DIRECT ACTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25344, 27 October 1945, Page 8

DIRECT ACTION

THREAT BY FAKMEBS

THE COUNTRY QUOTA ISSUE (P.A.) JS'EW PLYMOUTH, Friday Failing the success of constitutional menus, direct action will be sought by the farming community of North and Central Taranaki as a means of stopping the Government putting through legislation abolishing the country quota. A motion to this effect was passed at a meeting of about 300 representatives of rural interests and Chamber of Commerce representatives at Inglewood today. The resolution, which was carried unanimously, was:— "That this meeting take this opportunity of emphatically protesting against the removal of the country quota. Further, that it considers the action of the Government is a breach of trust, and calls upon the Government to withdraw the bill. This meeting calls upon our leaders to take whatever action is necessary in an endeavour to have the bill dropped. Should constitutional methods fail, this meeting wholeheartedly supports any action they consider necessary." A similar resolution was carried unanimously by a meeting of. South Taranaki farmers in Hawera.

PLAN PREPARED STEPS BY FEDERATION EXPLANATION IN COMMITTEE (0.C.) PALMEItSTON NORTH, Friday The action committee of the Federated Farmers of - New Zealand has plans already prepared in the event of direct action being decided upon in the tight against the abolition of the country quota. A meeting of farmers in Feilding went into committee to hear the plans explained by the chairman, Mr It. H. Buchanan. The following motion was carried: — » "This branch expresses the strongest objection to the undemocratic action of the Government in producing a measure to abolish the country quota without first placing the issue before the electors in a general election or bv way of a referendum. We call on Dominion headquarters to place our views before the Prime Minister and demand that proper constitutional slops he taken to have the issue decided by the electors under the present law. Failing this, wo aro reluctantly compelled to pledge our support to direct or any action the Dominion president and executive decide to take." Mr V. B. Short intimated that he had prepared a scheme whereby direct action would be taken without causing any distress to town and city communities. Such tilings as shutting factories and tipping milk down drains, lie snid, affected the people, but did not get at the Government.

L | SOUTH ISLAND FEARS LOSS OF TWO SEATS 5 (P.A.) DUXEDtN. Friday The following remit protecting against the proiJosed abolition of the country quota was carried at the annual conference of the South Island Local Bodies' Association: "That this conference views with grave concern the introduction of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which, it would appear, may mean the loss to the South Island of probably two seats in tho House of Representatives. This will strengthen the already strong North . Island vote, and, furthermore, will have ■ the effect of considerable loss of prestige, I in addition-to the loss of representas tion for the South Island." i 1 BRITISH MOTOR-CARS | DESIGNS FOR EXPORT ! SUITED TO LOCAL NEEDS "Britain today really needs an export trade as she never has before and British manufacturers are fully pre- | pared to cater for overseas require- ' ments," said Mr A. W. Hamilton Brown, who has recently arrived from London to represent the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Ltd., in New 'Zealand and who arrived in Auckland yesterday. Mr Hamilton Brown is at the Grand Hotel. Motor-car manufacturers in Britain were making preparations, he said, to provide vehicle?; suited to local conditions in tho Dominions. The British horse-power tax or any purely English preferences would not lie allowed to stand in the way where different designs were required for export. During the war motor-car manufacturers in tho United Kingdom had built 1,250,000 vehicles for the armed forces, in addition to large numbers of aircraft, tanks, guns and other weapons. Mr Hamilton Brown, who is a New Zealander, has been in Britain for 12 years. He will remain in the Dominion as representative of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. THEFT OF WRINGER MAN FOUND GUILTY Tho trial of Hoy James Wbelan, agod 35, labourer (Mr G. H. Turner), on charges of the theft of a clothes wringer and a lawnmower valued at £9 ss, and alternatively of receiving tho articles, and a charge of escaping from lawful custody, was concluded before Mr Justice Finlay yesterday. _ Evidence was given for the prosecution that two men had pursued accused about 11 p.m. on August 1 and had detained him until ho was taken into custody by the polico. In a statement from the dock, accused said that when the men started to pursue him ho was waiting for a motorcyclist who bad given him the wringer to hold while iio drove a girl home from a party. There had been some trouble at the party, said accused, and ho had run from his pursuers as he did not want to be involved in any more trouble. His Honor suggested to tho jury that they should acquit accused on the lawnmower count as there was no evidence concerning it._ Describing accused's story as unbelievable, His Honor said no innocent man would run away, Tho storv was "a bit hot."

The jury found accused guilty of the theft of the wringer and of escaping from custody and not guilty of receiving. He was remanded for sentence. FLYING JET PLANES AUCKLAND PILOT RETURNS After four years' absence from New Zealand, during part of which time he has been flying tho new Royal Air Force Meteor jet-propfelled aircraft as a pilot in the famous 74th Squadron, Flight Lieutenant C. Davis, a son of Mr and Mrs W. Davis, of Point Chevalier, returned oil tho troopship Andes this week. These jest-propelled planes have attracted wide attention because ol their speed and iwo of them have been selected to ma,lce an attempt on the world air speed record shortly. Tho ollicial air speed record, at present held by Germajiy, is 481 miles an hour, but tho Mef«eor planes are reported to be capabSe of exceeding 600 miles an hour undetr test conditions. Another New Zealand, Flight Lieutenant AV. Warwick, of Palmers ton North, has also been attached to the 71 th Squadron.