SECOND EDITION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16710, 21 April 1925, Page 9

SECOND EDITION.

' There are {53,000 miles of telegraph wires in New Zealand, and 270,000 miles of telephone wires, enough lo encircle the earth more than a dozen times.

The Telegraph Department, is carrying nut. a comprehensive policy of lino const Miction in Ihe .Southland province, and 18 gangs, com prising 150 men. are erecting lines in various parts of the eastern and western districts.

The contractors for the construction of the {Memorial Home at. Alnngapapa have now completed their work, and Ihe hey of Ihe building will he handed over In the Hospital Board at its meeting on Thursday afternoon. Borne delay Was experienced in carrying out the work, principally on account of materials not coijiing to hand in time,* but the building, as far as the contractors are concerned, is now completed, although various conveniences have still to be linked up.

“Now that we have the publicity board New Zealand is going to boom overseas,” remarked an oilicial of the Government Tourist Department, to a New Zealand reporter. “When yon think of the boosting Switzerland gels—and alter all there is little variety of scenic attract ions there —it only emphasises the little tblit has been done in the past to bring New Zealand before the eyes of people overseas. That, however. in a thing of the past. The boost, lias commenced.”

Speaking of the Wellington City Council’s housing scheme, Air T. Forsyth said Parliament, gave the council power to borrow for house-building, and the council in 1919 borrowed J025.CC0. They bad built 22 houses, at an average cost of £1370. Those houses were built of the best material, and they paid the highest. rates for day- labor, but having erected these bouses they had a difficulty in getting rid of them. The council liad to stop building bouses because they could find no sale for them; and even in connection with, those houses they had sold they had received requests for a reduction on the prices paid. They bad evolved a. scheme under which they were prepared to build under generous terms, but so far they bad not- had a single'applicant.