LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1941, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Patriotic Drive. The launching of a campaign to raise £500,000 throughout the Auckland Province has been decided upon by the Auckland Provincial Patriotic Council. The campaign, to be known as the 1942 All Patriotic Purposes Appeal, will be considered to have begun from November 1, and will be spread over 14 months to December’ 31, 1942. Parade at Waiouru. The largest parade of men ever assembled in the shadow of Ruapehu was witnessed yesterday at Waiouru when the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, took the salute as 3000 men marched past under the command of Colonel Potter, N.Z.S.C. Tanks also took part in the parade, this being the first time they have been on parade in New Zealand. Gardener Awarded Damages. Special damages' amounting to £5Ol and general damages of £207 17s 7d, the amounts claimed in each instance, were awarded Roy Mcllroy, a gardener, of Clive, against O. and A. S. Harrison, by the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, and a jury of 12 in the Supreme Court, Napier,- yesterday. The damages are to compensate for injuries received in a' motor collision caused allegedly by defendants’ negligence. Postponement of Elections. A motion placing on record high appreciation of the action of Mr S. G. Holland in his successful conduct of the negotiations leading up to the postponement of the General Election, and fully endorsing the action taken by the Parliamentary party, was carried at a recent meeting of the Dominion Council of the New Zealand National Party. Labour Party and Communists. The refusal of either body to collaborate or associate in any way with the Communist Party in New Zealand is made plain in a joint declaration recently issued by the New Zealand Federation of Labour and the New Zealand Labour Party, states a Press Association telegram from Christchurch. The declaration says that both bodies have given careful considera--1 tion to the suggestion that there might be collaboration, but have come to the conclusion that no useful purpose could thus be served. Mass Dismissal of Appeals. One solicitor appeared for 56 clients before the No. 4 Armed Forces Appeal Board in Wellington yesterday, when. Mr.Dennehy was counsel in a group of appeals by Citizens of Eire against service in the armed forces. Mr C. O’Regan appeared for another appellant. The appeals in which Mr Dennehy was concerned were dismissed on the ground of status. Such of these appeals as included conscientious objection as a ground of appeal were dismissed for want of appearance by appellants. The appeal by Mr O’Regan’s client was in respect of territorial service. It was dismissed, on the grounds of status and conscientious objection, the board ruling that the statement made on appellant’s behalf that he would take up arms only in Eire placed him outside the category of conscientious objector to warfare.

Meningitis in Dunedin.. Two cases of cerebro-spinal menimgitis have been sent to the hospital, in Dunedin and the families isolated. Price of Vegetables. The public inquiry to be held in Wellington by the Price Tribunal into the reasons for the present high price of vegetables will commence on Wednesday next. Persons interested in vegetable growing and marketing are asked to attend the hearing or to forward to the Price Tribunal a brief written statement of any submissions they wish to make. Centennial Film Screened. The Regent and Cosy theatres, Masterton, were crowded yesterday afternoon when screenings of the Centennial film, “One Hundred Crowded Years” were shown to the primary school children of the district in aid of the Patriotic funds. The staff at the theatres gave their services free and there were no expenses in connection with the screening. The headmasters of the schools represented express their appreciation of the capable manner in which the theatre management had organised the handling of the children. Civil Service Population. “It is not generally known and it is astounding when it is considered, that at the beginning of the war period, for every five people employed by private enterprise, two are employed by the State and the present indications are that this proportion will increase to the detriment of private enterprise,” commented Mr K. A. Henderson (president) at the annual meeting of the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce. He said the band of civil servants was increasing year by year to enable the Government to continue its policy of regimentation. Charges Against Soldiers. Three soldiers of the 2nd N.Z.E.F., one of whom had served in the Middle East, and two who had served in Suva, were dealt with by district courts martial at Trenthem yesterday for alleged breaches of military discipline. The accused were Sapper Francis Charles Morgan, charged with absence without leave for 18 days, while in arrest; Gunner Leonard Arthur Williams, absence without leave for 20 days; and Trooper Leslie Morton Mason, desertion on active service in being absent without leave for 95 days. Mason was found notl guilty. Sentence in the other cases will be announced after promulgation. Shell Fuse Contract. ’ Industry in New Zealand would welcome this further opportunity of doing its share in the Empire’s war effort, said a Wellington engineer yesterday, when asked to comment on the announcement by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr Sullivan, that the Government had accepted a huge contract for the manufacture of shell fuses for shipment to various parts of the Empire. The details of the scheme had been the subject of negotiation for some time between the Government and manufacturers, he said. He did not regard the manufacture of shell fuses as a particularly difficult job. It should be well within the capacity of New Zealand workmen, given the equipment and the organisation. Australia had already fully equipped her armed forces with all-Australian-produced weapons. There was no reason why, given the tools, New Zealand industry could not , do the same.