LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 June 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Footballer Injured. A footballer, Basil Marsh, 16 years of age, of 45 Bentley Street, was taken to the Masterton Hospital on Saturday afternoon, as the result of an injury to his left arm. He was discharged later in the day. An Unusual Prosecution.

Charged in the Magistrate’s Court, Hamilton, with having failed to provide sanitary accommodation for his employees working on a job at Claudelands, John W. Lewis, builder, pleaded not guilty. The Labour Department prosecuted. After receiving an assurance that the requirements would be met, Mr W. H. Freeman, S.M., fined Lewis £2 10s. Collision With Bull.

A wandering bull on the Opaki Road just north -of the borough boundary, was concerned in an accident on Saturday night, when it was struck by a motor lorry conveying a party of the Masterton Home Guard. The bull was thrown right across the bonnet of the lorry. The headlights, mudguards and radiator grid of the lorry were damaged. Some of the men on the lorry received a severe shaking. The Rationing System.

A comprehensive tour of main cities and towns is being made by Mr J. E. Thomas, rationing controller, and Mr G. L. Riley, secretary of the New Zealand Drapers’ Federation. In each centre Mr Thomas is discussing with retailers the working of the rationing system. He said at Christchurch on Saturday that information gained would enable anomalies and difficulties to be removed. Whatever system was adopted some persons would be affected more than others, but the Government was doing its best to see that everyone. had equal access to goods available. The department had under consideration special provision for cases of special hardship. Labour for Farms, The Minister of Supply, Mr Sullivan, said at Christchurch on Saturday that the War Cabinet had instructed the Army authorities to co-operate to the utmost with farmers requiring labour, by releasing an adequate number of the most suitable men to ensure planting and harvesting of wheat to meet national needs and for the necessary staffing of threshing mills. This, said the Minister, would relieve the minds of those farmers who were hesitant about planting large acreages of wheat, because of the fear that harvest labour would not be available. When mobilisation was speeded up after the entry of Japan into the war certain difficulties in respect of labour for wheat-growing and other farm work arose, but he had spared no pains to smooth the path for wheat-growers, and they, on their part, had responded nobly to his appeal for increased production. Arrangements had been made to release labour from the Army to prepare the land and plant new crop. ■ I