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Evening Star, Issue 25301, 9 October 1944, Page 4

The impossibility of importing bowls threatens to prevent temporarily the expansion of the game in New Zealand. It was reported! to a recent meeting of the executive of the New Zealand Bowling Association that representations had been made to all agents and to the Customs Department, and it had been found that licenses for importation were available, but bowls were not being made by the countries that usually made them, either because of labour shortage or rubber shortage. The association decided to do what it could to have supplies imported as soon as possible. In Wellington the shortage does not appear to have prevented anybody playing. Bowls for use on the green under preparation at the Disabled Servicemen's Training Centre are being donated by clubs in the city of Wellington and suburbs, most of which have collections of bowls of various qualities for which their members have no use.

"Perhaps you think that the purchase of five gallons of gasoline without coupons, the obvious overpayment for a, radio tube, or a piece of luggage, the * chiselling ' on some price regulation is merely a minor transaction, affecting no one but you," says a paragraph in the ' New York Times ' " Rut you're wrong. Consciously or otherwise, you are sabotaging the war effort, betraying the men overseas. It takes two to make a black market. Without the public's acquiescence. th«> black market could not exist. Stamp out the racketeers and the profiteers Pay only ceiling prices, use ration stamps where necessary, shun all underhand deals."

" The fob of cleaning up Europe after the war is going to prove tremendous,'' writes a New Zealand soldier from Italy. " The greater part of this country alone is in a pitiful condition. How lucky we are that the war never went as far as reaching our own New Zealand shores to cause the poverty, desolation, and ruin it has in Greece, Italy, and other countries. We have _ a lot to be thankful for. and I realise it now after seeing what happened over here." A plea for more elasticity in allowing children to play right through their school career the sports in which they had grown proficient, so that there would be a good chance of their continuing to do so afer they left school, was made by Mr P. A. Smithells, superintendent of physical education for the Education Department, in an address at the aunual conference of the Christchurch branch of the New Education Fellowship. Mr Smithells said that there was a time factor in implanting in children a consciousness of achievement in games; without this consciousness, it was unlikely that they would willingly continue to play. He cited as an example a child who started to play Association football at one school, and who left that school before he had achieved consciousness of proficiency. ■ He then went, perhaps, to a second school, where no Association football was played, or to a district " where Rugby football was a religion." He was unable to adapt himself to the new conditions, and by the time he left school he had forgotten all about Association football. Plans are being prepared to establish a plant near Putaruru, Auckland, for the making of turpentine, and this is likely to become one of the most important ancillary activities in the timber industry in New Zealand. Most of the capital will be subscribed in the Dominion by investors already interested in the timber trade, but the technical staff and plant will come from overseas. It is stated that high-grade products can be extracted from New Zealand pine on a strictly competitive basis bv modern methods.

"A very pleasant development in the national field of physical welfare and recreation is the increasing willingI ness of church organisations to take I advantage of the assistance offered by the Department of Internal Affairs in the planning of suitable recreational programmes for their young folk, and m the training of leaders for physical recreation activities," states the Minister, the Hon. W. E. Parry. "This progress is in accordance with the assurance given to a deputation of the interchurch council that the department's officers would be glad to co-operate with the leaders of the churches' youth movements. During the past six months 63 church organisations have asked the department's officers for instructional help, which has readily been given. The result is that 540 leaders have been trained or are under training for church groups, and the benefits of this coaching will go to a large number of young folk throughout the Dominion. This service of the officers already runs to'more than 1,600 hours, despite shortage of staff, depleted by the war." It is mentioned that on a membership basis the leading participants in the department's service are: Combined church organisations, 41 per cent.; Catholic, 26 per cent.; Anglican, 11 per cent.; Presbyterian, 8 per cent.; Methodist, 6$ per cent.; Baptist, 5§ per cent. An example to the hen population of Dunedin of what can be done has been given by a pullet owned by Mr R. Paul, 9 East avenue. He was amazed to discover in the nest this morning an egg weighing slightly more than 4Joz, and at first thought that some one had " planted " a goose's egg. An average hen's egg weighs about 2oz. ' The Dunedin public has long been : familiar with the quality of the goods ; turned out by the Disabled Service- j men's Re-establishment League, and at the New Zealand Industries Fair, which will open on November 1. it will be given an opportunity of seeing the work actually in production. As a result of the generosity of New Zealand Breweries . (Speight's Branch) and R. Powley and Co., provision will be made for the installation of the necessary machinery, and the public will be able to see how suitcases, clogs, etc., are actually produced. The Dunedin Disabled Servicemen's Re-establishment League was the first to be formed in the Dominion, and the training establishments which are being set up througout the country for the training of disabled men of this war are based on the lead set by the Dunedin centre. This exhibition, .therefore, should have particular interest for the public at the present time.

