LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 June 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Fined for Failure to Register. In the Timaru Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Allan George Marshall, fisherman, was fined £2O for having failed to register under the National Service Emergency Regulation. Loss of Mail. The Postmaster-General, Mr Webb, has announced that a small mail, consisting of one bag of letters from Great Britain and routed by surface mail across the Atlantic and by airmail across the Pacific, has been lost through enemy action. The approximate dates of posting were March 13 to 15.

Soldiers Absent From Camp. Claiming that they were not granted all the leave promised to them, scores of Expeditionary Force soldiers did not return to mobilisation camps in the Northern Military District on the official concentration date last week, and many are still being sought by the Army authorities. Every day this week guards from Papakura Camp have been escorting them from the city back to camp. The Minister of Defence, Mr Jones, stated yesterday that there was no direct evidence of any authorised promise of extended leave having been given to members of the detachment before leaving Fiji, and it was significant that none of the men charged with being absent without leave had pleaded that such a promise had been given. Grave Social Problems. As the result of the work of a committee set up by the Wairarapa Council of the Women's Division of the Farmers’ Union a series of meetings of representatives of women's organisations has been held. At these meetings, after a full discussion on grave social problems, such as the high incidence 1 of abortion and its contributing fac- 1 tors, a series of resolutions has been passed. At a public meeting of women to be held on Wednesday next. June 18, at 8 p.m. at the Y.M.C.A., these resolutions will be submitted for endorsement, and a plan of campaign proposed. Members of women’s organisations and all women interested in the welfare of New Zealand are urged to be present. Mine Not to Close Down. The Minister of Mines, Mr Webb, said yesterday that he bad discussed the matter of the reported closing down of the Blackball colliery with the managing director of the company, who had informed him that the company was not responsible for the statement which had appeared in the Press. It was not correct, said the Minister that notice had been issued to the miners, nor had any decision been reached by the company to close down the mine. The future policy of working the mine was being considered by the directors and he was assured that the Government would be consulted before any decision to cease work was

New Zealand War Effort. At the monthly meeting of the committee of the Hastings R.S.A., the following resolution was carried unanimously: “That this committee of the Hastings R.S.A. strongly protests against statements .which the Hon. W. E. Barnard is reported to have made on various public platforms concerning New Zealand and the war effort.”

Sinking of Italian Raider. An excellent series of photographs showing the sinking of the Italian commerce raider Ramb II in the Indian Ocean were taken by Leading Stoker G. L. Hessell, a son of Mr and Mrs G. L. Hessell, of Masterton. Leading Stoker Hessel is serving on H.M.S. Leander, which was responsible for the destruction of the raider.

Red Cross Society. The Masterton Sub-Centre of the Red Cross Society gratefully acknowledges gifts of parcels of clothing, old linen, new materials and donations from the following:—Mesdames Ball, Day, Garland, Speight, H. Morrison, Appleby, Fawcett, Cruickshank, Farrell. Morice, Johns, Dunderdale, Ingram. Towns, W. Wrigley and H. Cunningham, Misses Mace, F. Maunsell, L. Miller. Rishworth, E. Clarke, the Eketahuna Women’s Institute and the Townswomen's Guild.

Band Concert Tomorrow. Weather permitting, the Masterton Municipal Band will march through Queen Street tomorrow at' 2.15 p.m., after which a programme of music will be given in the Park. The programme is: “The Emperor." march (C. Andersen); “The Navy's Here," march (arr Robt McAnally); “Onward,” march (J. C. Webster); “Clear the Road," march (J. A. Greenwood); “Two Comrades,” cornet duet (W. Rimmer); "Fedora,” petite overture (M. Rayner); “Rock of Ages,” air varie (Sidney Trenchard); “Enchantment,” waltz (J. A. Greenwood); “Marche Militaire No. 1" (F. Schubert); and “Crown of Merit," overture (C. W. Bennet).