NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25014, 7 September 1942, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

A CONFERENCE of regional coram is- ■**- sioners and district controllers recently appointed under the Emergency Reserve Corps Eegulations as part of the new civil defence administration was held at Wellington last week. There was a full attendance, with the exception of Mr J. A. C. Allum, district controller for the Auckland and North Auckland area. The Minister of Civil Defence, Mr W. A. Bodkin, was himself unable to be present on account of family illness, and at his request the director of national service, Mr J. S. Hunter, presided. There was a full discussion and exchange of views on matters of policy and administration generally, as affecting the civil defence services.

Transport of Stock It was announced on Saturday by the Ministers of Transport and Primary Production for War Purposes that all live stock, where the owners are required to do so by the local goods transport control committees, must in future be sent by rail or driven. Former New Zealander's Gift The National Patriotic Fund Board has received advice through the New Zealand High Commissioner's Office in London of a gift of £SOO, New Zealand currency, by Sir Alexander Maclean for the provision, of comforts for New Zealand prisoners of war. Sir Alexander Maclean is a former Auckland resident who is now living in Britain. Race Winnings Stolen

A man who was given two winning tickets to collect totalisator dividends at the Trentham racecourse failed to return to the jockeys' room and kept the £lB 17s 6d involved. Later, when he appeared before Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court at Wellington, he pleaded guilty to theft, and was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within 12 months. A condition was that he should make restitution. The accused was Ronald Douglas Burgess, labourer, aged 36. Native Bush Endangered

The thoughtlessness of three boys on Saturday afternoon was responsible for a fire which, had it not been for the prompt action of the caretaker, Mr N. Cuthbertson, and a band of willing fire-fighters, threatened to destroy the beautiful patch of native bush at the rear of Chingford reserve. The fire was started in some long dry grass in one of the City Corporation's plantations, and so quickly did it spread that the whole hillside above the reserve was soon ablaze, and one or two trees on the outskirts of the bush, as well as some fence-posts, were burning fiercely. It was only the prompt action of Mr Cuthbertson and his assistants, together with several members of the Women's War Service Auxiliary Land Army, who were engaged in gardening operations in an adjacent plot, that saved the bush from being completely destroyed. , " Pillaging " or " Pilfering " ?

Dislike of the word pillaging in reference to cargo thefts was expressed by Mr B. E. H. Whitcombe at a meeting of the council of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce last week. He contended that pilfering would be the correct term. Pillaging, he declared, was "plundering, especially in war time." But pilfering of cargo had been going on since 1929; it was not purely a war phase. "Pilfering is stealing, especially in small quantities," added Mr Whitcombe. The president (Mr C. S. Hammond) said that pilfering referred to petty thieving. Pillaging had been the term adopted by the Associated Chambers some time ago. Mr Whitcombe: It is not correct. It would not be understood outside •> this country. Mr S. O. Dillon said that when the extent of the operations was known they w*ould be known as wholesale thefts in future. Bird Life at Arthur'* Pass It was reported at the annual meeting of the Arthur's Pass National Park Board in Christchurch on Friday that kiwis had been observed in increasing numbers by the ranger of the park. Another rare bird which had been seen was the beautiful little rock wren. As part of its campaign to protect the bird life in the park, the board asked the Department of Internal Affairs to instruct its deer cullers not to take dogs into the park. The secretary (Mr R. H. Bell) reported that this request had been acceded to by the department. Replying to Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, who asked if the deer and chamois menace was being kept in check, Mr Bell said it was a general complaint by shooters that they could not find any to shoot. The annual report stated that more than 600 deer and chamois had been destroyed by permit-holders, and about 200 opossums had been trapped on the West Coast side of the divide. An Ingenious Code Ingenuity on the part of a New Zealand prisoner of war, Private Donald A. McDonald, of Tapanui, who was captured in Crete and is now at Stalag VIII B, Germany, reveals something of conditions ruling. In a letter to his wife, now resident in Christchurch, written on March 29, he says: " I am attending the • Stalag school twice a week, taking a course in veterinary surgery. Easter went off rather well. In a game of football on Saturday the Army beat the Air Force by seven points to five. I know you will be wanting news of the boys here. Well, the Dixons I haven't seen for months now, and Stacey and Hawker I don't see so often, and although Kincaid used to come for a yarn every day, I have not seen him this week. We are living the Oliver Twist way, but are in high spirits, and hope to be home again soon." The names of the firms mentioned probably refer to meat, bread, and tea, indicating that although the men are in good spirits their main worry is shortage of food.

After-care of Troop* "We will want patriotic funds to help returned soldiers 30 or 40 years from now," said Mr G. A. Hayden, secretary of the National Patriotic Fund Board, explaining the setting aside of a proportion of patriotic funds for after-care work among demobilised members of the New Zealand forces. The pension, the war veterans* allowance, and social security would make the position better than it was after the last war, he said, but there were other factors that they did no have to consider then. There was the problem to be created by the calling up of youths of 18, most of whom would not have a trade or calling to go back to. The Government recognised this, but no matter how wisely a Government department acted there were limits to what it could do, and that was where the Patriotic Fund could step in and help. "We know that it is the Government's job to help the returned men," said Mr Hayden, " but the Patriotic Fund should be ready to help men the Government is not able to help." Avalanche Danger "One accident has happened, and undoubtedly there will be more, as an increasing number of people become interested in ski-ing and mountaineering," said Mr G. G. Lockwood at the annual meeting of the Arthur's Pass National Park Board in Christchurch on Friday, when the report of the ranger (Mr C. D. Hodgkinson) on the recent fatal accident at the Temple Basin was received. The report emphasised that the accident was no reflection on the safety of Temple Basin as a ski-ing ground, and Mr Lockwood said that this was true if it meant that it was as safe as any other ski-ing ground. It was necessary (o emphasise to the public, however, that, there was an element of risk on the steeper slopes of every ski-ing ground. The avalanche that killed Mr Susmann was of the wind-slab type, a type never before known in New Zealand, although quite familiar in Europe. Mr Susmann. a most careful ski-er and instructor, would have been best qualified to detect the danger, but it was doubtful if it would have been apparent to anyone. It was left to the Ground Committee to take steps to erect warning notices if it thought them necessary.

Particulars are advertised by the Railways Department of the special trains which will be run between Dunedfn and Port Chalmers for the ceremony in connection with the launching of a minesweeper by her Excellency Lady Newall to-morrow] For rings, watches, and jewellery, try Peter Dick, jewellers, 59 Princes street, Duneclin.—Advt.