LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1929, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An exhibition contest at the Waiwakaiho golf links yesterday between Moss and Ritchie (professionals) and Morpeth and Grey (amateurs) attracted a large following of local players and others interested in the match. The professionals were able to dispose of the amateurs by a fairly substantial margin. Motorists travelling between Inglewood and Stratford in the early hours of Sunday mornnig had to pass through a dense mist. It was necessary at times to stop until there was a momentary clearing of Lite atmosphere. One party travelling from New Plymouth to' Hawera, with a stop of about 10 minutes at Tariki, took one and a half hours to cover the distance between Inglewood and Stratford. A cyclist had a very narrow escape while riding along Devon Street, New Plymouth, on Saturday. When crossing the Currie Street intersection he collided with a motor lorry that was being driven from the direction of the railway sheds. Hastily abandoning his machine he was able to jump clear, and the motor lorry was stopped so promptly that it came to rest with its front tyres pressing on the cycle. Extricating his machine, and with a casual glance to see that it had not been put out of action, the cyclist nonchalantly _ remounted and rode away as if such incidents were an everyday occurrence.

Additions to the rear of the New Plymouth Aero Club’s hangar at the Bell Block aerodrome were completed on Saturday morning just in time for the arrival of the Auckland planes. They comprise a secretary’s office and a pilot’s room and other conveniences, and were erected by Messrs. Jones and Sandford at a cost of about -£lOO. Infectious diseases in Taranaki during September showed a considerable decline compared with the previous month. The figures for the health district (with the variation in parentheses) are: —Scarlet fever, 18 (decrease 8); diphtheria, 6 (decrease 1); tuberculosis, 3 (decrease 4); influenza, 1 (decrease 2); pneumonia, 10 (decrease 9); erysipelas, 1 (decrease I); puerperal fever, 1 (no decrease); eclampsia, 1 (decrease 1). A splendid and unsought tribute to the excellence of the site obtained for the New Plymouth Aero Club’s aerodrome at Bell Block was paid on Saturday by Major C. G. Cowper, who is in charge of the tour of the North Island being made by the Auckland Aero Club Moth planes. “You have a wonderful aerodrome here,” he said, “and I wish Auckland had one as good as this will be when it is completed.” The work in connection with the improvements to the Fitzroy Park and camp-site is progressing apace with the spells of fine weather, and already great progress has been made. The committee, in addition to clearing lupins and levelling the site, has been busy on the two new tennis courts. Already a quantity of concrete has been laid and the working bee on Saturday afternoon hoped to have the work completed by the end of this week. Severe bruises just above the ankles were received by David Burnnand, a schoolboy, on Saturday afternoon when the front wheel of a motor-car passed over his legs in the aerodrome parking area. The driver of the car was Mr. Walter Askew. It appears that Burnnand, who is a son of Mr. G. Burnnand, Fitzroy, slipped on the grass in front of the approaching vehicle.] He was attended by Dr. Stenhouse and afterwards taken to his home. It is understood no bones were broken. The East Coast freezing works, land and buildings, at Whakatane have been sold by the Bank of New Zealand to the New Zealand Flax Fibre Company. The purchase price lias not been disclosed, but it is understood to be Jn the vicinity of £lO,OOO. It is the intention of the company to use the main buildings as a flaxmill. The freezing works property consists of nine acres of land, upon which is erected a commodious concrete building. It is about 12 years since these large premises .were erected at a cost of over £lOO,OOO, and they are in splendid, condition to-day. The last debate of the 1929 season of. the New Plymouth Debating Society was held on Friday night on the motion, “That Democracy has proved to be the best form of government for civilised nations.” Mr. J. A. Redman led for the affirmative and Mr. E. J. L. Pavne for the negative. The seconders were Mr. C. White and Mr. C. Deem respectively. The Rev. J. D. McL. Wilson was chairman and Mr. A. L. B. Ross was judge. The society proposes to conclude this season with a smoke concert in the Kawaroa Bungalow. According to science, the present system of ending the school year in December is all wrong. Dr. A. B. Fitt, Professor of Education at the Auckland University College, speaking before the Educational Society, urged that July was the natural end. He showed by means of a graph that the ability of a child to learn began to rise at the beginning of the autumn, and rose steadily for° th© first six months, after which it gradually receded. In July the rising curve ceased and dropped, to a point in August, when it resumed a steady trend to the following autumn. Long before their elders could discern them the children had picked up the Auckland planes far away in the sky towards Waitara upon their approach to the Bell Block aerodrome on Saturday. The three planes were visible seven minutes before they reached the landing ground, the clearness of the atmosphere and the background of clouds against which they were flying making visibility good. The air speed at which the planes were flying was about 70 miles per hour and a Head wind would reduce their ground speed considerably, but they must have been at least five miles away when they were first seen. Having piloted in company with Captain McGregor a Hamilton Airways Ltd. plane to Wellington and back, Mr. G. M. Spence, president of the New Plymouth Aero Club, returned to New Plymouth on Saturday morning. Mr. Spence made the trip to Wellington on Thursday afternoon and left there on the return journey at 6.15 o’clock on Saturday morning, reaching the Bell Block aerodrome at 9.15 after encountering head winds nearly all the way. The two trips gave Mr. Spence about five hours’ flying experience, Captain McGregor taking charge of the plane by means of dual control only for landing and taking-off. A suggestion that aeroplanes fihould be used for conveying to the South Island mails brought by the Vancouver and San Francisco steamers received hearty approval at a meeting of the council of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce last week. Mr. T. N. Gibbs said information should be obtained as to the possibility of aeroplanes being used for picking up Vancouver and San Francisco mails and bringing them to the South Island, so that they would arrive in time for replies to be sent back by the outgoing ship. At present, .he said, the mails arrived too late for immediate replies to be sent. It was decided to refer the matter to the Postal Committee of the chamber for a report. Your baby daughter, grown to radiant, happy girlhood, will soon be making a home of her own. Only photographs will keep her as she is to-day. You can’t have too many portraits of her —and she, too, will want them for friends- at Christmas time. Oakley’s Studio, Devon Street-, New Plymouth. 3 A freehold house property in Gaine Street is advertised for sale by public auction by the Lands Department in this issue. The matron of the New Plymouth hospital acknowledges .with thanks the following gifts: —Magazines, Mr. F. Messenger, Rev. Thompson (Inglewood), Mrs. C. E. Stronge (Opunake), Mr. A. S. Brooker, Returned Soldiers, Victoria League (per Mrs. C. H. Burgess), Mrs. A. Black, Mrs. M. Neal (hon. librarian) Victoria League, Taranaki Club (per Mr. H. Kirkby); cigarettes for returned soldiers, Mrs. C. H. Burgess; cakes for returned soldiers, Victoria League (Mrs. C. H. Burgess); flowers, Mrs. French (Bell Block), Miss Hall (Hillsborough); eggs, Waitara Junior Red Cross Circle (per Mrs. Corkhill),