LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 September 1940, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Health Stamps. Health stamps are to be macle available to the public this year from October 1. The proceeds of sales are to be devoted to the maintenance of the health camp for children at Otaki. Flags Half Mast. Flags on the Masterton Post Office and other Government buildings are being flown at half-mast today owing to the death of Mr A. E. Jull, the member for Waipawa. Drunken Motorist Fined. James Burt, manufacturer, Wellington, was fined £25 and had his driving licence cancelled for a year, when hq appeared before Mr Luxford, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court, Petone, charged with having been intoxicated in charge of a car. Pipe Band Contest. Unless the war situation causes changes to be made, it is expected that 12 bands will take part in the Wellington provincial pipe band contest, which is to be held on McLean Park, Napier, on February 15 next.' There will be the usual street march, test pieces, quicksteps, and the drum-major’s display, all of which will be decided on one day. “Just Like Home.” “It is just like home down in our dug out,” writes a woman resident of. London to a friend in Masterton. “Every night before retiring we place out our gas masks, money, coats, etc., ready for emergency, not forgetting the vacuum flask of hot water to make some cocoa with down in the dug out. In front of every garden in London there is a bath of water to be used in case of fire through incendiary bombs. If a house catches fire all rush to extinguish it with stirrup pumps, using the water in the baths.” News From Enemy Countries.

Some surprise may have been felt by the public at the appearance in the cable news of items emanating from Berlin, Rome or other centres in enemy and ,enemy-occupied countries and attributed to correspondents of British news agencies. It does not follow that British correspondents are able in yzar time to remain in enemy territory and send news to their headquarters; but some of the leading British agencies have connections with United States agencies which enable them to continue to obtain news from enemy countries. “We Won’t Fail.”

“Every man, woman and child is ready to defend England to the last, and if we fail, well, as Winston Churchill says, the Dominion's will carry on,” writes a woman resident of London to a friend in Master-ton. "But we won’t fail, never you fear. Our morale is wonderful and the Germans will not find us an easy nut to crack. Most women and girls now wear trousers for convenience in their dug outs in case of air raids. We’re fighting with our backs to the wall for the Old Country, but don’t forget, ‘Thumbs Up, Pickety boo.’ ” Standardisation of Stone Fruit.

Full support for the petition initiated by Otago growers asking that stone fruit standardisation not .be brought into force, was given at a meeting of the committee of the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association. The meeting urged growers to sign the petition without delay. It was stated that information so far available did not indicate that the establishment of a fruit-evaporating factory in Hastings would be of much service to the fruit-growing industry. As the association is anxious to exploit fully every avenue which might lead to the profitable disposal of the district’s fruit, it decided to seek further information from the Department of Industries and Commerce.

Stamp Censorship Objected To.

The pro-British tendencies of Egypt and the presence of New Zealand troops there do not prevent the country from being regarded as foreign in the eyes of the Dominion censorship authorities. Stamp collectors are no longer permitted to exchange stamps with Egyptian philatelists unless the transaction is conducted by a recognised stamp dealer. Objection to a system of censorship that forces individual collectors who have worked up a connection with collectors in all parts of the world to discontinue exchanging stamps by correspondence was expressed at. a recent meeting of the Hawera Philatelic Society, and it was decided to write to the New Zealand Philatelic Society for an expression of opinion.

Breaches of Finance Regulations.

Holding that a breach of the Finance Emergency Regulations, 1940, had been committed, Mr Goulding. S.M., ma reserved judgment .delivered in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court, yesterday, convicted Robert lan Malcolm Sutherland, solicitor, and Norman John Suckling, manufacturers’ re P re ? e ’ lta 7 tive. They were jointly charged that without lawful excuse, and without a permit from the Minister of Finance, they did make a payment in New Zealand in consideration for receiving a payment outside New Zealand. On this charge each defendant was fined £lO. with costs. Defendants were also jointly charged with being parties to a transaction involving the conversion of New Zealand money into sterling currency at a rate of exchange other than the current rate, and with dealing with money payable outside New Zealand as consideration for receiving payment in New Zealand On these charges they were convicted and oideled to pay costs.

Shearers and the War.

An assurance that for the coming season there would not be a drain on shearers as a result of men joining the overseas military forces or territorias going into camp, was given by the chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Manpower Committee, Mr G. A. Maddison. He said it was fully realised that as many shearers as possible would have to be retained if the full results of die districts efforts to increase production were to be realised. Mr Maddison said that unfortunately quite a number ol shearers-left, with the First and Second Echelons, but since then it had been possible to compile a substantial list of shearers from Eketahuna to Wairoa, whose postponement of entry into the forces would be made possible to ensure that the district’s requirements were fulfilled. He felt sure the majority of the men accepted the committee's decision because they realised that their services were just as valuable to the needs of Great Britain and New Zealand’s war efforts as were those of the men in khaki.