LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 January 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Australian Potatoes. Part of the consignment of 800 tons of Australian potatoes bought by the Government is expected to be made available to the Wellington markets today. Merchants are being asked to buy their requirements straight out from the Government, a condition being that the price to the public must not be more than £23’ a ton. A Child Killed. Through the right-hand door of a single-seater motor-car flying open when travelling along the main highway near Longbush on Tuesday afternoon, the woman driver was thrown out on the roadway and the car capsized. A six-year-old child, Mary Caldwell, of Edendale, was killed instantly, and three other children suffered concussion and bruises. The driver, Mrs G. McStay, of Dacre, suffered only slight injuries. Army Officer Sentenced. A former lieutenant in the army, Richard Seymour Powell, aged 35, was placed on probation by Mr Justice Callan in the Auckland Supreme Court for two years, and ordered to pay £lO towards the’ expenses of the prosecution, on a charge of the theft of £5O belonging to the Army Department, and £6O belonging to a mobilisation camp’s regimental funds. Counsel for the defence said Powell, still owed £lOO, for which he was liable to account, and had assigned his superannuation to cover this sum. To be Asked to Vacate Buildings. A decision to request the Education Department to ask the military authorities to vacate schools in Palmerston North and Feilding, occupied by them, by January 31. was reached at a Wanganui Education Board meeting yesterday. The chairman, Mr E. G. Hemingway, said it seemed a pity that the military authorities before taking ovei’ the schools did not commandeer other buildings. It was essential to have schools for the advancement of the children's education. A Disappointing Response. Disappointment at the small number of enrolments received from applicants for service with the Women’s Land Corps, as well as at the poor response by farmers, was expressed yesterday by the Minister of National Service, Mr Semple. “There are district committees of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary in all centres of any considerable size, ready to give information to interested women and enrol them for work with 1 the Land Corps,” he said. “The Press has given full publicity to the scheme, but it is clear that women are not responding with the spirit which must be shown if the Dominion is to play its full part in the Allied war effort.” National Savings Campaign. Commenting on the results of the National Savings campaign for December, Mr T. N. Smallwood, chairman of the New Zealand National Savings Committee, said yesterday that the (receipts for the month had reached the high level of £422.635, whiclj figure had only once been exceeded, namely, in June last, when £437,929 was collected. “Nevertheless,” continued Mr Smallwood, “during the period December 16 to 23, a record total of £145,960 was received —the previous best period being from July 1 to 7, when £130,542 was obtained.” Mr Smallwood indicated that the receipts during the current financial year to January 7 amounted to £2,693,1000, making a grand total of £4,014,000 I since the inception of the campaign in (October, 1940.

Suspension Orders. Provision for conferences to be held with a view to rectifying anomalies or injustices arising from holiday and overtime suspension orders, was announced yesterday by the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, who is visiting Auckland. Woman Fatally injured.

Knocked down by a tram in central Devon Street, New Plymouth, at noon yesterday, Mrs Annie Corbett, of Okato, received very severe injuries and died in hospital at 1.30 p.m. Mrs Corbett, who was 72 years old. had been shopping when she stepped off the pavement and passed between two parked cars presumably to cross the road. Apparently she did not see the tram and walked out in front of it and was immediately knocked down.

Magistrate In Army. “I emphatically dissociate myself from this appeal, though I quite understand that my own wishes cannot and ought not be considered,” stated Sergeant W. H. Woodward yesterday before the Taranaki Man Power Committee, when his withdrawal from the National Military Reserve to resume his duties as a stipendiary magistrate was sought by the Justice Department supported by the Director of National Service. The Taranaki Man Power Committee reserved its decision.

Emergency Reserve Corps. Compulsory enrolment in the Emergency Reserve Corps for men between the ages of 18 and 66 is required of men exempted from military service by virtue of successful appeals, irrespective of the grounds on which they may have been made. The fact that an appeal on the ground of conscientious objection to serving with the armed forces has been allowed does not excuse the individual concerned from his liability to enrol within 14 days from the issue on January 22 of the order providing for compulsory enrolment.

Casualty Inquiries. The intention of the Government to refer in future to Base Records all private cable inquiries made to General Headquarters of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force was announced yesterday by the Minister of Defence, Mr Jones. “Relatives and friends may rest assured,” the Minister said, “that their anxiety regarding particulars of casualties suffered by their soldiers is fully recognised and shared by the Government. The Government’s aim is threefold: To ensure that only information which is official and authentic is disseminated; to ensure that such information is disseminated through official channels without delay; and thus to obviate the expense of private cables overseas and the consequent congestion on the cable system. The earnest cooperation of all concerned is sought in order to achieve this aim.”

