bodies, 24 being in favour of the proposal. The Christchurch City Council and seven borough councils left the matter to the Municipal Association and the Counties’ Association. Every county council that had replied, supported the representations. Cook Island Labour A former resident of the Cook Islands suggests that there would be no difficulty in- securing the services of 1000 or more natives of the group for vegetable cultivation and harvesting in New Zealand. “They are very good at such work,” he said, “and many, I know, would jump at the chance.” At such centres of vegetable production as Pukekohe it might be arranged to employ them in groups which would have their own cooks. He mentioned that in the past a few Cook islanders have come to New Zealand for a season of hop-picking and allied work. Extra Rations “It is realized that parents are unable fully to equip their children for boarding school with the coupons at their disposal, and applications made by the schools for additional supplies will be favourably considered,” said the rationing controller, Mr J. E. Thomas, last week. The head master of a North Island boarding school stated recently that parents wishing to start their boys boarding were experiencing difficulty in procuring the necessary clothing and bed linen, because their coupons were quite inadequate. Each boy required four sheets, two pillow slips and towels. Fourteen coupons were needed for sheets alone. This meant that all the family ration books had to suffer. The Censorship A meeting of representatives of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, the “Awake New Zealand” Campaign, and the Returned Services’ Association was held in Hamilton to discuss the statement issued by the New Zealand Newspaper Proprietors’ Association about the censorship regulations and restrictions. The chairman, Mr A. M. Bisley, said many people had been greatly impressed by the statement, and considerable concern was felt about the way in which censorship was applied to information which had little or no relation to the war and wihch would be of benefit to the public. A resolution was passed supporting the newspaper proprietors’ protest and asking the bodies represented to discuss the position. The representatives of the Returned Services’ Association refrained from voting, stating that their executive would have to consider the matter before an opinion could be exoressed. Electors’ Opinion Wanted A general election should be demanded to give the people of the Dominion an opportunity of expressing their opinion on the settlement of the recent coal-miners’ strike, said Mr M. G. C. McCaul at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. “If they approve,” he said, “well and good; if not—and I am hopeful that they will not approve—then a change will take place. The precedent which has been established is very serious for the welfare of the country. The whole of the people should be made responsible for deciding whether or not the law is to be enforced. If they say they approve of the flouting of the law, this is a democratic country, and those who do not approve will have to put up with it. But the people should have a say, and that can be done only through a general election.”