WAR TASKS OVER

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25234, 21 June 1945, Page 4

WAR TASKS OVER

BOATS AWAITING SALE AUCKLAND CRAFT AT SYDNEY Several small New Zealand coastal vessels which left Auckland in September, 1942, for a war role in General Mac Arthur's South-west Pacific command, have completed their task and are lying at Fish . Wharf, Blackwater Bay, Sydney, to await sale by auction. They, include the Northern Steamship Company's former little steamer Bellbird, which was converted into a salvage repair ship at a cost of £33,000, and G. H. George and Company's auxiliary schooners Miena and Will Watch. They will later be joined by the Northern Company's auxiliary Tuhoe. These craft were requisitioned by the New Zealand Government and placed at the disposal of the Small Ships' Section of the United States Army. Had Done Great Job

After obtaining confirmation by telephone from his headquarters in Melbourne, a lieutenant of the Small Ships' Section told a Herald reporter in Sydney on Monday afternoon that the former New Zealand vessels would be handed to the Royal Australian Navy and auctioned by the Commonwealth Disposals Commission, the money raised to be given to the New Zealand Trade Commissioner in Sydney. He said that the small craft had done a great job, often under fire, in New Guinea and other waters. The vessels are expected to be sought by traders from the Pacific islands whose craft have been depleted by the war. Strange Oonvoy Recalled Taking troops to forward areas, transporting food, ammunition and supplies from large ships through shallow and treacherous waters, running past Japanese-held positions in the dark, and bringing back wounded and seahattle survivors, the small craft have seen plenty of front-line action. With a number of other Now Zealand vessels, some of which have already returned to the Dominion, the boats now in Sydney left Auckland for Australia in one of the strangest convoys the Tasman has seen. They were then manned by New Zealanders, hut few are still with them. The first Allied vessel to go out to the Woodlark and Trobriand Islands after the Japanese occupation, the Miena, spent three weeks in those regions rounding up Japanese survivors of the Bismarck Sea Battle. With 28 Australian soldiers, the Miena virtually "took" one of the islands, which was occupied by 73 Japanese. She often ran a blockade past the enemy-held Buna beach, and bullet holes in her structure are mementoes of a dozen actions. The other vessels also have had adventurous careers.

BITTERLY COLD SEVERE WAIKATO FROSTS MANY WATER PIPES BURST (0.C.) HAMILTON, Wednesday Bitterly cold conditions prevailed in Hamilton today, when an exceptionally severe frost occurred. A recording to the east of the town showed 18.9 degrees of frost, one at Rukuhia 20 degrees and one in the town 16 degrees. A quarter-acre lake at Rukuhia was frozen over, while pools of water in Hamilton were thickly coated with ice. Cans of milk were also partially frozen. The frosty conditions continued until a late hour, as the sky was overcast. Today's frost was the twelfth in succession and the fifteenth this month. One plumber stated at noon today that he had mended 15 burst water pipes during the morning and he had many more orders to fulfil. Another had more requests during the day for repairs to broken pipes than lie could cope with and had to leave a number of them until tomorrow. ROTORUA RECORDING FROST OF 12 DEGREES (0.C.) ROTORUA, Wednesday A succession of cold nights was followed this morning by a frost of 12 degrees registered at the tourist office. The reading at the aerodrome, Whakarewarewa, was 14 degrees. An early wet -pell was indicated this afternoon.

COLD CONTINUES IN NORTH KLEVENTH CONSECUTIVE FROST (0.C.) WHANGAREI. Wednesday The eleventh consecutive irost was registered in Whangnrei this morning. This is stated to be a record for Northland, where it is seldom that there are more than three consecutive frosts before rain falls. There has been no rain for 13 days FOOD FOR EUROPE HORSE AND GOAT MEAT PROPOSAL UNDER INQUIRY Inquiries are being made in Auckland as to the possibility of increasing New Zealand's supplies of meat to Western Europe by the slaughter of horses and goats a t freezing works. The New Zealand Meat Producers Board has asked the management of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Co., Ltd., whether this could be done. The consumption of horse and goat flesh is not uncommon among some of the peoples of Western Europe, and it has been suggested that the export of this meat, in addition to mutton, lamb and beef, would provide acceptable food for many thousands of Europeans who are on the verge of starvation. Although there would be ample freezing accommodation at the works and the .slaughtering would lie done in the off-season for other meats, there were certain difficulties which would have to be overcome before the project could be put into effect, said a representative of the freezing company yesterday. Neither horses nor goats had been handled at the works before, and inquiries were being instituted as to what arrangements would have to be made. The secretary of the Auckland Freezing Workers' Union, Mr W. E. Sill, stated that the slaughtermen were considering the proposal, but so far had reached no decision. The men were-on piecework rates and, as they had no experience in slaughtering horses and goats, the fixing of remuneration was one of the problems. There were also other aspects of the work to be considered. t Should it be practicable for freezing works to deal with horses and goats, it is believed that there would he little difficulty in obtaining sufficient of these animals for the purpose. EXTRA BUTTER RATION Following the announcement from Wellington that the butter ration for expectant and nursing mothers, persons over 70 years of age and some classes of workers was to be restored to eight ounces weekly, many inquiries were made at the rationing office in Auckland yesterday. Applicants for the extra two ounces of butter were advised that it was not expected that the restoration would become effective before the end of July. The commencing date would depend on the time necessary for special coupons to be printed | and distributed. TEACHERS ON SERVICE About 509 male teachers of the Auckland Education Board's district were still on military service, _ stated the annual report of the chairman, Mr G. K. Hamilton, which was submitted to a meeting of the board yesterday. The board regretted to report that 55 of its teachers had been, killed in action. The arrangement for refresher courses for teachers. after discharge from the force# tu appreciated by the board.