LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 March 1943, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wellington Fire. Damage estimated by the fire brigade to approximate £lO,OOO was caused by a fire which gutted a portion of me two-storey building on the southern corner of Harris and Victoria streets, Wellington, early yesterday morning. Washed Out to Sea. While wading ■ back to Tomahawk Beach Dunedin, after a fishing expedition to a small island about a quarter of a mile off shore, Marius Hirt, aged 16, was caught by the incoming tide and washed out to sea. The body has not yet been recovered. Grass Fires Prevalent. The Masterton Fire Brigade was called out on Saturday afternoon to deal with three grass fires, two being in Oxford Street and one in Titoki Street. A few shrubs and stumps were burnt but not much damage was done. The fires were promptly extinguished. Sale of Impressed Trucks. Reference to the fact that a sale of impressed trucks was to be held at Feilding was made at today’s meeting of the Farmers’ Union in Masterton. It was decided to write to Dominion headquarters of the Farmers’ Union to inquire if farmers would have first option in purchasing their own trucks which had been impressed. Home Guard Training. To its decision that Division 1 men of the Home Guard are to do 16 hours a month of obligatory training the War Cabinet has added that Division 2 men will still be required to serve for a minimum of eight hours a month, with the exception of youths under the age of 18, who will serve the same number of hours as the men in Division 1. Farmers & Politics . Referring to a report that the Auckland branch of the Farmers’ Union intended entering the political field, Mr Hugh Morrison, president of the Wairarapa branch of the Farmers’ Union, said today that farmers in the Wairarapa, had been against that action in the past. He believed they were still against any move of that kind. Lime Supplies. The difficulty in obtaining supplies of lime was stressed by Mr Hugh Morrison (president) at today’s meeting of the Wairarapa Provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union. Mr Morrison said that if the Masterton County Council would agree to the proposal, a lime pit could be worked at Abbotsford which would relieve the shortage on the East Coast. Molasses Stocks Frozen. Auckland pig-farmers are apprehensive because of the Food Controllers’ action in freezing all stocks of molasses held by the Colonial Sugar Company, which is the only source of supply, and also the stocks in the hands of the merchants and distributors. In view of the prolonged dry spell and consequent fall in milk production, this action is described as inflicting severe hardship on farmers, particularly pig producers. Importations have ceased during the war and only a small quantity is manufactured at the Chelsea sugar works.