DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 1 August 1940, Page 3

DOMINION NEWS

N.Z. TIMBER WELLINGTON July 30. The possibilities of using New Zealand timber for the manufacture of paper, and for producing a substitute fuel for petrol, are discussed in the annual report of the Director of Forestry, Mr A. R. Entrican, which was tabled in the House of Representatives to-day. “Far-reaching studies into the economics of local pulp and paper manufacture continue to be made,” the report states, “and the recent beginning in the southern states of the United States of America of the first newsprint mill in the world to operate entirely with pine timbers, as a substitute for spruce, fir, and hemlock! hitherto universally used, augurs well! for' the establishment of the industry in New Zealand, which sooner or later will supply not only local but also a portion of Australian newsprint requirements.

“The necessity for conserving petrol supplies has at last focused public attention,” the report adds, “on the possibilities of wood charcoal as a substitute fuel, and as a result of its long-continued investigation into the use of charcoal gas producers for both vehicular and stationary engines, it has been possible for thej State Forest Service to expedite the production of charcoal from a wide variety of native and exotic timbers. Suitable types of beehive portable and i makeshift kilns have been evolved, I and a' number of officers have been trained for instructional purposes should nation-wide production prove necessary. SUBVERSIVE SPEECH AUCKLAND, July 30. Parts of a speech made at an open air meeting during the Auckland West by-election campaign were the subject of a charge of making subversive statements heard by Mr Justice Fair and a jury at the Supreme Court. The accused was Alexander Drennan, a waterside worker, who ipleaded not guilty. The four statements complained of were alleged to have been made at an open air meeting held under the auspices of the Communist Party on May 10. They referred to the alleged bringing in of laws in order to stifle the truth from becoming apparent to the masses, and alleged that emergency laws had become necessary to crush the growing opposition to capitalism. The accused was alleged to have said that he was throwing his whole effort behind efforts to stop the war.

In addressing the jury, the accused dealt at length with the character of the meeting, saying that its whole object was to get votes for the Communist candidate. After a brief retirement, the jury returned a verdict of guilty, adding a strong recommendation to mercy on the grounds that the speech was I made in the heat of an election cam-

paign. fence, his Honour said he would give In remanding the accused for senthe greatest weight to the recommendation.