DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 24 February 1942, Page 1

DOMINION NEWS

>GAS COMPANY TAXATION. AUCKLAND, February 23. “In the near future, the Government may find itself in an awkward plight through inability to meet the increasing demands for power, heat, and light,” said Mr. V. J. Larner, chairman of directors, at the annual meeting of the Auckland Gas Company. This situation, should it arise, might easily have been minimised by the Government adopting a generous policy in regard to the gas industry. The industry, in his opinion, should be treated as regards taxation in the same manner as its competitors, the Electric Power Boards. That was to say, gas companies should be placed■in a separate category, as were public service undertakings, and should be freed from direct taxation. Mr. Larner added that numerous petitions to the Government to instal gas in State houses had been disregarded, and the tenants’ wishes ignored as to which fuel they should buy. With a little encouragement, the company’s mains and services could have been further extended and this would have assisted the Power Board to avoid the unenviable risk they were now running, of being obliged to ration electricity. ALARMIST AXIS BROADCASTS. AUCKLAND, February 23. A warning to the public not to listen in to enemy broadcasts was given by the Mayor and Chief Warden (Mr.' J. A. C. Allum) to-day. He said that, over the week-end, he had been disturbed by communications seeking confirmation of alarming rumours and statements apparently emanating originally from foreign broadcasting stations. “Axis stations put out propaganda designed to cause distress to our people,” he said. “The idea is to shake theii’ morale and confuse the operations of the civil defence organisations. It is all part and parcel of the enemy's well-known technique which has been applied to other countries, and I urge citizens not to tune in to enemy countries." Mr. Allum added that propaganda passed from mouth to mouth. People should not. forget that Berlin, Rome, and Tokio wished them to listen in to them. In conclusion, he said, it would help the war effort if the Dublic would listen to the requests of the authorities, and pass them on so that they could be carried out, and thus help to defeat the enemy.