NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 64, 13 September 1943, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

WEATHER FORECAST

Strong north-westerly winds, reaching gale force at times. Weather cloudy to overcast, with occasional drizzle and rain. Mild temperatures. The further outlook .is for a continuance of similar conditions* The Moon. —Full moon, tomorrow. High Water.—Today, 3.27 p.m.; tomorrow, 3.51 a.m., 4.26 p.m.

Arahura to Relieve Tamahine,

The Union Company's Tamahine will withdraw from the Wellington-Picton service on her arrival at Wellington tomorrow to lay up for overhaul and survey She will be replaced by the Nelson ferry steamer Arahura, which will maintain the same running as the Tamahine except that she will leave Wellington • and Picton at 1 p.m. instead of at 2.45 p.m. Crisis in Meat. "On the one hand we have Great Britain urgently requesting us to send every available meat carcass from these shores, but- on the other hand the Minister of Marketing, instead of organising the meat industry ¥ in an effort to increase production, is busy fighting an election" declared Mr. E. N Pryor, National candidate for 'Hawke's Bay, in Hastings, Instead of the radio blasting forth politics, it should be telling the farmers of the grave crisis of the meat industry, and urging greater production, he said. An increase of lib on every carcass on the normal kill of stock in New Zealand, he pointed .out, would mean more than 5000 tons of meat far Shipment to the Old Country. "That is the job that the Minister should be seeing is done," said Mr. Pryor. Man-power Commitments. "If the Government is returned, in six months' time you will have boys down to 19 and men between 40 and 45 conscripted for overseas service," said Warrant-Officer A. E. Allen, Democratic Soldier Labour Party candidate for Hamilton,, when criticising New Zealand's man-power commitments at a meeting at Franktoh, The speaker claimed that the Dominion's forces should be concentrated in the Pacific, as an industrial collapse was in sight unless the position was reviewed. The Leader of the Opposition, who had previously concurred With the Government's man-power policy, had performed a political somersault, and was now claiming for election purposes that New Zealand was over-commit-ted in regard,to man-power. The Maori Race. "It was no Use blaming the Maori for the evils the Europeans had taught him," said Mr. H.,H. Barker, National candidate, speaking in the Gisborne district, but it was important that the prc>blem should be tackled with determination and sympathy. He thought there were three cardinal principles required. In the first place there should be no attempt to dictate to the Maoris or to dominate them* They should be encouraged to settle their own problems, and he believed that with the leadership shown in the Maori Battalion they could achieve this. Secondly; it was necessary that advantage should be taken of the natural aptitude of the Maori to give him vocational guidance and training and fit him for skilled trades. The third requirement was that Maori girls should be encouraged to take on domestic service so that when they married they would insist on being provided with good homes of their own.- . "A New Heaven." "You will have seen that the Wellington City Council had to employ women to repair the tram tracks because of the • shortage of man-power," said Mr, P. Neilson, Labour candidate for Dunedin Central, at Macandrew Bay, When replying to a question regarding what the Labour Party proposed to do for the men at present in industry who would be replaced by men returning from the war. "There is a shortage Of labour in every avenue," Mr. Neilson added. "We could employ hundreds of men on tram tracks throughout New Zealand. These jobs require skilled labour." In Wellington the painting of houses would occupy many men after the war. There was no limif to the jobs to be done. "We are going to build a new heaven in this country," he concluded.

The Colonel's Pears.

A good story of the New Zealand soldier's recognised ability to make the best of his circumstances is being told by the Hon. Walter Nash, states an exchange. When Tripoli Harbour was locked by the Germans supplies were landed from barges on the beach and a Scottish regiment was first given the task of unloading. Later the New Zealanders took over, and they pushed up the daily tally of cargo handled from 500 tons to 2000 tons, with a corresponding increase in the loss by pilfering. Inquiry became necessary and a British colonel was sent down with a New. Zealand warrant officer. . Their initial discovery was a Maori sitting on the beach busily eating the remains of a can of pears. With true native hospitality the Maori invited the colonel to partake, with the injunction that he might as well, as he would get some of the blame anyway. The colonel, however, refused, but was a very surprised officer whan he found, on his return to the New Zealanders' camp some 17 miles away, a case of 42 tins of pears strapped to the back of his car.