Bay of Plenty Times. SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1932. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 10832, 2 April 1932, Page 2

Bay of Plenty Times. SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1932. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Harvest Thanksgiving services will bo held at Holy Trinity Church tomorrow, Sunday.

The Municipal Association of New Zealand has advised the Morinsville Borough Council that it could not support the repeal of section 5 0 of the Valuation of Land Act, but was of opinion that the Government should be asked to amend section 45, to allow the local authority or any member of the public to purchase the land at a figure put upon it by the objecting owner.

That the farmers of the Bay of Plenty are responding to the appeal to support the Bast Coast railway line in a very real manner is shown by, the big quantities of fertilizer and other goods which have passed through the Pa.eroa railway station throughout the whole of this month, commented the sationmaster, Mr G. McNeil, when interviewed on the subject on Wednesday last (says the Hauraki Plains Gazette).

According to the assistant Public Works roads engineer, Mr P. L. Park, excellent results have been obtained from the special bitumen preparation which was used over an experimental stretch of five chains on the Te Ngae Road (says the Rotorua Morning Post). The method used for tar sealing this stretch was very much cheaper than the ordinary method employed for bituminising, and although the five chain length has been subjected to exceptionally heavy traffic during the holiday period, it has stood up to the wear and tear in a most satisfactory manner. No special preparation was given to the original road surface .beyond sweeping, and a. primary coat, followed by a sealing coat with a layer of half inch hard stone chips, was then laid on top. Mr Park estimates that since it was laid 'down, between (500 and 800 vehicles a day have passed over this stretch. The fact that it is showing no sighs of pot holes or wear is a most promising indication of the possibilities of this cheaper type of construction work in other parts of the district.

“I was once reported as going to heaven,” said Mr L. Stein, chairman of the Dannevirke Hospital Board, at (lie gathering at that institution recently, .when referring to his experiences there as a patient, "but never in your life!” he added, amid shrieks of laughter. “I am hero to-day, and I hope to be here for some years to come,” he concluded.

The freezing works at Kaingaroa, Chatham Islands, have closed down owing to an adjoining fishing ground being declared tapu because of the loss during the winter last year of a. launch with 11 Maoris—most of them fishermen—who met their deathes in the vicinity. Thai portion of the sea was declared tapu, and this will remain for about another 18 months, when the tapu will be lifted. In (he meantime nothing can induce the islanders to fish there.

Surprise was expressed by a member of the Putaruru Town Board at the last meeting at th© charge of 10s per yard by the Railway Department for the carriage of metal chips from Thames to Putaruru.

The applicants for the position of secretary-treasurer to the East Waikato Rabbit Board were required to state the salary required. The prices quoted ranged from 2s 6d per hour to £BOO per year.

From eight acres in permanent rye-grass a Hawke’s Bay farmer has harvested £I7S worth of seed. This is a gross return of over £22 per acre, and he still has 16 tons of threshed hay, which will go a good way towards paying the harvesting expenses.

Fresh hen and duck eggs are quoted in Auckland at Is lOd per dozen.

One of the surprises London holds in store for the visitor is the extent of the horse traffic on the streets, the fact of the matter being that there are more horse-drawn vehicles in use now than at any time since the war. So much so. that the spectacle of a hansom cab making its way slowly down Oxford Street the other day caused no astonishment whatever. Motor vehicles are being sold daily to give place to the wagon, and scores of stables which had been converted into garages are being restored. If the process continues, the horse will soon be as popular and as common as it was 20 years ago. The value of “Dobbin” as an economic factor is such that he is regarded as a cheaper investment than the motor, especially for short journeys.