NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 200, 24 August 1943, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Bees V/inter Well

Canterbury bees have wintered well and in most cases have come through with ample stores, according to the apiary inspector for Canterbury, Westland and Nelson, Mr. A. Smellie. If the spring conditions continued to be favourable, he said, beekeepers would not experience any difficulty in building up their colonies to good honey-gathering strength. On the West Coast bees were not so well forward on account of the adverse honey-gathering conditions in' the latter part of last season. Supplementary feeding had been necessary, but favourable weather in the next few months would have a beneficial effect,on the colonies. Funds for Servicemen

It was reported .recently to the N.Z.R.S.A. -that once a serviceman had drawn the-£3o' laid down by regulations he was unable to draw further on= funds in New Zealand even if. proceeding on furlough. Replying to the R.S.A.'s inquiries on this point, Base Records has advised that the. report -is without foundation and that special arrangements have been made for men going on furlough to the United Kingdom and Australia. Immediate remittance may be made to the extent of £50 on application to the paymaster in those countries. These extra remittances are not affected by the £30 quota, and the £50 may be exceeded in special circumstances.

National Arboretum A decision to dedicate the grounds around Massey Agricultural College for the purpose of a national arboretum was reached at a recent meeting of the college board of governors. Already work has been done to _-further the project, and an advisory committee set up comprises Mr. Duncan Black, curator of Palmerston North, and two horticulturists, Mr. V C. Davies, of New Plymouth, and Mr. W. Douglas Cook, of Gisborne. The scheme will not affect the farm lands. A further decision made at the meeting was to institute a course of instruction in horticulture at the college. It was pointed out that at present no institution of higher standing than a technical college was offering instruction in horticultural science.

Prison Camps in Italy "' ■ Conaitions in the first prison camp he was taken to in Italy were indescribable, said Sergeant-Major Jack, when telling some of his experiences as a prisoner of war to a meeting at Culverden recently. The Italians, he said, had absolutely no idea of hygiene and sanitation. The prisoners were given two meals a day— black coffee, made from acorns, and -'a plate of macaroni swimming in Relive oil at seven o'clock in the morning, and cabbage leaf stew and small rolls of bread at four in the afternoon. They poured the oil from the macaroni into a tin and used it for a light at night. They were allowed five small logs of wood each week for heating. The prisoners were later moved to a camp in Northern Italy, where the conditions were better. They were issued with ■twtf *iankets and two sheets each. Sergeant-Major Jack said the-.Red Cross parcels sent by the English 'and "Canadian Red Cross Societies • were the only things that kept~the prisoners alive.

National Savings

National war savings receipts in the Auckland district last week amounted to £10,227. Wellsford and Tuakau were the only centres where the weekly quota of 4/ a household was exceedea, but surpluses carried, forward from earlier periods resulted in the objectives being credited to 22 centres. Total receipts from April 1 last are £367,431, this being £24,175 in excess of the proportionate amount of the annual quota to date. Welding Hazard

Electric or oxy-acetone welding on board ship is a distinct fire hazard. B There were ho two opinions on that point among the members of the Wellington Fire Board after hearing the superintendent, Mr. C. A. Woolley, on the risk. That officer proposed a month ago that it be a suggestion to the Wellington Harbour Board that a fireman be posted on all vessels alongside the wharves when welding work was in progress. The harbour board has written to the fire board stating that it had no jurisdiction in the matter, and that it was referring it to the Marine Department.

Diesel Engineering Course

Engines from British and German tanks are now being used by the Army Education and Welfare Service to give instruction in Diesel engineering to soldiers in the Southern Military District. The course, which is held at the Christchurch Technical College in the evenings, was the first to be established in New Zealand, and so' far 45 soldiers, mainly from mechanical transport units, have been given an expert knowledge of high speed Diesel engines. For some time the instructor, Mr. C. E. Gollop, has had the use of the engine from a Valentine tank, and recently one of several German tank engines brought from the Middle East was allotted to the classes. The engine is one of the latest type made by the famous German firm of Mercedes-Benz, and apparently came from a tank which had not travelled more than 100 miles before it was put out of action. The fuel pump and generator are missing, and it is presumed that these were removed by the Germans before the tank was abandoned.

Future of the Maori The youthful Maori presents one of the problems of the future, for he must be fitted into the economic life of the Dominion, according to Mr. John Houston, of Hawera. The solution, he said, did not lie m a glib "put them on their land, because 75 per cent of the Maori race were either landless, or their interests in land were so small as to be negligible. Many of them had an aptitude for technical work and trades, and would prefer such employment. "One thing is. clear," asserted Mr. Houston. "Unless some occupational solution is found for the landless Maori that increasing class will become dependent on the State and a charge on the taxpayer through social security. It is to be hoped that constructive efforts to aid returning Maori soldiers to make a living on their own land for themselves and their families will provide a much-needed impetus towards'finding suitable occupations for members of the younger generation of Maoris who are as yet too young to serve in the field. Even a casual visitor ;to our Taranaki Maori settlements •must be struck with the number of happy, carefree youngsters there. They are good material for future • citizens."