TROOPS' GESTURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24748, 23 November 1943, Page 2

TROOPS' GESTURE

LOYAL ISLANDERS GIFT OF 900 DOLLARS MISSION HOSPITAL FUND A gift of 900 dollars has been made by the members of three New Zealand units in the Solomon Islands to the Methodist Missionary Society of New Zealand for the purpose of providing beds or a small ward in a new hospital they assume the society will provide for the natives of one of the islands after the war. In a letter to the Rev. A. H. Scrivin, secretary of the Methodist Foreign Mission Board, the oliicer commanding the units said that the gift was from men of probably every creed, faith and church known in New Zealand and from many "non-performers." The action had been taken with the full approval of Major-General 11. E. Barrowclough, D.5.0., M.C., Commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Pacific. Courage and Assistance During the recent operations in which the units took part, stated the letter, the loyalty of the natives of the island was clearly demonstrated and their courage, fidelity, a-nd will to serve the British Empire and the New Zealand Division were of great assistance and undoubtedly saved many New Zealand lives. It was obvious that their attitude was due in no small measure to the excellent work done ou the islands by the representatives of the mission. The natives' only return from the war so far had been the destruction of their hospital and the consequent loss ol certain regular medical attention so essential to the maintenance of their health." and educational services so appreciated by them and so necessary. An Immediate Response

The response to the suggestion that a fund he opened was immediate, continued the writer, who asked that the mission accept the amount on the trust that it would establish a bed, beds, or small ward, to be used freely by the mission and its medical representatives for the treatment of any native regardless of 11is faith or creed. It was also asked that the equipment be known as.'a gilt to the natives from the units as a lasting appreciation of their courage and loyalty.

Mr. Scrivin said yesterday that he was quite sure his board would gratefully accept the gift on the terms laid down, ij was a lino gesture on the part of the New Zealand troops and made him prouder still of his Native Church in the Solomons and the remarkable way in 'which it had stood the test of war. Such a ward or beds would be a constant reminder of fine fellowship between the New Zealand forces and the Solomon Islanders who had suffered so much in our defence. AIR NAVIGATION REPORT ON ACCIDENT WARNING TO PILOTS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Monday The Minister of Defence, the Hon. I*. Jones, stated that a formal inquiry under the Air Navigation Regulations would not be held in respect of the accident to the I'ox Moth passenger plane which crash-landed on the Franz Josef Glacier on October 29. The report of the accident indicated that the aircraft was in a completely airworthy condition, both the airframe and the engine having been covered by a certificate ot safety for the flight, given on the morning of the accident by Captain J. C. Mercer, who held both current A and C ground engineer licences.

I Ik l pilot, (). I). Openshaw. held a pilot's H commercial licence valid for a Fox .Moth aircraft. The only technical evidence available was that of the pilot and that obtained from an examination of the scene of the accident and the wreckage. '1 he officers who investigated the accident had recommended the issue of a notice to airmen drawing the attention of pilots to, firstly, the necessity for maintaining continuous observation of the air speed when flying in the immediate vicinity of high mountains; secondly, the most effective means of recovering flying speed in the event of such actio?) becoming necessary; thirdly, the necessity of avoiding flying in close proximity to high hills on their lee side. Those recommendations, the Minister concluded, had been accepted, and a notice of that nature was being issued to airmen.

MIDDLE EAST TOUR

AIR COMMODORE RETURNS (Special Correspondent) ( Herd. 11. to p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 22 Air Commodore A. de T. Nevill, Air Oflicer Commanding R.N.Z.A.F. Headquarters in London, has returned to England from a tour of the Middle East, where he studied at first hand the operations of the Tactical Air Force. He visited in the Mediterranean area numbers of squadrons in which New Zealanders are serving.

Referring to the variety of work on which Now Zoalanders are engaged throughout the world, he said: ''They have, everywhere, a reputation of which New Zealand can justifiably ho proud —a temperament which lakes the jol) seriously and accepts varying conditions of service without complaint. "The only resemblance to a grouch which I found was a desire, often expressed by air crews, to be at some other place which offered to their tninds more exciting possibilities. .New Zoalanders, possibly more than any others, welcome their complete identity with the R.A.K. However, as time draws on, they are mostly looking forward to serving in a theatre ol" war nearer their own country "

TRAFFIC TUNNEL PLAN OTAHUHU TO STAND ALOOF A decision not to be associated with the expense of converting the air raid shelters under Albert Park into a traffic way was reached at a meeting of the Otahuhu Borough Council last night, A report was received of the scheme recently adopted at a conference of local bodies. The Mayor, Mr. C. R. IVtrie. M.R.. said that, from Otahuhu's point of view, it seemed that the project would be more a liability than an asset. In reply to questions, the town clerk. Mr. I?. W. K. Wood, said that, under the K.IV-s. regulations, the council could be called upon to contribute its share ol expenditure, but it could not be compelled to pay a share of the cost of constructing a traffic way. A decision to stand aloof from the scheme was unanimously adopted.