SOLDIERS PROTEST

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 February 1941, Page 4

SOLDIERS PROTEST

PETROL REFUSED FOR LEAVE BUSES. : BUT AVAILABLE FOR TRANSPORT OF "TOTE” STAFF. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND. February 12. Considerable indigation was expressed by soldiers in camp at Papakura when it was learned that though petrol could not be obtained for leave buses last weekend some members of the Auckland totalisator staff travelling to and from the race meeting at Rotorua by bus. The decision that no petrol would be made available for the usual buses taking leave men to their homes in different parts of the province was first made public last Friday. The co-oper-ation of the Army authorities and the Y.M.C A. had secured a petrol licence for men whose homes were in distant parts of the province, enabling them to visit their relatives for weekend leave. Specially-arranged buses left Papakura on Saturday morning for places such ns Whangarei. Whakatane. Tauranga and Rotorua, rind brought the men back to camp. The system was adopted because of the unsuitability of train times. The No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr. E. J Phelan) said applications for licences for men on final leave 1 were dealt with sympalhetically, but with ordinat'y leave it was not felt that the position was urgent enough to warrant the granting of a licence.