News of the Day

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1942, Page 2

News of the Day

Seamen's Rest Mart. , Ihe record sum of £42 resulted from the annual mart for funds for the Seamen's Rest at New Plymouth. Included ra the sum, which will be expended by the New Plymouth W.C.T.U. branch on the upkeep of the institution, were many donations. Visitors to Mountain. In addition to seven carloads of visitors and a bus conveying 14 air force members to North Mount Egmont at the week-end, two women and two men rode up to the mountain on horseback. Several persons stayed in the old house for the week-end. Alpine club members visited North Egmont and climbed to Tahurangi Hut. It was raining on Sunday morning, but was clear from | noon until about six o'clock, when a I fierce electrical storm broke. Dunedin Going "Dry." \ Wine and spirit dealers and hotelkeepers at Dunedin have revealed that unless something is done to augrnent their supplies in the near future the city will become "bone dry.'' Chemists at Dunedin have been known to go from hotel to hotel in vain search of 'brandy to meet urgent doctors' orders. One hotelkeeper said that he limits his bar saies of whisky to one bottle a day, whereas in normal times he sold about 60 bottles a week. He said that when the alcoholic content of beer was lowered there was a switch-over to wines and spirits, which had helped to aggravate an already serious shortage. Missing Men Probably Prisoners, When asked by the president of the Christchurch next-of-kin society, Mrs. F. C. Thornton, what he thought would be the fate of the many New Zealand soldiers who had been posted missing in the last few weeks, Lieut.-Colonel A. A. Tennent, who was recently repatriated from an Italian prison camp, replied that he beiieved the large majority of them would be reclassified as prisoners of war. He said that officials at base records in Egypt were averse to publishing names of men as prisoners of war until oonhrmation was received from the Italian authorities through the Intemational Red Cross.

Pa r eels for Prisoners. Lieut.-Colonel A. A. Tennent, N.Z.M.C., who was recently repatriated from an Italian prison camp, gave some practical advice about what to put in personal parcels for prisoners of war in Italy, when speaking to members of the Christchurch next-of-kin society. He said that warm clothing for winter was appreciated, and so were socks. No socks were issued to prisoners of war' in Italy, nor were they issued to Italian soldiers, who wear, instead, calico wrapped round their feet. Boots and shoes were acceptable, especially to officers, who were not provided with them, but who had to procure them from the few ration coupons they had. Khaki shorts for wearing in the hot weather, and thick trousers for the winter, were also suggested. Toilet soap and flaked soap for washing clothes were needed, and chocolate, of which there is none in Italy, was welcome, Among new goods to show at Scanlan's Melbourne Corner, New Plymouth, are thimbles, mending vvoqls, mercer cotton, needles, fancy brooches and umbrellas. All these things are difficult to procure, so we advise customers to shop as early as possible to avoid the disappointment of missing altogether.*