SCRAPS OF METAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26045, 8 January 1946, Page 4

SCRAPS OF METAL

ROAD MAGNET AT WORK REMOVING CAUSES OF PUNCTURES Scores of motorists were saved the annoying necessity for changing tyres during the holiday period by the fact that all the highways in Otago and Southland, and many of the subsidiary roads, particularly in the favourite holiday districts, wer& covered by the Public Works Department’s magnetic trailer in the weeks prior to Christmas. In ali. the trailer was towed 12,760 miles in Otago and Southland, and it picked up 1901 b of scrap metal. The trailer was seen at work near Dunedin by a Daily Times reporter, and the driver of the tow truck obligingly tipped out his day’s collection on the roadside. There were screws, nails, brads, tacks, wire, boot protectors, horseshoes, bottle tops, tins, cleats, staples, and a score of other types o' potential tyre puncturers. Surprisingly enough, there were dozen of domestic items such as pins and needles which one would not expect to find on the road.

The driver said that very little material of any use was ever picked up. There were plenty of good nails, but most of the other scraps were of negligible value. Occasionally there was a small tool, such as a nail punch, included in the haul, but objects of any size were generally “ spotted ” by other drivers and picked up. Asked if he had discovered anything with an apparent “ story ’’ attached to it, the driver produced hopefully a rusty suspender catch, the jettisoning of which was doubtless accompanied by dark feminine muttering at some time. In order to get Tahuna Park into order for Christmas campers after its long period of tenancy by the army, the trailer made several sweeps across the area. It covered 19 miles in the park and retrieved no less than 581 b of metal scraps.

The driver of the tow truck admitted that he had one regret and one anxiety —he regretted that the electro-magnet would not pick up money lying on the roadside, and he was anxious that his truck should not be punctured by any pieces of metal which the magnet on tow was busy clearing from the highway.