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Evening Star, Issue 24917, 15 July 1943, Page 4

" Recent Government statements have indicated that the importance of food production was realised in official circles, but the handling of the man power position relating to the production of foodstuffs and to changes in types of production has been deplorable," said! Mr W. W. Mulholland in his presidential address at the annual conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union. "It has been characterised by hesitancy and indecision and reversals of ipolicy, interspersed with bursts of energy—the changes sometimes succeeding, or, indeed, overlapping each other —so that the ordinary farmer has been left confused and frequently angry and disappointed." Not a few members of the New Zealand Division are men who migrated to the Dominion in pre-war years, and the presence of British Army units in the Middle East has brought about reunions of brothers, cousins, and even father and son. The ' Second,N.Z.E.F. Times ' instances the meeting after 14 years of Private Alex. Ferguson, a native of Perthshire, who was farming at Coromandel when war broke out, with his brother, Lance-corporal .Donald Ferguson, a member of a British commando unit. Private Ferguson was wounded at'Tobruk, and while in a Cairo hospital ho was visited by his brother. A' third member of the family is with the First Army.

A. grave shortage of fruit trees in the dominion was indicated by Mr A. Osborne, general manager of the New Zealand fruitgrowers' Federation, at the Aucklandi provincial fruitgrowers' conference. Mr Osborne said they had received from Otago orders for 10,000 stone fruit trees, but they had been able to supply only 2,000, although they had combed Australia and New Zealand for them. " " It will be many years before we can get a sufficient supply," he said. A jeep known as the " penguin," for use in regions of sub-zero temperatures, has been developed for the U.S. army. Both land and amphibious jeeps are already in action. Jn the latest adaptation of this unique combat vehicle, detachable skis fit over the front wheels, and a half-ton truck attached to the rear axles gives the' jeep caterpillar treads. A small gasoline stove and an engine blanket or heavy canvas keep the four-cylinder motor warm and permit, almost instant starting ' when the vehicle has been standing overnight in temperatures, as low as 40deg below zero. During preliminary tests carried out under army supervision, the penguin moved at 30 miles an hour while dragging a platoon of ski troops attached to the car by hand lines.

The origin of the proverb " You can't put a camel through the eye of a needle " was interestingly touched upon in an address to the Optimists' Club at Wellington by an artilleryman on leave from the Middle East. ■ Recalling seven days' leave in, Palestine, he said the old quarter of Jerusalem was bounded by walls piercedby large archways each about 10ft in; height. These were' for the entry of caravans and so on. Flanking them were smaller arches, only 6ft in height and very narrow. These were known as, "needles," and were for the admission and egress of pedestrian traffic only. " You can imagine how impossible it would be for a camel to go through,'"he said. " Hence the ancient saying." A visit to the gannet sanctuary at Cape Kidnappers by two rangers, Messrs D. Williams and W. N. StanIcy, revealed that the gannets have congregated once again in large numbers, preparatory to nesting. The advance guard of tho migration arrived about the middle of last month.'and since then there has been a steady increase. As vet. none appear to ■ have settled on Black Beef. The rangers also report that the trees in the. reserve, planted in the .1936-37 seasou. have developed splendidly, and now afford good shelter for visitors to the sanctuary.

A Dominion conference of representatives of the furniture .manufacturing industry is to be held in Wellintgou on July 28. at which representatives of the Timber Controller's office, Factory Controller's office, and Customs Department, as well as the chairman of the Rehabilitation Board, will attend and impart any information which is now available in regard to supplies and requirements for civilian use, particularly those necessary in connection with rehabilitation proposals. The Dunedin Manufacturers' Association recently made representations to the Acting' Minister ;of Customs (Hon. A. H Nordmeycr) with a view to obtaining exemption from sales taxon drays,- hay frames for drays, and joggers! within the category of farmers' wagons The Minister has now replied that the department is of the opinion that neither drays nor joggers could be considered reasonably peculiar to furm use as distinct from road use. and as hay frames arc considered to be parts of'dravs. the association's representations could not be approved.

Writing to the Mayor (Mr A. H. Allen) from Wellington on July 10, the Minister of Finance (Hon. W. Nash) states: " Just a word of congratulation on the splendid effort of Dunedin in reaching its full quota for the Third Liberty Loan. The Dominion results up to this morning are so good that the amount asked tor will be oversubscribed. The success of the loan is a remarkable tribute to the determination of the people of the Dominion to do everything possible to ensure the best results in connection with the war. and Otago is again in the forefront of those who are doing what has to be done-to ensure success."

Eighty-one used Army vehicles were sold on Tuesday and yesterday at the Army reception depot, approximately £25,000 being realised. The vehicles, which were disposed of at valuation, ranged from 15cwt trucks and vans to trucks of. a capacity of three to four tons. The buyears were almost entirely 'transport operators, coal merchants, other business people, and farmers. An Association ..message from Dtsrgaville reports that' at a representative meeting of electors la.st evening Mr.P.: AlcGl'■ Stewart (Kuawi and Mr- Rodney C'oates (Matakohe) were nominated as Independent candidates to represent Kaipara in the coming election. A vote takeu after the nominees had addressed the meeting resulted in Mr Stewart's favour by two to one. A strong committee was set up to further Mr Stewart's candidature. In the last election Mr Stewart opposed the late Air Coates in the Labour interests, polling ;).725 votes. The candidate will be given an absolutely free hand. On Saturday at I'aparoa a selection will be made of the candidate "to contest the election as an Independent Nationalist. «

" A decrease in the quantities of paper coming .into the main depot is causing the Waste Paper Brigade concern," said the chairman of the brigade, Mr D. T. Martin, to-day. The earlier' response to the appeal to save and assist in the salvage of waste paper and cardboard had been splendid, he said, and the brigade was anxious tint interest in the work should not now diminish. A number of business firms and private persons in Dunedin and the country districts were continuing to give their full support, but a section of the community was apparently under the- impression that the work was no longer urgent. The brigade felt that its work deserved the full support of the community, ;>nd it urgently required assistance.