NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 307, 16 December 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

“One Up” t p the Home Guard A coupe car taken from Hawera on December 6 was recovered at Stratford on Thursday night’ by the Stratford police. The capture of the person concerned was affected after he had been seen by an officer of the Stratford Home Guard unit siphoning petrol from the tanks of cars belonging to members of the unit, which were outside Victoria Park. Fruit Purchase Fruitgrowers are likely to be granted an extra threepence a case on the average for their apples and pears during the coming season under the Government’s marketing scheme, according to information gained after a meeting of Hawke’s Bay growers held in camera to discuss the Government’s proposals. It is understood the proposals have yet to receive the Cabinet’s approval. Ballot Appeals The need for appeals in connection with the Territorial ballots being made within the specified time of three weeks, was stressed by the chairman of No. (3a Manpower Committee (Mr. T. L. Seddon) on Saturday. If they were not to hand in time it was only iu exceptional circumstances that the committee would consider the late applications. Sweet-eating Community “New Zealanders are a great sweeteating community,” said a representative of a large confectionery manufacturing company in evidence before the Auckland Area Manpower Committee. Witness said that the demand continued throughout the year, although it fluctuated according to the wcaher. In hot weather the public preferred ice creams, but in cold they demanded sweets. Bowlers in Accident. Four Terrace End bowlers had a remarkable escape from serious injury if not death when returning to Palmerston North from Wanganui on Saturday. Near Mt. Stewart a tyre burst and the car turned over twice before stopping. The occupants wero Messrs. C. Brown, A. Bright, J. J. O’Shea and S. H. Snell. Mr. Brown had to receive medical attention for a cut, but the others escaped with a severe shaking. The car had to be towed away. Soldiers “Hitch Hike”

“It is little enough to do for the men going overseas,’ said Mr. H. E. Blyde, president of the North Taranaki provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union, in supporting a motion that free travelling on New Zealand railways should be granted to all soldiers on final leave. Members gave instances of soldiers who had been compelled to “hitch hike” along the roads to get from camp to their homes, because on the rate of pay allowance accruing to them after deductions they had not sufficient to meet the cost of the fare. Long Hours Worked.

“I work 2D hours a day out of the 24, ’ ’ said an appellant before the Auckland Area Manpower Committee. Appellant said he was employed at a freezing works at night while during the day he attended his strawberry plot containing 70,000 plants. For the past two years he had also been building himself a house. On a recent occasion appellant said he had returned home from the freezing works at 1.15 R.m., had packed strawberries until 3.15 a.in., and had tnen gone to bed, asking his father to wake him at 5 a.m. Rising at that hour he had picked strawberries until he had to leave for the freezing works again. Truancy Increases The tributlations of truants were graphically described by the headmaster of the Mount Albert Grammar School, Mr. F. W. Gamble, in his annual report, presented at the school’s prizegiving ceremony. Truancy, he said, which in modern days* only oceurrerd sporadically, bad this year raised its head ominously. “Whether this is an effect of the unsettled times or merely one of those queer coincidental gatherings of delinquents in one year remains to be seen,” said Mr. Gamble.

“Strangely enough, the golf links, which have for years been the happy refuge of truants, seem to have lost their attraction, for the culprits now confess merely to walking around, accompanying the postman, or seeing the shops; certainly nothing very enterprising. Swindle Suspected

A recrudescence of a form a swindling which nourished during the last war apparently is indicated by an incident which gave the parents of a Gisborne soldier now serving in Egypt an uncomfortable 48 hours. The mother of the soldier received from Egypt a cabled appeal for the urgent despatch of £25, the cablegram bearing the name of her soldier son. The amount asked for aroused her suspicions, as the woman was aware that her son knew enough of the family circumstances not to make such an appeal without some extraordinary cause. In consequence she cabled to her son stating that she was puzzled by his request and naming the amount stated in the cablegram received by her. Promptly came the reply from her son: “Do not send money,” The Egyptian address from which this message was despatched did not coincide with the despatch point of the first message and it seems obvious that an unauthorised person has used the Gisborne soldier’s name in an effort to swindle his parents.