Drivers’ Dispute. No agreement was reached in conciliation council in Wellington yesterday during the second day’s hearing of the application by the New Zealand Road Transport and Motor and Horse Drivers’ Industrial Association of Workers for a new Dominion award. After proceedings had lasted for the greater part of the day, the assessors for the employers repeated that they were unable to agree to the proposal of the workers for an advance of 5s a week in the wages of omnibus and service car drivers, and the advocate for the workers, Mr F. C. Allerby, thereupon said that the workers desired that the dispute should be adjourned to a date to be arranged by the parties. The conciiation commissioner, Mr S. Ritchie, adjourned the dispute sine die, allowing either party to bring it on -again with one month’s notice to the commissioner and to the other side.

Fire in Washhouse.

The Masterton Fire Brigade was called out at 9.2 o’clock this morning to a fire at 84 Bentley Street. The fire was confined to the washhouse, which was slightly damaged. The premises were occupied by Mrs E. H. Currie and owned by Mrs E. F. Nicol. The insurances were not available.

E.P.S. Enrolments. Men between 45 and 66 are reminded that the last day for enrolling in the E.P.S. organisation is February 5. Already a considerable number of enrolments have been received in Masterton. Those men serving in the E.P.S. or Home Guard are not required to enrol under the new scheme.

Escapees Caught. Having been caught by three policemen while resting near Waitotara after abandoning the last of the motorcars they had stolen, four escapees from the Weraroa training farm appeared in the Children’s Court, Wanganui. They faced seven charges involving the theft of five motor-cars, petrol, foodstuffs and fishing gear. The two older escapees were sentenced to three years’ detention in a Borstal institution, and the others were sent back to the training farm. One of the charges related to the theft of 18 gallons of petrol from the bowser of Messrs I. Allen and Son, Ltd., Waingawa.

National Military Reserve. There has been no general instruction to post men over 35, drawn in the January 20 ballot, to National Reserve units and to send those under 35 to Territorial Force units. This was stated yesterday at Army Headquarters, Wellington. It was stated that the matter was one for military districts individually to make their own arrangements for the posting of men to the units under the control. The position with the Central Military District is that where men are required for National Military Reserve units, they are being selected from those over 30. This does not mean that all men over 30, drawn in tire last ballot, automatically go into the National Military Reserve, but only a limited number required to bring such units up to the required strength.

New Patriotic Appeal. More funds are required by the Wellington Provincial Patriotic Council for the provision of amenities for servicemen both in New Zealand and abroad. This year’s appeal is for £160,000, and it was decided at yesterday’s meeting of the council that each of the zone committees may commence work in connection with the appeal forthwith. The quota for the Wellington metropolitan area is £78,400. Other zone quotas are as follows: Wairarapa. £20,800; Wanganui, £14,400; Palmerston North, £12,800; Feilding, £14,400; Levin, £6400; Taihape, £3300; Marton, £3200; Taumarunui, £4800; Waimarino, £l6OO. It is understood that moneys in hand held by the zone committees will be counted against the coming appeal. Nude Bathers. Complaints that a number of men of the Makara Battalion, Home Guard, went in for a bathe without clothing of any kind in the presence of women and children at a beach in the Wellington district last Sunday have been received from residents by the chairman of the Makara County Council, Mr J. Purchase. Mr Purchase said yesterday that it had been reported to him that late on Sunday afternoon men of the battalion decided to go for a swim, and though several had no bathing suits they stripped off in the full view of women and children who were bathing there and entered the water. The men ignored protests by bystanders and the women who were present. Some time ago, he continued, the Makara County Council made the men’s bathing sheds at this particular beach available to the Home Guardsmen, but on Sunday they made no attempt to use the shed. There were girls present from 16 to five years of age, and when these turned away in disgust the men deliberately confronted them, remarking that civilians had no right to be on the beach. “It was a disgusting exhibition, and one that should be strongly dealt with by the military authorities,” declared Mr Purchase. The officer commanding the Makara Battalion, to whom the statements of Mi’ Purchase were referred before publication, said that the men had been digging all Sunday, when there wa's a mean maximum temperature of 73 degrees in the shade, and it was not unnatural that some desired to cool themselves. Had not a number of civilians persisted in remaining in the vicinity of defence works, there would have been no cause for complaint.

Bugle and Side Drum Required. A medical corps is in need of a side drum and a bugle and local residents who care to lend or donate such instruments are asked to communicate with Mr E. M. Hodder or the Y.M.C.A. Coursing Club. At a meeting of the Wairarapa Coursing Club held recently it was unanimously decided to erect the tin hare plant at Rugby Park on Saturday. Appreciation was expressed by members of the action of Mrs W. Williams and the Wairarapa Rugby Union in granting the use of the grounds to enable the sport to be carried on. Deserter Sent to Gaol. A letter written by accused to the Minister of Defence, Mr Jones, asking that the military authorities be lenient to him, was the first the authorities had heard of a soldier, Charles Cameron, for about five months, it was stated when Cameron appeared in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, charged with desertion from the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Cameron, who was described as an evangelical preacher, pleaded “guilty to having missed embarkation, but not guilty to desertion.” The magistrate (Mr J. L. Stout) sentenced Cameron to three months’ hard labour, followed by defaulters’ detention. “If after the three months you still want to join the Army. I have no doubt that you will not have to do the detention,” he added.