BOTTLES AND GLASS CONTAINERS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 229, 24 June 1941, Page 8

BOTTLES AND GLASS CONTAINERS

Collection Campaign In Wellington

PICTURE THEATRES AND SCHOOLS TO HELP

A bottle-collecting campaign, to last a week, will begin in Wellington tomorrow. It will be the forerunner of a Dominion drive for bottles, jars and other glass containers, urgently needed by the country for the packing of biscuits, meat and other necessaries and comforts for'the troops overseas. The humble bottle and glass jar owes its sudden rise to eminence because tin, normally used for packing items of food for export, Is now difficult to import into New Zealand. t When the Wellington Metropolitan Committee for the Salvage of Waste Material announced that a bottle drive was to be organized', representatives of the film industry in Wellington city and suburbs came forward with an enthusiastic offer to assist. Their offer was gratefully accepted, and yesterday morning they held a general meeting to complete details of their share in the week’s campaign. After deliberation, the theatre managers and other representatives of the Him industry agreed to act as liaison officers between the schools and the waste-salvage committee. In each district and suburb round Wellington, and as far afield as Johnsonville, they will interview headmasters and consider the best methods of having bottles and glass jars sent from the homes to the nearest schools. Householders are to be asked to leave their bottles and glass jars in a sack, box, or parcel outside their front or back doors, and school children will take them to school, whence they will be conveyed to the central depot in the yard at St. James Theatre, Courtenay Place. The cartage of bottles and jars from the schools to this receiving depot will be undertaken by a - Wellington bottling company, whose services the general manager has placed at the disposal of the campaign organizers. In addition to acting as liaison officers, the film representatives have agreed to give screen publicity to the campaign and. where approved by headmasters, to stimulate a spirit of competition among school children' in the collection of bottles and jars, for the general good of the campaign. “All the money collected through this drive for bottles will go to the patriotic fund, and prices have already been arranged on a minimum basis,” said the deputy chairman of the Wellington Metropolitan Committee for the Salvage of Waste Material. Mr. A. R. Christian, when addressing yesterday’s meeting He warmly thanked the film industry for its enthusiastic support The assistant managing director of Theatre Management, Limited, Mr. Ben Fuller, who acted as chairman, -said that the bottle drive was no small, scheme. It was quite conceivable that thousands upon thousands of bottles and glass jars might , be collected, which would be of great use to the war effort.

An important aspect of the salvage of bottles and jars was the saving of Nert’ Zealand’s sterling funds, said the general manager of Theatre Management, Limited. Mr. R. L. Grant. He told the meeting that the schools were eager to co-operate in the scheme and that all who took part should be imbued with the idea of collecting every single bottle and glass jar possible. Before the meeting dispersed, every theatre manager undertook to make special announcements at his theatre regarding the week’s campaign, and to do everything possible to encourage householders to give up their spare bottles and jars. Appropriate slides will also tie screened.