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Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 199, 24 July 1931, Page 6

Work is proceeding on the reconstruction and sealing of Russell Street from Grey Street to Florence Avenue. The profits of the concert in aid of unemployment relief, recently held by the Business Girls’ Lunch Club, amou'nted to £2O. Included in the profit was a donation of 12s from “H.K.,” which was acknowledged with thanks.

Plans and specifications are being prepared by the city engineer (Mr J • It. Hughes) for the construction of a reinforced concrete sub-station in Princess Street in connection with the recently authorised improvements to the facilities for electricity supply and distribution.

“I never have and am not seeking a compromise with anyone in my electorate,” Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, said emphatically in Wellington last night in confirming the Reform headquarters’ statement that the action taken by the Christchurch executive was the concern only of the district. The second conference of service officers of North Island Automobile Associations is to be held in Palmerston North, the previous conference having been held in Wellington, when a number of recommendations were made to the North Island Motor Union and subsequently, adopted by the associatio'ns.

Five additional men have been placed on the work of constructing the stormwater conduit in Rangitikei Street from Featherston Street to the Kawau Drain. The work is being carried out under the No. 5 scheme, and from 12 to 15 men are employed. It is anticipated that the conduit will be finished in six weeks’ time.

Following the decision of the City Council on Monday evening to have renewed five chains of the nine inch water main on the Fitzherbert Hill, the work was completed yesterday. While the new piping was being connected' up with the old the water supply through the main was cut off for three hours, and the city’s requirements were maintained through the 12 inch main and the artesian supply. The pressure dropped 201bs below normal until the 9 inch main was again brought into use. Tlris main has been in existence since 1904, the 12 inch main having been laid in 1907.

An instance of the Railway Department’s lack of consideration lor a number of its regular suburban passengers was given at the meeting of the Papatoetoe Town Board. Mr W. J. Nicholson, the chairman, said the department had closed up an entrance to the station platform which had been in use at the northern end for ten years. The only alternative was to reach the platform by a ramp at the southern end, which meant an extra walk of almost a quarter of a mile. A petition protesting against the department’s action had been signed by 114 residents, who represented in train fares at least £2O a week.

Farm properties and town businesses in North Taranaki were in surprisingly good demand at New Plymouth on Wednesday. “It was the busiest day I have had this year,” said a prominent property agent and broker. He had had seven different callers all inquiring for property and genuinely seeking investment for capital. The agent was unable to cope with the sudden demand upon liis and his staff’s services. One certain sale of 105 acres of dairy land at £3B an acre, with a cash deposit of £IOOO, was made. A surprising feature was the definiteness of the inquiries and the size of the deposits available. One inquirer had £4OOO cash to invest, another £IOOO, and another £9OO. It is expected that the. children’s health camp at Otaki, for which plans jiave been authorised by the Minister of Health, Hon. A. J.‘ Stallworthy, will bo ready by November next. Money for the construction of the necessary buildings, which will accommodate 100 children, has been made available from the Christmas Seal fund. Due largely to the generosity of Mr Byron Brown, a suitable area of land is available, and to this has been added land bought from the Natives, making .in all about 100 acres, with a frontage of threequarters of a mile to the beach. Twenty acres will be devoted to the camp itself, and the ground is now being cleared. Water and electricity will be laid on.

In accordance with its policy of reducing departmental expenditure, the Government has put into effect widespread alterations in the system of salary increments throughout the whole of the Public Service, and important restrictions are to bo imposed as an economy measure. It has been decided that no re-grading of Public Servants will be carried out this year. There is definitely no hope of anyone who has reached the maximum salary status in a certain class being promoted to a higher class at present, even if his service warrants* such a move. The main effect of the decision will be felt among the higher-paid Public Servants, although increments will operate within the various classes. This means that if an employee has not attained the maximum salary, in a class he will bo entitled to an increment. Ordinary grade increases are therefore to be given, all being subject to the 10 per cent. reduction, which will still leave the great majority of salaries lower than they were before the all-round reduction was applied following the passing of the Finance Act last session.

With the object of expediting the work of tarring and sanding footways the City Council has let a contract to a local firm for 145 chains of this work.

Extremely cold weather has been experienced in the Te Awamutu district during the past few days and snow, the first this season, was observed on Pirongia Mountain this week.

Owing to the swollen state of the Manawatu River it has not yet been practicable to sink test bores to determine the nature of the foundations for the new Fitzherbert Avenue bridge. When a motor car taken nine days previously from a motor garage was found in a street in Auckland this week, the speedometer showed that in the interval the car had been driven 400 miles.

