A Thought For To-day.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 263, 6 October 1942, Page 4

A Thought For To-day.

It is impossible for anyone to give out something splendid of himself without experiencing its return in some happy form.—G. Matthew Adams. Safe Blown.

A safe in Auckland’s Great Central Meat Market, which extends from Queen Street to Lome Street, was blown open by gelignite and £IOO in cash taken.

Hitler’s Nephew. According to a Now York cable, William Hitler has been rejected for military service because the army docs not like bis uncle Adolf. William, who is a British subject, is now trying to enlist in the Canadian Air Force.

The Other Way Round. A rather unusual sight was witnessed outside the Auckland drill hall recently when a man and his wife were observed saying good-bye preparatory to an entry to camp. It was not the husband who was in uniform, it was the wife.

Municipal Conference. ' The Wellington City Council has decided to inform the executive of the Municipal Association that it favours the postponement of the municipal conference scheduled for Nelson next month. The conference was postponed last year on account of the war situation. Giant Moth.

A magnificent specimen of the giant swift moth (puriri, or ghost moth) has been found by a Palmerston North resident in his garden, the insect having a remarkable wing-spread and beautiful markings, including pale green and yellow. A peculiarity of this moth is that it does not feed; it subsists on nutriment accumulated during the caterpillar stage, which lasts from three to five years. Life in Prison.

“Confinement in the dark dungeons did not accomplish much. Men were actually being destroyed, not reformed,” said Major T Holmes, of the Salvation Army, in an address to the Palmerston North Potary Club. Nowadays it was very different, he said. There was plenty of recreation, trades to learn, and very little sickness. In addition there were thousands of men in New Zealand who did not get as good a dinner as the men in gaol. The stigma was the worst part of prison life.

Mr Curtin’s Broadcast. The Australian Prime Minister (Mr Curtin) in his national broadcast, in which he warned Australians that their task was to hold the enemy at bay for at least six months, was supported by the New Zealand Prime Minister (Mr Fraser). General Smuts, and Mr Mackenzie King. Mr Fraser said that New Zealanders were proud to be marching side by side once again with ( the men who, a generation ago, made “Anzac” a term of imperishable fame, and who at present were winning as great a renown. Mr Willkie Took The Cake.

The Chungking correspondent of the New York Times writes that Mr Wendell Willkie, when the guest at a tea party at which Madame Chiang Kai-shek was hostess, was so impressed by eight 10-year-old war orphans, singing a song, “Work, Work, Work,” that he left the table of honour, picked up a big cake, and presented it to the children, kissing the recipient, says a New York cable. When he returned to the table, Mr Willkie apologised to General Stilwell: “Sorry, General, to cut out your slice of cake.” Madame Chiang described the incident as the embodiment of warmth and spontaneity, and a vibrant symbol of the free world and society of free nations. She told Mr Willkie that he was a most disturbing personality, making her forget her speech. “That is the quintessence of all the compliments I have ever received,” gallantly replied Mr Willkie.

The Quest For Rubber. Preparations are being made for drives throughout New Zealand for household strap rubber within the next few weeks, but official advice is being awaited by the committee responsible in Palmerston . North before steps arc taken for the collection. It is learned that as a result of experiments carried out for the past six months by the Department of Agriculture there may be grown successfully in New Zealand the Russian dandelion, Kok-sagvz, which is stated to contain a higher percentage of pure rubber than any plant other than the native Brazilian rubber tree. Seeds are expected to arrive shortly. Kok-sagyz is reported to yield up to 27 per cent, of rubber from the roots, and as the soil and climatic conditions in this country seem to be quite suitable for the growing of the plant the research officers are hopeful of success.

Pukekohe Potato Crops. Bad weather in September has affected the potato crops at Pukekohe. One reliable estimate is that the output will be about 2000 tons. One grower who has been, cropping in Pukekohe for the past 20 years said that it was the worst September in his memory for potato-growing. Women A.A. Patrol Officer.

At a meeting of the Wellington Automobile Association it was decided to appoint Airs Porter, of Levin, as temporary service officer in place of her husband, Mr J. A. Porter, who has joined the Armed Forces. Tin's is believed to be the first appointment of a woman to such a position in the Dominion.

Air Force Expansion. “The Air Force in New Zealand has increased tenfold since Japan came into the war, and its bombcarrying capacity has increased 40fold,” said tho Minister, of Defence (Mr Jones) at Gisborne. “Though more bombers and fighters have been brought to Now Zealand, we hope to get more from overseas.” Familiar Faces.

Major T. Holmes, of the Salvation Army, when addressing the Palmerston North Rotary Club, found his opening remark, “Gentlemen, some of your faces are familiar,” drowned in laughter, the reason for the hilarity being that the speaker was about to relate some of his experiences in social reform and prison work. From Army to Production. “According to Brigadier Conway some 6000 men have been released by the APmy for work in industrial production,” said the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Barclay) in New Plymouth in reply to a suggestion that the dairy industry was not getting the men for its work which tho Government had said would be released from military service. Supreme Court List. The list of cases to come before the sitting of the Supreme Court at Palmerston North, commencing next Monday, indicates that tlie session will last about two weeks. There are three criminal cases for trial, one involving two charges, and several civil cases, one of which will -require a jury. Among the divorce actions there are several to be defended. Deterioration of Main Highways. Sections of the main highways arc showing deterioration, says the annual report of the 'Wellington Automobile Association, which adds that unless the Main Highways Board is able to pursue its normal maintenance schedule it would appear that the longer it is deferred the greater will be the cost of the ultimate restoration to pre-war standard.