CITY AND SUBURBAN

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 171, 15 April 1933, Page 13

CITY AND SUBURBAN

Happenings About the Town INCIDENTS, OBSERVATIONS Colonel J. Bow, secretary of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union originated and organised the first Poppy Day held in New Zealand, and Mrs. Pow has collected on every Poppy Day at Stewart. Dawson’s corner. The stainless steel studs, which were removed from the centre line in the Mount Victoria tunnel three months ago, prior to the honing of the bitumen surface of the road, were replaced during Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Included in the many, thousands of coins handed in for poppies ou Thursday were fifteen foreign and debased currency. These included two Canadian quarter-dollars, an English farthing. an Egyptian “quarter,” and some “filled” silver sixpences and three-penny-bits. What must rank almost as a record number of vehicles passed oven the Mungaroa Hill yesterday, en route for the Wairarapa. From early morning until dusk there was a steady stream of motor-cars, lorries, van and motorcycles, and cycles, making their way northward. In practically every instance, camping gear was in evidence. The weather conditions for the first day of the Easter holidays were in favour of motor camping, aud the Wellington Automobile Club reported last evening that a large number of parties had left the city with camping gear. The camping ground at Otaki was practically full yesterday, and numerous motor tourists had established camps at Paraparauinu. That the Hutt River would provide as good fishing as is to be obtained in any river if a little protection was afforded was the view expressed by Mr. Eric Campbell in a letter to the executive of tlie Wellington Acclimatisation Society on Wednesday. “Provided we do not experience another flood similar to that of Easter, 1931, I am confident that the Hutt River will ‘come back,’ ” he concluded. Friday is supposed by many people to bo a bad day on which to set out on a journey, and yesterday, so far as cyclists were concerned, appeared to live up to this reputation. Travellers between Wellington and the Rimutakas could not help but notice the unusually large number of cyclists hold up by the roadside mending punctures. A fair number of motor-ear tires suffered also. The performances of the Port Nicholson Sanders Cup yacht Lavina on the first day of the Easter regatta at Paremata yesterday, produced an interesting coincidence. In the sweepstake event for first-class centreboard yachts, which was held in the morning, and in another handicap race in the afternoon, the Lavina’s times for the course were the' same to a second —Ihr, llmin. 52sec. Incidentally, in the first race the Lavina finished within 51 seconds of the course record, The fall in the cost of living was reflected in several items of expenditure in the estimates approved by the Wellington Hospital Board last Wednesday. In 1931 the actual expenditure for provisions was £20,809, in 1932 £17,126, and for the year just ended £13,829. This year’s estimate is £14,000. The cost of lighting has fallen from £2461 in 1931 to £1866, last year’s figure. This year the board estimates its bill at £lB5O. The estimate for fuel has been fixed at £6700 as against an actual expenditure three years ago of £8370. The sale in Lower Hutt of fresh fruit, preserved fruit (other than jam) and vegetables after 8 p.m. between Mondays-and Thursdays, and after 11 p.m. oii Fridays and Saturdays, is prohibited by a notice in the current Gazette. On the working day immediately preceding Good Friday, Anzae Day and the King’s Birthday, sales’may be made up to 11 p.m. The notice takes effect on Monday and covers the period between April 1 and October 31 in each year. This restriction has been imposed under the direction of the Minister of Labour, Hon. A. Hamilton, following a petition from a majority of fruiterers in Lower Hutt. Many seasoned yachtsmen present at Paremata yesterday for the opening day of the Easter Yachting Regatta, considered that the start of the firstclass centreboarders in one of the morning’s races was the most spectacular yachting sight they had ever witnessed* Seventeen comjietitors manoeuvred for a quick getaway, all to the north side of the narrow tidal channel near the railway bridge. There was a strong breeze, and each boat had tokeep moving in order to prevent the current carrying her over the starting line before the gun. In the very restricted space the yachts dodged about within a few feet of one another. It was a fine test of seamanship, and every captain brought his boat across the line almost on the gun.