Officers of the horticultural division of the Department of Agriculture have been in conference at the Palmerston North Plant Research Station for three days. Their business concluded to-day, and they returned to Wellington.

A man named John Coulston, aged 21 years, was admitted to the Paliiatua Hospital on Thursday afternoon, suffering from severe injuries sustained in a collision between a motor cycle and a motor car in the Manawatu Gorge.

For practically two weeks the section of the Foxton-Levin highway alongside the drain has been under water, and it is considered that its clearance will occupy some days, and repairs then have to be effected to a wash-out on the road, over which there are still 18 inches of water.

The destruction of a large quantity of insulators on the telephone lines in the Levin district was responsible for the appearance of two boys in the Levin Children’s Court yesterday. Admitting the damage to a portion of thirty-two insulators mentioned in the charge, the boys received an admonishment and were discharged. Sir Francis Bell has presented a valuable historic oil painting by James Webber, It.A., to the Suter Art Gallery, states a Press Association message from Nelson. Webber was an artist on Captain Cook’s third vovage, and the picture shows Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, with Cook’s survey party’s tent and a number of Maoris and canoes.

The Maori War days of 1868-69 were recalled by Mr W. H. Field, M.P., during an address he delivered at the Levin R.S.A. reunion. Mr Field was living on the Wanganui River at the time, the 65th Regiment being quartered in the vicinity. Mr Field had to be taken to the barracks with other children for safety during a dangerous period. Evidence of the severity of the winter in the hills in Otago is the migration of wild pigs to the lower country, says the Waikouaiti correspondent of the Otago Daily Times. One party of hunters recently secured 12 pigs, which were all in good condition, one weighing 1501 b. These pigs were all shot within 20 minutes’ run from the town. “You will work for four months, anyway,” said Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Auckland in sentencing a young man to one month’s imprisonment for assaulting his father, and three months’ for vagrancy. The man’s father said his son had given him to understand that he would never work again, although he was able and strong. A complaint having, been made at a meeting of a local body in Auckland that the district was “simply over-run with ha vkers,” it was decided to refer the matter to the Local Bodies’ Association with a request that the Government be approached with a view to having legislation brought down to provide for the issuing by the Police Department of annual licenses for hawkers.

The YVaipa County Council this week had l>efore it an application for a motor drivers’ license by a ratepayer near Te Awamutu who is very deaf. The chairman explained that the applicant was well known, had driven a car for years without accident, and was thoroughly fit in all other respects. The'Minister of Transport, when appealed to, had replied that the responsibility is on the local licensing authority. The council unanimously agreed to instruct its clerk to issue the desired license.

Questions raised during the debate on the report of the Imperial Conference were replied to by the Prime Minister, Right Hon. G. W. Forbes, in the House of Representatives last evening. Mr Forbes explained that there had been a conference in regard to the Singapore Naval Base, and that a scale of expenditure that would finish the work at the end of five years was agreed to. The cost of the base would be £7,775,000. New Zealand’s contribution would now be spread over a longer term, and the annual contribution would be £IOO,000 instead of £125,000, as previously. The defence works at the base would be considered at the end of five years.

The Wanganui District of the Manchester. Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows, presented a jewel for competition amongst the lodges in the district for the introduction of new members Last year Bro. G. Wilson, financial secretary of the Loyal Wanganui Lodge, was successful in securing the most members. This year Bro. S. J. Watson, financial secretary of the Loyal Manawatu Lodge, secured the jewel, and at the meeting of the management committee at Marion yesterday, District Grand Master Bro. W. J. Towler made the presentation, referring to the success that had been attained by the recipient in the direction of increasing the lodge’s membership. Tho presentation was duly acknowledged. Masonic brethren from all parts of the Dominion were in Palmerston North to-day attend an important function in the dedication and consecration of the temple of the United Manawatu Lodge 1721 E.C. Rt. Worshipful Bro. J. H. Burnett (Wanganui), District Grand Master, assisted by Grand Lodge officers, was appointed to conduct the ceremony. The new temple in Broadway Avenue, which has been fully, described in these columns, is of striking architecture with a front of Egyptian design and is elaborately furnished. There is a pipe organ understood to he over 100 years old and to have been built in London. The Grand Communication of English Constituted Lodges, which is in the nature of an annual meeting for the Wellington province, is being held this evening.