Around the City

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 248, 21 October 1935, Page 6

Around the City

Paragraphs About People and Events

Ecv. A. N. and Mrs. Seottcr have returned to Palmerston North after a fortnight’s absence. Mr. Scotter, as ehairinan of the district for the Methodist Church, has been engaged in district visiting in northern Hawke’s Bay.

<S> •s><s> <S> The cherry-blossoms at the Esplanade attracted many citizens yesterday afternoon. The City Band contributed a programme of music whi}o the Highland pipe band marched through the Botanical gardens playing pipe music. The blooms are at the peak of their brilliance and will bo waning from now on.

That familiar information in shipping advertisements —"tax and exchange extra” —was inquired into by a. reporter on Saturday, when in conversation with a shipping company ofiicial. ‘ 'Tax” refers to what is known as tourist fax. The shippers’ sales tax is levied on all single overseas passages aud on return fares on half the cost of the round trip. The item "exchange” is self-explanatory.

Oceau travel as a means of investment was advocated by a shipping official who was a week-end visititor to the city. At first sight this may appear rather a novel suggestion, but when to it is added the fact that ruling interest rates are at present very low and that ocean fares are comparable with hotel tariffs, tho force of tnc statement becomes evident. Tho dividends aro apparently taken out in new experiences, improved health and enjoyment generally.

Tho attitude of shipping concerns to their rivals in tho air and possible coordination or competition was touched on in an interview with tho "Times” on Saturday by Mr W. W. Service, of the P. aud O. Company. His view was that travel' stimulated travel; as more people moved about, more would follow. Ou this principle his company had found that co-operation with Imperial Airways would be of mutual advantage. To make this oven more effective, arrangements had been concluded for air and sea tickets to to interchangeable.

At tho official opening of the cricket season on Saturday, Mr. ]?; J. Oakley, ou behalf of the Manawatu Association, thanked the Mayor and members of the City Council on the splendid step they had taken in appointing Air. Wheatley as groundsman, stating that such appointment was the realisation of an ideal which had been held by tho Manawatu Cricket Association for 20 years. Air. Oakley was quite sure that Air. Wheatley’s services would bo of inestimable value to cricket in the city and the district and ho hoped that the council -would see its way clear to arrange for Air. Wheatley to give some of his time to the fostering of primary and secondary school cricket.

Day trippers formerly consulted the barometer, endeavouring with its help to gauge weather prospects; nowadays they pin their faith on weather reports in the Press. So, too, business and private people search for signs to interpret the behaviour of tho economic barometer and though trade statistics are a valuable aid, the controlling factor appears to bo public confidence. That the best index of that confidence was travel traffic, was the claim a passenger manager made to the "Times” on Saturday. The best was yet to come when the reporter was told tho passenger business was so ' good that the companies were prepared to go ahead with building programmes that it few years ago would have appeared optimistic.

la the course of' his speech at the official opening of the Manawatu cricket season on Saturday, .tho Mayor (Mr. A. E. Mansford) made reference to the action of the City Council in engaging Mr. Wheatley as coach-grounds-man. Ho said that as far as he knew, this was the first occasion in New Zealand when a City Council had made such an appointment and ho had no doubt that it was a step which would much improve the standard of cricket in tho Manawatu. The Mayor also made mention of the departure of Mr. B. J. Hatch to Australia, and on behalf of the Cricket Association and the players lie extended best wishes to Mr. Hatch, who had on numerous occasions proved his ability a sa member of tho Hawke Cup and other representative teams.