In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23180, 22 April 1937, Page 6

In Town And Out

Warning by Magistrate A warning that in future he intended to inflict heavier fines on motorists who failed to observe the rule to give way to traffic on the right was issued by the Magistrate (Mr W. H. Freeman) in the Court yesterday. “If motorists do not observe this rule, they must be made to do so,” he said. Shortage of Honey Owing to the unfavourable weather during the December-February period, which is the main part of the honey season, the supply this year is about half of that which is usually on the market, and prices are showing an increasingly firming tendency (says The Otago Daily Times). The demand for honey is not yet at its greatest, as the commodity is most popular during the later winter months when jam supplies are becoming exhausted, and it is expected that by July and August the shortage will be acute. As the other honey-producing countries have . also experienced poor seasons, there is no nrospect of the position being relieved by imported supplies. Foolish Practical Joking The foolishness of perpetrating practical jokes on motorists, who are faced with a sufficiently' large number of hazards already, has apparently not occurred to certain ill-advised persons around Dunedin. (says The Otago Daily Times). For some time past cases have been reported where motorists have come suddenly upon such objects as hats, and even suitcases, in the middle of the road, sometimes on sharp bends, and the natural reaction has been to make a quick swerve to avoid hitting them, with consequent danger to the car and its occupants. Subsequent investigations have revealed that practical jokers have been at work, and the motorists’ only consolation has been the fact that the position had not been seriously complicated by the presence of any oncoming traffic at the time. Contentment in New Zealand The claim that New Zealand was one of the most industrially-contented countries in the world at the present time was made by the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong), when interviewed in Sydney on his way to Geneva to represent New Zealand at the International Labour Conference. Mr Armstrong also maintained that the introduction of the shorter working week had had the opposite effect to what shopkeepers had feared. He did not think the manufacturers in New Zealand would depart from the 40-hour week now if they could. . The Minister admitted that there had been several strikes in the Dominion since the Labour Government had assumed office, but he said their importance had been unduly magnified. He did not know, he said, a country that was more free from strikes than New Zealand.

Religious Instruction In School An interesting plebiscite was arranged recently by the Matamata District High School Committee. The Auckland Education Board in January last extended the facilities for religious instruction, which had previously been limited to half an hour on one day a week, so that with a school committee’s consent there could be a hymn, prayer and Bible reading at the beginning of each day. At its meeting on March 8 the Matamata school committee decided to ask parents for an expression of opinion on the matter. A local plebiscite was accordingly carried out, and the result was announced at a meeting last week. The result was: In favour of the proposal, 208 parents; against the proposal, 14 parents. The committee decided to accede to the wish of the majority, with the understanding that the children of parents who were against the proposal need not participate. About 500 pupils are in the three departments of the school. The Real Thing A sharp explosion not unlike that associated with the drawing of a cork shattered t#e silence of the Magis-. trate’s Court at Hawera during the hearing of a licensing case. While counsel, police officers, court officials and a large gallery vainly attempted to stifle their mirth, the magistrate, Mr J. H. Salmon, unable to account for the disturbance, asked Sergeant J. Henry for an explanation. Indicating a bottle of wine which had stood on the magistrate’s bench for some time as an exhibit, Sergeant Henry explained that the wine had lived up to its fiery reputation and blown the cork out. A Government analyst had certified the wine as containing 27.9 per cent, proof spirit, and as being three times as strong as the average New Zealand beer. “I wouldn’t touch it,” said Constable H. E. Hollinshead in horror when later in the proceedings counsel for defence suggested that he might have sampled the wine. Wellington as Seaplane Base Recent inquiries have shown (states the annual report of the Wellington Harbour Board) that Wellington Harbour is very well suited for use as a seaplane base. “During the year inquiries were received as to what facilities would be available at the port of Wellington in the event of a transTasman air mail and passenger service by seaplane being inaugurated,” said the report. “After an investigation, the opinion was expressed by the company concerned in the inquiries that the Wellington Harbour offered general surface and mooring conditions equal to, if not better than, any harbour in the world, apart from the fact that, because of its central situation, it would be a most convenient centre for the distribution of mails. So far no pronouncement has been made in this matter of a trans-Tasman service, but, in the event of a service being carried out by seaplanes, there are, according to experts, convenient and satisfactory facilities available at this port for such a service.”