NEWS OF THE DAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22243, 31 January 1947, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Bands "Canvas Town.” Many of the bandsmen who will be attending the New Zealand brass bands championship in Wanganui next month will be accommodated on the racecourse in marquees. It is proposed to establish a bands canvas town, with all the necessary facilities for three meals a day. Holiday Bait Eighteen men each earned more than £2O the week before last digging worms for bait at Shorncliffe and Sandgate, Queensland, says a Brisbane message in the "Sydney Daily Telegraph." They expected to earn about £3O each last week. They sell the worms to amateur fishermen for 2s a dozen. Safe-blowers Get 3s 2d The wave of safe-breaking which Auckland has been experiencing for some weeks shows no sign of abating. On Thursday night the premises ol Clark Bros., bottle and sack merchants, Newmarket, were broken into and a safe in the office was blown open. All the thief got for his trouble was 3s 2d in pennies.Sale of "Ghost” Hotel The Inangahua Hospital Board, Reefton has decided to accept an oner of £2OO by Mr J. J. Morris for the Merrijigs Hotel, which was bequeathed to the board by the late licensee, Mr Albert Wright. Situated in the now derelict mining village of Meinjigs, the hotel, which was fully furnished, has from time to time been visited by thieves, who have removed much of the furnishings and fittings. Iron Sand Authority

A recent visitor to Patea was Mr. R. Dunn Victoria University College. Wellington, and a recognised authority on minerals, particularly ironsand. Mr Dunn, who is an analytical chemist analysed samples of ironsand taken by Government officials from the ironsand deposits in Taranaki two years ago He is convinced that there is a future for the Patea ironsand, which contains some valuable minerals besides iron. Patea deposits are practically'inexhaustible and are particularly valuable as they contain a high perccntage of titanium and other minerals. Power Lines for Telephones. The State Hydro-Electric Department has on order equipment which will enable it to use high-power transmission lines between Waikaremoann and' Bunnvthorpe for telephone communication. The practice o£ using transmission slines for telephone purpose has been in operation by power authorities in Great Britain, the United States of America, and other countries for some years. In New Zealand it has been used a little by the State and by some power boards. Power lines are fitted with safety coupling devices which eliminate risk. The extension of the telephone to power lines in New Zealand will supplement the private telephone system now used between its sub-stations by the Hydro-Electric Department. The present telephone lines are about equal in length to the power lines themselves, and one runs from Wellington to Kaitaia in North Auck-,