LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23196, 16 November 1938, Page 14

LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Tramway Shelter Notice that it was prepared to erect a tramway shelter of the standard type at tho intersection of Newa Street and Three Kings Road was received from the Auckland Transport Board by the Mount Roskill Road Board last night. Tho Transport Board was granted permission to proceed with the erection of the shelter. Training of a Soldier "It takes at least three months for a man to look anything like a soldier, and then, if ho is sent on active service overseas, another three months to train him in the use of modern war equipment," declared Mr. Eric Reeves, Dominion organiser of tho New Zealand Defence League, at a meeting of local body representatives at Invercargill. Sailings lor Sydney Two liners will clear Auckland to-day for Sydney, where they will arrive on Sunday. Tho Wanganella,. at Prince's Wharf, will sail at four o'clock this afternoon after a delay of five days. Tho Niagara, which arrived on Monday from Vancouver, will sail from Queen's Wharf at 10 o'clock to-night, her departure having been delayed 24 hours from her original schedule. Two Railway Crossings Eliminated Operations have now been practicallj completed in the construction of a traffic bridge over tho line near the Piako railway station, on the HamiltonPaeroa State highway. A contract has now been let for the approaches to tho bridge. The traffic bridge will eliminate two railway crossings, one being on the State highway and tin* other on a small side road. Raid on Shag Rookery A raid on a big shag rookery on the Waiau River was reported by the ranger, Mr. E. Duncan, at a meeting of the council of the Southland Acclimatisation Society. Mr. Duncan said that on two days during the month he and Mr. B. Henderson, who accompanied him on the first day, shot 167 old shags and 280 young ones on that part of the river near the old Belmont homestead. Truck lor Stewart Island In her cargo when she sailed for Stewart Island last week the interisland ferry boat Tamatea carried a motor-truck, which was sent by the Public Works Department for transporting materials for road making at Half Moon Bay. This is not the first time that tho Tamatea has taken motor-vehicles to and from the island for transport purposes. Apart from four small lorries in use at Oban, there are no motor-vehicles on the island. Sealing of Bluff Highway A start is soon to be made with the tar-sealing of the five-mile stretch of road between Bluff and Greenhills, according to advice received in Bluff. The road has been levelled and surfaced and is now consolidated sufficiently for sealing. Good progress is being made on the road from Greenhills to Invercargill, and when the reconstruction work is completed, it will not be long before motorists will have a sealed surface from Invercargill to Bluff. Australian Oruise Liner The second of the cruise liners to visit New Zealand this season, the P. and 0. liner Strathmore, left Brisbane yesterday for Auckland, where she will arrive at two o'clock on Friday afternoon. The Strathmore, of 23,428 tons gross, is a fine, modern ship which paid her first call to Auckland on a cruise last season. The usual programme of tours has been arranged for her passengers. The liner will sail for Wellington and Sydney at 11 o'clock on Saturday night. Prospects for Peach Season Exceptionally heavy settings of peaches are being carried by fruit trees in the Waikato at present, and, according to Mr. A. W. Green, a Hamilton horticultural authority, this season will be tho best experienced in the district for at least 30 years. Many trees which ha%'e never been known to bear fruit before are now carrying good crop.?. It. was suggested by Mr. Green that orchardists should ,apply manure, preferably blood and bone, to the trees to promote leaf growth. This would, to a certain extent, prevent the peaches dropping. Bathing Facilities Satisfactory progress is being made with tho erection of the up-to-date bathing sheds and conveniences at Buckland's Beach, Eastern Beach and at tho Kiwi esplanade, Mangcre, according to a report submitted by the engineer to tho Manukau County Council yesterday. The new sheds at these places would bo available for use before Christmas, tho engineer added. Tho work of boring for water at the site of the proposed Maraetai bathing sheds had held up building activity there, but a flow of about 300 gallons of water an hour had now been ob» tained, so that the contractor would bo able to proceed with tho erection of these sheds immediately. Traffic from Side Roads If the speed of motor-vehicles emerging from side roads on to busy main highways was reduced to 10 miles an hour, the danger of accidents would bo almost wholly eliminated at these points, stated tho Commissioner of Transport in a letter received by tho Manukau County Council yesterday. Observations had shown that in most cases an absolute stop at tlicso intersections would not bo necessary, tho letter added. Tho commissioner said that it wns proposed to erect signs reading "Slow to 10 m.p.h.," and to bring into forco regulations making it an offcnco for motorists to pass theso signs in excess of 10 miles an hour. Tho council decided to Bupport tho scheme wholeheartedly. Better Beer Wanted "If tho temperance organisations would do somothing positive. they might get somewhere," said Archdeacon Whitehead during a short discussion on the liquor trade at the Otngo and Southland Anglican Synod. "For instance, they might do something to improve the quality of the beer in New Zealand. In Germany somo years ago it was decided to tax beer according to tho alcoholic content, and the quality of tho beer improved out of sight. Oijio man told mo that you could fill yourself up to the Piimsoll mark with it without doing any harm. Apparently the temperance organisations hero havo decided to drop the prohibition issue just now and concentrate on local option. I think the only difference between the two is that between Tweedledum and Tweedledee."