PENICILLIN SUPPLY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25055, 20 November 1944, Page 4

PENICILLIN SUPPLY

NO LOCAL MANUFACTURE IMPORTS FROM AUSTRALIA (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Saturday As a result of a conference with Sir Howard Florey it has been decided to recommend to the Government not to attempt the large-scale manufacture of penicillin in New Zealand, said the Minister of Health, Mr Nordmeyer, following a conference in Parliament Buildings todav attended bv Sir Howard Flo rev, the 'Minister, the DirectorGeneral of Health, Dr M. H. Watt, the director of the hospitals division of the Health Department, Dr L. C. McNickle, the pathologist at the Wellington Hospital, Dr J. 0. Mercer, and the director of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr E. Marsden. . . , ~ Mr Nordmeyer said it was fc.t on the evidence available that New Zealand's penicillin needs could be met adequately from Australia or elsewhere and that unless methods of manufacture were altered considerably it would be unwise to attempt to make penicillin in the Dominion. However, there was a field in which the manufacture of penicillin could be carried on experimentally in New Zealand, _ particularly in relation to plant and animal diseases and that conlu be done by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Mr Nordmeyer said that supplies of penicillin were being received from Australia in increasing quantities. In that respect the civilian population of NewZealand was very fortunate as in nearly all other countries the use of penicillin was still confined to the armed forces. Sir Howard Florey met members of the War Cabinet this morning and showed a film dealing with the manufacture and use of penicillin. Ho will visit Rotorua before leaving; the Dominion next week. TRANSPORTED BY AIR PACIFIC REINFORCEMENTS FORWARD BASE REACHED (R.N.Z.A.F. Official News Service) S.W PACIFIC, Nov. 15 Making their acquaintance with the tropics for the first time are many men who recently left New Zealand on posting to the New Zealand- Air Task Force. Most of them have been_ transported to their present base by air. This was done for two reasons. The first was that available shipping space was needed for other operations and the secondwas the necessity for giving the men as much time as possible to become acclimatised in the tropics before they went on to operations. It was necessary also to have them based as far forward as possible. The transfer of this large force to the Pacific by air has given, additional proof of the efficiency of the R.N.Z.A.F., for it has been accomplished without loss of life and without accident. In the space of a few hours the surroundings changed entirely for these men. The transition has been from civilisation to jungle, from comfortable station quarters to tents with beds on sand floors, and from temperate conditions to the blazing heat of the Equator. They have taken it well, as their predecessors did, and they are keen to get down to their job in earnest. NEW ZEALAND AIRMEN HIGH COMMISSIONER'S VISIT LONDON, Nov. 18 Several hundred New Zealanders who have been taking part in the air offensive against Germany were met by the High Commissioner. Mr Jordan, when he made a tour of the stations in the Bomber Command group this week. Accompanied by Air-Commodore Olson, Mr Jordan first visited No. 75 NewZealand Squadron, which he complimented on the fine reputation it continues to maintain. This squadron headed its group again last month for the number of sorties flown and the weight of bombs carried.

After spending the night there, Mr Jordan and Air-Commodore Olson went on to other stations in the same group to meet New Zealanders serving there and discuss various matters with them. At the last station they visited they watched Lancasters taking off for a daylight attack on the Ruhr. Mr Jordan and his private secretary went to an R.A.F. officers' training unit and met about 300 more New Zealanders. On the way back to London the High Commissioner visited the widow of a New Zealand airman whose son was born after his death. AMBULANCE BRIGADE CORPS INSPECTION HELD Headed by the Auckland and District Pipe Band, 300 members of No. 1 Corps of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, under the command of Mr H. N. Allport. corps superintendent, marched to the Ellerslie Domain, yesterday, where an inspection was held. The president of the corps, Mr A. J. Moody, who was accompanied by Mr D. F. Mackay, commissioner of the brigade, carried out the inspection. In a brief address Mr Moody congratulated Mr Mackay on dividing the Auckand Corps into four corps. Mr Moody asked Mr Mackay to accept from Mrs Moody and himself a cup for inter-corps competition. A display of figure march inn was given by the Cadet Bugle Band. LIME WORKS PROJECT (0.C.) GREYMOUTH, Saturday A proposal is afoot to establish a lime works in the Greymouth district, utilising the Greymouth Harbour Board's Cobden quarry and certain plant if the board is agreeable. Present plans envisage the treating of 30,000 acres in the Buller district with several tons of lime to the acre, the land ultimately to be made available for the settlement of returned soldiers. THIS WEEK'S COUPONS Ration coupons available this week are: — Meat (ration Is lOd weekly; H coupon worth 7d, others 3d; child's ration lid weekly, J coupon sd). —Nos. 3 and 4. Butter (ration Boz weekly, each coupon 8oz). —Nos. 3 and 4. available until November 26. Sugar (ration 31b monthly, each coupon 1207.). —N'os. 1 to 4. inclusive, available until November 26. Tea (ration Boz monthly, each coupon 2m) .—Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, available until November 26. Petrol (ration half face value of coupon).—No. 5, available until November 30.