LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 65, Issue 5494, 6 July 1942, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

At the Farmers’ Union sub-provin-cial conference held in Hamilton last Friday the following remit was unanimously supported: “ That, in view of the grave shortage of tyres and ' the apparent impossibility of replacing present supplies, the question of tyre conservation generally be given immediate attention, especially from the point of view of the alleged wastage of tyres on army and/or commercial transport where the railway or alternative means of transport could be effectively utilised.”

“ The young women we have interviewed so far seem to be very willing to do their part in the war effort,” said Mr M- Ross (District Man-power Officer at Christchurch) when he discussed the direction into essential industries of the first batch of women in the 20-21 years age group. Investigations had shown that not five per cent of the women in this age group were totally unemployed. There was a big class registered as having domestic duties, and of those some were not strictly employees, but were living in the households of their parents and were spending some of their time in domestic work-

A petition containing 3446 signatories asking for a short season for game-shooting was presented to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. Parry, last week. The bulk of the signatories reside in the Canterbury, Otago, and Southland districts. Many shooters in Te Awamutu and adjacent districts also signed the petition. Replying to the request, the Minister suggested that shooters accept the decision of the War Cabinet for the abandonment of the season in the spirit in which it was made. It was inadvisable, he thought, even if on re-consideration it were granted, to have a shooting season now, because it would disturb game birds which were at present pairing.

“Already we have some thousands of men returning and nothing has been done whatever to get these men back into civil life,” said Mr R. G. Bishop (president of the North Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union) in speaking at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Progress League on the work to be done in rehabilitation. Many jobs might be kept open for returning men, he said, but many of the men would be unable to return to them. Investigation was wanted to See if a better plan than that after the last war could be formulated. “We claim to be a Christian country,” he added, “and I think we should see that these men get Christian treatment.”

Workmen on Saturday were engaged in uplifting one of the tanks which form the normal equipment of the modern petrol service station, and by nightfall had raised the tank to the surface, leaving a considerable crater, which was barricaded off for the night. But on Sunday morning a stray dog which had ignored the barricades was found imprisoned in the hole and its resentment of the “trap” roused all the worst in canine instincts. It was a case of man traps dog, and dog bites man ! It was no usual problem that confronted the workers and more than an hour elapsed before skilful manoeuvring resulted in their being free to resume the usual tasks with immunity from the threatening tusks !

While many farmers had made available to the Army their full quota of barbed wire, even to the extent of stripping some of their fences, it was considered at a meeting of the Waikato branch-of the Farmers’ Union in Hamilton manifestly unfair that certain ’ farmers should be permitted to offer wire at clearance sales. One case was quoted by Mr A- W- Moore in which 14 cwt. of wire had been sold for £34 at a clearing sale at Te Kowhai- Another delegate referred to a recent case where wire removed from the Waikato Airport Board’s property had been sent to the Frankton sale to be disposed of. Branches of the Union, in approaching farmers in connection with their quota of wire, were placed at a considerable disadvantage as a consequence of such practice.”

A lasting tribute was paid to the late Mr James Mackay, one of the founders of the Cambridge district and most of the Waikato when a memorial tablet in his honour was unveiled at the Pukerimu Cemetery, Paeroa, on Monday last by Mr J. Thorn (M.P., Thames). Approximately 100 people, both Maori and pakeha, attended the ceremony. The inscription on the tablet reads:—“James Mackay, 1831—1912. Pioneer, explorer, and friend of the Maori people. Became Magistrate on the Collingwood Goldfields in 1858. Civil Commissioner at Thames in 1864, Warden and Resident Magistrate on the Hauraki Goldfields in 1868. Throughout troubled times in the Thames Valley and the Waikato he was energetic, just, and a maker of peace.”

“The way in which the South Island as a whole is slipping is another matter in which the Canterbury Progress League might interest itself,” said Mr A. M. Hollander (president of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association) at the annual meeting of the league. “It is not just a matter for Christchurch or Canterbury,” he said, “because I know that Dunedin is very much concerned, too.” The South Island was lagging behind the North Island, he said, and it was a matter for investigation, because the lagging covered so many forms of activities and affected so many interests. The league might help considerably by collating information from other bodies and seeing that the South Island pushed ahead as the North Island had been doing for a number of years.

“Well, what has the Army got to say about this man?” asked Mr J. S. Barnett when an appeal for release from a military camp for a reservist was being made in Christchurch.

“Well, sir, he’s a member of D Company in the Second Scottish. He is a poor type of soldier and the Scottish do not care what you do with him,” replied Captain S. Bowron, who represented the military authorities. Later in the proceedings Captain Bowron was asked to give the Army’s report on a reservist who had enlisted at the age of 16 years, and had been in camp for two years. He had been apprentice signwriter. “His Army age is 20 years,” said Captain Bowron, “and he is a very poor soldier.” “Yes, captain,” replied the appellant, “but a very good signwriter.”