NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 31, 6 February 1943, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Day. Today is the 103 rd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Bay oi Islands, when the sovereignty of New Zealand was ceded by the Maoris to Queen Victoria. February 6 is now known as New Zealand Day. Farmers' Plight. The difficulty of finding suitable labour for farm work was considered at a meeting of the Manawatu Provincial Executive of the Farmers' Union Here were the farmers, who had dutifully put crops in, and these had tp be harvested by the maimed, the blind, or the halt, said a member who considered the position desperate. If help were only to come from those who failed to make the grade, production would inevitably go down. Cases were cited of men with large herds being ordered into camp without time to make proper arrangements. It was decided to send a deputation to the Minister. Tough on the Cook. Continuous service in war work of various descriptions is being given by members of a Timaru household. All, including the mother, are employed in essential industries or wartime positions, and work the following shifts:— Midnight to 8 a.m., 7 ajn. to 7 p.m., 9 ajn. to 5.30 p.m., 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., and 5 p.m to 1 a.m. Also included ln the household are two invalid soldiers, returned from the present war. Preparation of meals is a nightmare fpr the cook, who is the person off duty at the time. "Stooker" Soldiers. "We stook to conquer" is the motto of hundreds of soldiers in the South Island this autumn. For a few weeks, precious weeks to the farmer with his crops to harvest, a big proportion of the South Island's Army personnel has temporarily transferred its affections from Bren guns to binders, and from jeeps to tractors. The unit harvesting scheme has been devised as a practical solution to reconciling the conflicting demands of the Army and the harvest on the man-power front It does supply the labour needed if the Dominion is to meet its production requirements, and it avoids the ill effects of breaking up camp units at a time when, in the interests of training and morale generally, the unit should remain as a whole. And so, states the "Timaru Herald," for the next few weeks, when soldiers in South Canterbury are heard talking of "stookers, the public will realise that they do not mean dive-bombers. j Lure of High Wages. "No longer are boys and girls moved j by the spirit of taking up a worthwhile career and getting ahead by honest j study, hard work, and the normal in- j crements," said Mr. N. G. Gribble, sec-1 retary of the Government Youth Centre, in Auckland when commenting! upon the high wages young people! were receiving. "They want the jobs with big money, even though these jobs will probably have no future," he said. "We had a greater chance of doing something worthwhile with the boys in the depression than, we have with those of the present-day boom.j Of course, we must be fair and understand the temptation to youngsters of these high wages, but it is not a healthy situation. A high sense of responsibility and the wisdom that comes with years of service and experience are needed to handle big money." Goods Transport Trucks. Under the Transport (Goods) Emergency Regulations, 1943, which come into force on March 4, practically all heavy trucks are brought within the scope of the Transport Licensing Act, 1931, even if the trucks are not used for hire. The regulations do not apply j to trucks carrying L plates, to those owned by the Government or public bodies, and to vehicles used only for the purposes of zoning schemes under the Delivery Emergepcy Regulations. The Minister of Transport (Mr. O'Brien) explained last evening that the regulations had been brought down as a further step in the policy of reducing vehicle running to conserve tyres. He said there would be no change in the system of mechanical examination of the vehicles. The warrants of fitness for the vehicles would still be obtained through the public garage firms and not through the Government vehicle inspectors as in the .case of the public goods services. Forms of application for licences would be available from offices of the Transport Department at an early date. No fees would be payable in .respect of the licences or applications.