TREE-TOP ATTACKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24971, 14 August 1944, Page 2

TREE-TOP ATTACKS

MORE TARGETS FOUND GOOD RE.SULTS OBSERVED (B.X.Z.A.F. Official News Service) BOUGAINVILLE, Auk. 11 After some successful bombing of Japanese and their equipment on Bougainville, the New Zealand Venturas switched their attention to .similar targets in New Britain and New Ireland. In spite of fierce resistance from anti-aircraft batteries, the bombers again registered highly .successful results. A large number of Japanese were reported to be concentrated in the jungle outside the village of Milim, in Bay, New Britain. The Venturas were brieled to dispose of them. Going in in pairs, they dropped delayed action bombs on the target from tree-top level. This method of bombing is usually adopted, because the speed of the Venturas makes them less vulnerable to ground fire at low level. The Japanese gunners are good, and sometimes spatter holes in the New Zealand aircraft, but when the Venturas come down out of the clouds at well over 300 miles an hour and flash across the target, all the Japanese skill is of little avail. That is now events proved at Milim. Bonjbs and machinegun fire took heavy toll of the enemy. Confirmed results show that many direct hits were scored. These blasted huts and buildings to matchwood. Several direct hits were also scored on air-raid shelters, in which many of the enemy perished. It is further reported that the enemy evacuated many wounded by barges under cover of darkness, these being taken to Rabaul. The survivors of the raid decided that Milim was no place for them, and moved off to another location. Another formation of New Zealand Venturas, hunting for targets of opportunity in the region of Nakudukudu Bay and Kaliki, New Ireland, also returned with a report of extensive damage caused to the enemy. A bridge over a vital roadway was destroyed and a total of 1!) buildings demolished. In addition, a large whaleboat and a barge were sunk at Kalili. These are the principal methods of transport remaining to the Japanese, and are used for the movement of troops and supplies at night. The enemy uses all his cunning in the art of camouflage to conceal his diminishing numbers and barges during the hours of daylight, and these are consequently hard to pick up. That is why these craft are given special attention whenever they are spotted. The New Zealand Venturas on their present tour of duty have dropped well over 1.250,0001b 'of bombs on the enemy, who are livijig a miserable existence and face inevitable extinction.

MOTOR TRANSPORT EVIDENCE OF WAR STRAIN Referring to the very small number of new motor-vehicles placed in service in New Zealand since the outbreak of war, the annual report of the Transport Department states that the result is that approximately 40 per cent of the commercial vehicles in \ew Zealand are ten years old or over and are rapidly approaching the end of their economic life. The position had. however, been relieved to a limited extent by the release of n certain number of lendlease and used army vehicles. Owing to the necessity of having to retain in operation vehicles which normally would have been replaced by new ones, the demand for spare parts had risen steeply. That factor, combined with a general wartime difficulty in securing spare parts from overseas, had created a difficult problem for the transport industry. The vehicle-inspec-tion staff of the department had therefore been called upon to assist operators to locate spare parts and to give technical advice in the solution of maintenance problems. Although the patch and repair principle had had to be adopted as a wartime expedient, it was clear that if an efficient road transport system was to be maintained in the Dominion the renewal of a large proportion of New Zealand's fleet of passenger and goods vehicles must in the near future become an urgent matter.

CHILD DELINQUENCY EFFECTIVE SOCIAL WORK Gratification that juvenile delinquency had not shown the sharp rise, as the result of war conditions, that many people had feared, is expressed by the Minister of Education, Mr Mason, in ■his annual report for 1943. The total number of children charged with offences was 2493, against 2446 for the previous year. Serious offences decreased. "In view of the number of disrupted homes, due to the war, and of the unusual tomptations to which many young people were subjected, I should not have been surprised to see a much more serious rise in delinquency figures," said the Minister. "Social workers of all types, both State and private, have found their work with children and adolescents increasingly difficult, owing to these abnormal condw tioivs, and I would pay a tribute to the part they have played in keeping the problem within bounds." Mr Mason saic) reports of tly? work of "visiting teachers," who were really social workers without teaching responsibilities, attached to groups of schools to deal with "problem" children, had been encouraging and he was hopeful that this system would do much to prevent children from ever appearing before the Courts. As soon as the manpower position allowed some scheme must he devised for the systematic training of persons.to be engaged in I serious social work of all kinds.