GOOD RESPONSE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3281, 28 June 1943, Page 5

GOOD RESPONSE

“BOND WAGGON” IN PAEROA THIRD LIBERTY LOAN ADDRESS GIVEN BY THE MAYOR The distinction of being one of only four towns to greet the Liberty Loan “Bond Waggon” party with sunshine on their present tour is enjoyed by Paeroa, which on Friday afternoon accorded a quite enthusiastic reception to a travelling concert troupe from IZB Auckland, and to a representative of the Reserve Bank, Wellington, in the person of Mr K. C. Brown. This tribute to Paeroa—whose weather, up to the time scheduled for the welcome, had not by the way, been exactly promising—was paid by the manager of the concert party, Mr Dudley Wrathall, during a brief speech from the platform of the “Bond Waggon.” The waggon was drawn up in the vicinity of the Paeroa Post Office entrance, and was lavishly decorated with posters appealing for support of the 3rd. Liberty Loan, whose slogans included the question-and-answer challenge: “What! Me?”— “Yes, you!” The personnel of the concert-party were as follows:—L.A.C. Ray Trewern (tenor), Sgt. Stewart Harvey (baritone), Geoff. Farrell (piano-accordion), and Reg. Morgan (vocalist and accompanist), with Mr Dudley Wrathall (manager). Escorted Into Paeroa The drivers of the waggon and a large car which comprised the entourage were W. Ramsey and Dave Kinlock, with Owen Gray (technician in charge of the loud-speaker apparatus, etc.). The visitors had been met en route from Waihi by a convoy composed of vehicles supplied by the Army Department in Paeroa, including a lorry in charge of representatives of the Home Guard ‘and to which was attached an 18-pounder field-gun. The lorry itself • accommodated various types of weapons, including a Bren gun, an anti-aircraft rifle, Hotchkiss and Browning machine guns. The welcoming party included Mr R. A. Mace (postmaster), Mr E. W. Westlake of the Bank of New Zealand (secretary of the Paeroa Liberty Loan Committee), and other members of the committee of arrangements, with a contingent, also, of uniformed girls (W.A.A.C’s.), who . later undertook the task of disposing of Liberty Loan Bonds among the crowd gathered in the post office area. On arrival at the post office, whose liberal display of appropriate bunting included the Allied Nations’s flags, the “Bond Waggon” party was officially welcomed by the Mayor, Mr Edwin Edwards (chairman of the Paeroa Liberty Loan Committee),'in the presence of a gathering of several hundreds of people of the town and district. Included in the company was a parade of nearly 300 pupils of the Paeroa District High' School, under the charge of Mr A. E. Day (headmaster), and approximately 50 pupils of the St. Joseph Convent School. Address By Mayor

“This is one of various stunts to assist in winning the war,” said the Mayor speaking from the “Bond Waggon,” while extending a civic welcome to the concert party and to Mr Brown (Reserve Bank representative). The £35,000,000 loan inaugurated by the Government—the third of its kind—was, he said, for the sole purpose of helping the war effort and incidentally to provide the equipment necessary to help New Zealand boys overseas in their task of expediting the victory of the Allied forces. He hoped the entertainment to be provided by the talented “Bond Waggon” concert party in the interests of the 3rd. Liberty Loan would have the effect of stimulating the will of the people of Paeroa and district to do and to give something big in return for what the fighting forces were doing for them. Referring to Mr Brown, the Mayor said he had done a splendid work in boosting the Australian Government’s various war loans and was now back in New Zealand to serve in a similar way in helping to carry the Dominion’s war loan efforts to success. During an interval in the programme of vocal and instrumental music, which followed the Mayor’s remarks, Mr K. C. Bro'wn briefly spoke in further commendation of the new loan. He expressed agreement with the Government’s idea of having just one big loan effort this year instead of “taking two bites at the £herry,” and also commended the decision of the ’ Government not to raise the money needed by imposing additional taxation. When the urgency of the need of this third Liberty Loan came home to the people of New Zealand, when they realised hew essential H was to the supply of the equipment

of the New Zealand fighting forces overseas, the loan, he was confident, would be not only subscribed, but ever-subscribed.

Little Sacrifice Let those who imagined the loan involved too great sacrifice on the part of New Zealanders think of the much greater sacrifices the men overseas were making, in order that the people at home in New Zealand might continue in the enjoyment of those very possessions, a portion of which people were asked to contribute to the New Zealand war effort. Expressing disappointment at the disproportion of wage-earners’ contributions to the various war loans in comparison with those of other tions -of the community, Mr Brown said the experience in Australia, in the matter of its war loans, had been very similar, people preferring to put their money into savings banks. The speaker proceeded to indicate the steps the New Zealand Government had taken to make it easy for wage-earners to contribute to the new loan, by issuing bonds in varying denominations of £l, £lo' or £lOO, or multiples of these amounts, and also by making the contributions payable on what might be called the time-pay-ment system, if so desired, i.e., by instalments, even to the extent of monthly instalments, which, plus the interest payable on the bonds—of 21 or 3 per cent., according to the date of maturity—would make the nucleus of a nice future nest-egg for subscribers. Help Fighting Forces The speaker concluded with an appeal to his hearers to support the 3rd. Liberty Loan to the best of their ability and thus contribute not only to

the equipment of the fighting forces, hut to the adequate rehabilitation of the men on their return to civilian life, so that when asked in time to come what >they had done to help to win the war, the subscriber would be able to say, “Well, I couldn’t go to the war, hut I did the next best thing— I made my money fight for me.” The audience derived much enjoyment from the various items provided by the concert party, both the individual and the concerted numbers being of considerable artistic merit. The listeners particularly appreciated the quartette in praise of the Liberty Loan, which, in tuneful and rhythmical strains, depicted the man who is determined at once to provide for the future of his family and to help to win the war by placing a “brown” out of every shilling earned to the credit of the 3rd. Liberty Loan. The manager of the party, Mr D. Wrathall, by his humorous allusions and recital of some touring adventures of the performers, was individually responsible for much of the success of the party’s efforts. He thanked the Mayor and the audience for their cordial reception of the party, whose items, he trusted, would do something to boost the new loan. At the call of the Mayor, the audience paid tribute of acclamation' to the services of speaker and performers, prior to the party’s departure for Te Aroha. When the girl purveyors of Liberty Loan Bonds proceeded to “get busy” after the concert the Mayor and a local legal luminary were observed to be among the early purchasers of this form of security. In all bonds to a value of £lO9 were sold on the street.