When an application for consent to the sale of a farm of 78 acres at Hope came before the Nelson Land Safes Committee, the Crown representative announced that the Minister had decided that the property should not be taken for soldier settlement, reports an Association message. After hearing the case the committee decided to make a recommendation-to the Minister that the farm was suitable for settlement by_ an ex-serviceman. The chairman pointed out that the principal purpose of the Act was to obtain properties for ex-servicemen, and if the committee considered a farm suitable for that purpose it was its duty to make an appropriate recommendation. It was stated that the farm had recently been taken by the Government for afforestation.

The startling announcement that there were a million pagans in New Zealand, was made by the Rev. ■E. Drake during an open-air meeting in New Plymouth. The service was held on the spot were Robert Ward, pioneer of Primitive Methodism in New Zealand, held his first ■ service 100 yoars ago, states the ' Methodist Times.' " What has happened that there are a million people in this country who are pagans?" asked Mr Drake. On the same day that Mr Drake made his statement a preacher in Auckland said that there were not more than 3 per cent, of the people of New Zealand who were regular attenders at public worship.

Replying to a question about the accumulation of mail for overseas in post offices throughout New Zealand, the Postmaster-General, (Mr Webb, stated to-day that. recently there had been a complete clearance of all surface mails for members of the overseas forces, and shortly before that a clearance of all mails for the United Kingdom.' There were at present only some 3,500 bags of civilian mail and 4,500 bags of forces' mail, which represented postings made during Onlythe last week or 10 days, and this figure was extremely low at this season, when Christmas postings were at their height. It' was anticipated that this accumulation would be cleared in the very near future.

"What should be the relation between maintenance and depreciation when assessing farm implements in a budget?" asked a farmer witness at a sitting of the Canterbury Rural Land Sales Committee. "If a good allowance is made for maintenance the depreciation will be lower," he added. "But you would still deduct it from your income tax," observed the chairman (Mr W. H. Mitchell). The witness did not hesitate in his affirmation.

Launching attacks on children and adults, magpies nesting in trees in some of the parks of Christchurch are again illustrating a seasonal dangerous propensity (says the ' Star-Sun '). Tins is the time of the year .when the 3'oung are hatching, and suspicious parents have swooped from their nests to attack passers-by on a number of occasions. A boy "of about seven was cycling through the Fendalton Domain on Thursday afternoon when, from the tall trees that border the park, a magpie swooped, screaming, at his head, diving within a foot of the boy, swerving up and circling round between attacks. Unable to protect himself, the lad pushed his bicycle as fast as possible, his cries of alarm rivalling the shrieks of the bird. Once beyond the park limits he was left alone, and the magpie returned to its nest. This is not an isolated incident in that domain, for women resident* are reluctant to walk through the park owing to the danger of attack. One who was attacked recently had her handbag, which she used to protect her head, cut by a bird's beak as it flew past her head. It appears that the spring is the season when these birds are most dangerous. A woman who walks through the domain regularly said that it was only a matter of time before some child would be severely injured unless steps were taken to kill the birds.

An appeal to the Primary Production Council to tell the farmers exactly what produce is required to be grown for the next year, thus eliminating the present confusion, was made' at a meeting of the Otago Primary Production Council this morning. A scale of definite priorities was urgently needed, and it was essential that the present system of advising demands when the season was well advanced should be rectified, it was agreed. The complaint was referred to Mr W. Huse, organising supervisor of the Primary Production Council, who undertook to have the matter investigated, while the Otago council decided to support Mr Huse by forwarding a suitably-worded motion.

Although permits for the purchase of thigh gum boots have been refused on the ground that the quota for farmers has been filled, several pairs are at present on sale at a Dunedin shop. This anomaly was referred to Mr W. Huse, organising supervisor of the Primary Production Council, at a meeting otf the Otago Council this morning. The thigh boots were required for irrigation works in Central Otago, which, said one member, " are not a hobby in that district." Although no relaxation in the rationing of either knee or thigh gum boots could be foreseen by Mr Huse, he promised to investigate the complaint. No supplies had been received from overseas for 18 months, while Christchurch production was sufficient only for local consumption. Until the rubber pool position improved, there was no possibility of rationing being removed.

A request that the Dunedin City Council should sponsor a " clean-up '"' week, advanced by the Amenities Society, has been turned down. The Amenities Society sought the council's co-operation in persuading citizens to put out rubbish Cother than ashes) to be collected by the corporation's rubbish vehicles, to trim hedges, and remove grass growing in front of their houses. The town clerk has now advised that " an inquiry into the matter discloses that the cost of conducting such a week would be considerable, and there is no financial provision made for such expenditure in the current year's estimates. There are facilities for the removal of rubbish from householders' premises by the regular weekly house refuse collections. Drivers of house refuse collection drays are instructed to remove reasonable quantities of refuse, other than garden or trade refuse, provided that tins or other similar material are flattened."