General News

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 11 November 1942, Page 4

General News

Nelson’s Patriotic Collection Total The Nelson City Patriotic Committee has during the last three years raised £46,838 Is lid, reported the chairman, Mr A. H. Crawley, at the annual meeting last night. He pointed out that the committee had nothing to do with the expending of the funds, this latter function being controlled and carried out by the Nelson Provincial Patriotic Council. He emphasised that the Government had no control whatever over the money raised, nor did any member of the committee receive a penny piece as remuneration or expense. Irrelevant Evidence. Jurors, in particular, were gratified by a direction given by Mr Justice Northcroft to counsel in the Supreme Court at Greymouth (says the “Evening Star”). During the hearing of certain repetitious evidence in a case for trial from the Lower Court, his Honour urged that only the salient features be traversed. “This, as in a great many cases, is filled with a great deal of irrelevant and unimportant matter,” remarked the Judge, whose direction had the effect of curtailing much lengthy testimony.

Non-essential Travelling. “As a result of quite casual observations it seems to me that the public is travelling more than ever, and that more publicity against non-essential travelling in war-time is required,” said Mr S. V. Raines, South Island Transport Licensing Authority, at a sitting in Invercargill. Mr Raines added that the public should remember that a heavy burden had been thrown on the railways and other transport services by the requirements of the armed forces.

Liberty Loan Publicity. To assist the publicity in furtherance of the Government’s Liberty Loan, different organisations and groups of business firms and individuals have financed portion of the advertising by contributing towards the cost. The names of those assisting in this direction are usually published. From the advertisement headed “Liberty!” which appeared in last night’s “Mail” the name of the sponsoring organisation was inadvertently omitted. It was the Nelson District Law Society.

Wild Turnip in Linen Flax Seed “It is a very serious thing, and it is going to make the land dirty for the next 100 years,” said Mr Hansen, at a meeting of the Waimate Farmers’ Union, when ft was stated that linen flax seed had been sown by some farmers before they were aware that it contained a large proportion of wild turnip. At least four farmers at Hunter had purchased this seed through the Washdyke linen flax mill, where it had been dusted after dressing at the mill at Makikihi. The president (Mr W. J. Fletcher) said he had been shown a sample. It was full of wild turnip, which was a very real menace. The meeting carried a resolution urging that measures be taken by the Department of Agriculture to prevent a repetition.

Tahunanui Bowling Green. “I hope the new bowling green will give the members of the club many years of good comradeship,” said the chairman of the Tahunanui Town Board (Mr C. H. Chamberlain) when an invitation to the members to be present at the official opening of the green next Saturday was received by the board at its meeting last evening. It was pointed out that though there was some play on the green last season this new sports facility at Tahunanui had not yet been officially opened. Teachers Help With Seasonal Work. The great majority of those affected will give up part of their holiday period very cheerfully,” said Mr D. Forsyth, president of the New Zealand Educational Institute, commenting on the decision of the National Service Department to impress certain sections of male teachers for work of national importance. Numbers of men and women had already made arrangements to do seasonal work on farms and elsewhere, he said, and there were many others, including a large proportion of those not liable to impressment —women and married men with children—who would welcome the opportunity to play their part, especially in outdoor occupations. Teaching, Mr Forsyth emphasised, imposed tonsiderable strain on many of those employed in i.t particularly at the moment when classes were growing larger and children were showing the effects of disturbances in the home resulting from the calling up of men itnd war conditions generally; and, as the Minister ol' Education had pointed out, in his annual report for 1941, teachers were already taking a very prominent part in the Home Guard, the E.P.S., and other emergency organisations. It was therefore desirable that the work they were now asked to do should, as far as possible, represent a complete change . from their ordinary school duties.

What’s this? Nearly 50 per cent, of smokers in the Old Country being slowly poisoned by nicotine? That's what a Harley Street specialist says, anyhow, and if it’s true of England it's true of other parts of the world because tobacco loaded with nicotine is found everywhere, although there is far less evidence of it in New Zealand I than in other countries for most smokers here now-a-days smoke "Toasted” which, grown and manufactured within the Dominion, contains less nicotine than any other tobacco in the world for the simple reason that the manufacturers’ own toasting process—the only one, remember—so neutralises the nicotine in the leaf that most of it vanishes. There’s no "bite” left in it. Does toasting do anything more than purify? Most assuredly it does! The peculiarly delicious bouquet of these blends as well as their unforgetable flavour are largely due to toasting. Hence the ever increasing demand for Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), Nayy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog), Pocket Edition, Riverhead Gold and Desert Gold. There are no tobaccos in the very least like them/

Batmen in Army. “The old idea of a batman being looked on as a servant has disappeared or is disappearing in this war,” said Capt. S. Bowron at a sitting of the Armed Forces Appeal Board (No. 2) (says “The Press), when the board heard an appeal for the release of a soldier who was stated to be a batman. Captain Bowron said that to-day a batman had to be a highly skilled soldier, and he was trained to use an anti-tank rifle and a sub-machine-gun, and to drive a truck. In this war of movement he had turned into a guard for his officer. Batmen trained like this were now being given stripes. Purchase of Meat Works. “If the Co-operative Wholesale Society of Britain can undertake to purchase meat works in New Zealand, there is no reason why the fanners of the Dominion should not do so, and run them on the co-operative principle.” said Mr G. Barclay, speaking at a meeting of the Waimate Farmers’ Union. Mr Barclay credited the success of the dairy industry in New Zealand to the fact that it was controlled by the producers. He said he proposed to bring forward a motion at the next meeting. Reclamation of Waste. The Tahunanui Town Board last evening decided to make a collection of waste materials —bottles, paper, and non-ferrous metals—in conjunction with a rubbish removal service next month.

Timely Advice. As the result of a chance discovery (says the “Otago Daily Times”) a Dunedin firm has been reminded that four years ago it offered the people of Great Britain some good advice. In July, 1938, two months before Mr Neville Chamberlain first flew to Germany to confer with Herr Hitler, the firm shipped to the Homeland a considerable quantity of canned meat. In each of the cases it placed a card bearing the inscription, “Self-reliance is sale. Do not wait for Governments to provide war-time food stocks. A few tins of New Zealand sheep tongues in your cupboard will make you safe.” The finding of one of the cards in the factory a few days ago recalled the Dunedin firm’s warning, the full value of which could scarcely have been realised at the time. Long Wait Rewarded. A boot clicker, who enlisted for service in September, 1939, appeared before the No. 2 Armed Forces Appeal Board in Dunedin to oppose any further appeal against his joining the forces. The reservist, B. W. Rice, explained that on his first enlistment he had been consistently appealed for because of medical reasons. Since then lie had been consistently appealed for by his firm. “I am waiting now for them to stop appealing,” he told the board. “Your attitude is deserving of the greatest commendation,” said the chairman, Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. “After waiting three years you will now have your opportunity.” Rice was directed to be released for military service at the end of December. V.A. C’all-up. The first mobilisation call of V.A.’s for service in New Zealand with the armed forces will be made very shortly. It is expected that the call-up for New Zealand will consist of about 100 girls. V.A.’s belonging to St. John Voluntary Aid Departments throughout the Dominion have already expressed their willingness to serve either for the duration or for a period of six months, besides agreeing to give parttime service. This will be the first call for girls for full-time service as V.A.’s with the armed forces.