APPEAL TO MINISTER

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29177, 11 April 1960, Page 17

APPEAL TO MINISTER

Old Soldiers Seek Camp Beds (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, April 10. Because hotels in Auckland are fully booked, returned soldiers holding a reunion in the city on June 3-6 are appealing to the Minister of Defence (Mr Connolly) to provide 400 beds in Papakura Military Camp. The old soldiers—members of the 21st Battalion Association — have already approached headquarters of Northern Military District for permission to use the camp, but the request has been declined. In “reluctantly’’ rejecting the 21st Battalion Association’s request. Northern Military District heaquarters announced that the Army was not geared to accommodate hundreds of exsoldiers, and that if it did so for the 21st Battalion it would have to provide similar facilities for other battalions (including the 18th, 22nd, 24th and 37th) holding reunions in Auckland that weekThe 21st Battalion alone expects an attendance of 1000. Many former members live in distant parts of New Zealand.

Biscuit Manufacture. — Figures of the Department of Statistics show production of biscuits for 1958-59 at 16,659 tons, valued at £3.55 million, compared with 16,289 tons valued at £3.425 million in 1957-58, an increase of 370 tons, or 2.3 per cent. Value added by New Zealand biscuit factories was £ 1.648 m.