LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24134, 28 November 1941, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

White Lines on Footpaths Painted white lines to aid pedestrians during the rush shopping period appeared in the centre of the footpaths in Queen Street yesterday morning for the first time this summer. For some years these lines have proved a valuable guide to the large numbers of shoppers who flock the main street during the Christmas period. Waterfront Ambulance Work Appreciation of the work done, at times in difficult circumstances, on the waterfront by members of the St. John Ambulance Association was shown by members of the Auckland branch of the Waterside Workers' Union yesterday. Following their weekly pay a collection for the association was held and £SO was contributed. The association will hold its annual street collection in Auckland to-day. Boy's Discovery in Harbour A boy named George Fry, of 23 Harbutt Avenue, Mount Albert, made an unusual discovery in the harbour on Wednesday afternoon when rowing a boat beside the western viaduct. It was a large clam shell with a painting of a well-known steamer on ft. The shell was attached to a bottle by a piece of string, but the bottle was lost while the shell was being detached from it and it is not known whether there was any message inside. Air Line Bookings Bookings on the various lines operated by Union Airways of New Zealand, Limited, throughout the Dominion are exceptionaly heavy. For several weeks before and after Christmas there is very little accommodation available, as the majority of intending travellers have made bookings as long ago as a month or six weeks. Seats are still available between Auckland and Wellington, but there is only limited space for travellers to the South Island. Potatoes and Oranges "At the present time the housewife is largely interested in prices of potatoes and onions, and while one often hears of New Zealand potatoes and [ Australian oranges this has nothing to do with the present conference," said the Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, in opening the conference of the New Zealand Grain, Seed and Produce Merchants' Federation yesterday. Dealing with the federation, the Mayor added that its establishment had resulted in grading and rules which had made for mutual trust between buyers and sellers. Contracts had been honoured and all disputes settled by a form of arbitration. Art in Wartime Although ho disagreed with those who looked upon art as a means of escape, he felt that in times like the present it might quite excusably bo regarded as a source of enjoyment, said the president of the Auckland Society of Arts, Mr. R. O. Gross, in opening the society's .summer exhibition at a private view last night. Such a mental attitude, Mr. Gross added, did not overlook the fact that fine art filled a definite requirement in the lives of the people. The present exhibition was of a high standard, and the society might congratulate itself upon having members who possessed both the time and the keenness to produce creditable work. Treatment of Street Lamps Experiments are still being carried out in Auckland in an effort to arrive at a satisfactory solution of the problem of darkening the glass enclosing globes of streets lamps lo comply with the reduced lighting restrictions. Various kinds of paint "have been used, but the lighting controller in Auckland, Mr. R. H. Hartley, said yesterday that the heat from the light bulb caused the outer globe to expand with the result that the paint cracked and peeled oil'. This called for regular inspections and renewal of the paint and added to the cost of maintaining the lights. He was now using an aluminium paint which, it was hoped, would adjust itself more readily to the expansion and contraction of the glass.