LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 13 January 1932, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wednesday is to remain the halfholiday within the Egmont County next year, according to a resolution of the Egmont County Council yesterday. Petroleum continued to flow intermittently from the No. 2 well of the Moturoa Oil Fields Company yesterday. Over 30 barrels were recovered within the 24 hours.

Ngaire Staples, a girl aged 12 who lives in New Plymouth, broke her arm while playing at Kawaroa Park yesterday. She was taken to the New liymouth Public Hospital, where last night her condition was satisfactory.

Making of ensilage and hav full swing on the coast between Oakura and Opunake. In a number of cases the cooperative gang system that has been in vogue for some years has been replaced 5 by the contract system.

Berthed at Waitara for months, the a.o.v. Aratapu was sold recently to Auckland buyers. The vessel left Waitara for Auckland last Thursday and arrived there yesterday. The ship reported “all well” in a message received in New Plymouth last night. The Egmont County Council has received from the Public Works Department £2506 18s lOd of the amount provided from the Main Highways fund — 12J per cent, subsidy on the rates. The clerk was authorised to make a refund of 12| per cent, to ratepayers in their rates for the current year.

Dense clouds of smoke to the west of New Plymouth at about 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon brought visions of burning houses and property to the minds of many observers in the town. It was, however, just a. gorse fire beyond Doone Street and not near any buildings. Struck by a tree he was felling near Inglewood yesterday afternoon, Charles Kidson, residing at Cambridge House, New Plymouth, sustained a fractured thigh. Ho received medical attention and was sent to the New Plymouth public hospital. His condition was satisfactory last night. In answer to a question by a member, the secretary informed the ManawatuOroua Power Board on Monday that the bad debt account was better than at this time last year. Members considered the position exceedingly gratifying in view of the times through which the country was passing. During the past three weeks, says the Wellington Post, people passing through the Botanical Gardens have been charmed by the singing of a tui. Tuis could once be seen occasionally in the gardens, but it is believed to be about two years aince the last one was noted. The pohutukawa trees have bloomed very well this year, and this fact may account for the tui’s visit.

Some splendid crops of soft turnips are to be seen along the coast between New Plymouth and Opunake, and in some cases a start has been made with feeding them to the stock. The heavy rain on Sunday proved beneficial to the swede crops, and some good “strikes” are now to be seen, though owing to the earlier dry weather some farmers have found it necessary to resow. Subject to the approval of the Main Highways Board, the Egmont County Council yesterday decided to accept the tender of Messrs. Bowman and Munro at 4 7-8 d per square yard for surface sealing miles of the Main South Road from the Waiteaka to the Waitino Roads. Failing such approval, the next highest tender, that of Isherwood and Bellam at 5d per square yard, will be accepted. During 1 the holidays when it was blowing with a westerly gale, says the Times, one of the Palmerston North club’s aeroplanes, piloted by Mr. H. Walker, covered the distance from Tangimoana to Milson aerodrome in eight minutes, approximately 155 miles an hour. As the ’plane’s speed in calm is about 80 miles an hour, the wind was assisting to the extent of over 70 miles an hour.

Two . men whose names were suppressed in the meantime were brought before Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday. They were charged with breaking and enteringxthe dwelling house of A. C. Boswell, New Plymouth, and stealing three keys and a torch, with attempting to break and enter Boswell’s shop with intent to commit a crime and with the theft of an electric torch valued at 255, the property of Phillip Hock. On the application of the police they were remanded until to-morrow morning.

’ If there is any record for slow travelling it must surely be held by the three member of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club, who, after their recent successful ascent of Mount Whitcombe, in the Southern Alps, took two days to traverse five miles of the 25 miles from the Strachan Pass to Harihari. The full jolirney took three days, and the last day saw the party in fairly desperate straits, their sole provisions being two spoonsful of sugar, some butter, and a dried peach apiece. However, they surmounted their difficulties and are now none the worse for their experience. “It is a solidly-built structure on the steel frame principle with reinforced concrete floors and walls,” said the secretary of the Wellington Woollen Company after inspecting the company’s Christchurch warehouse, which was damaged by fire last week. “It is as near as possible to a fireproof building as could be devised, yet you would be surprised at the damage done. The whole of the top floor was gutted. The heat must have been terrific, as the molten glass was found hanging to the netting of the reinforced glass used at the sides oi the big light-well that penetrates through the whole of the five floors, and the roof was burnt entirely.” Both Te Auto College and Hukarere Girls’ College for Maoris will be reconditioned and ready for opening the present school year on March 1, states the Hawke’s Bay Tribune, and large sums of money have been spent in restoring the two institutions. The restoration of Te Aute College is now almost complete, and. a sum of £lO,OOO has been spent on repairing the damage caused, by the earthquake and in making a number of improvements. The building will be much stronger than it was 'before the earthquake, ,and one of the main improvements has been effected in the boys’ sleeping dormitories, which have been constructed of native woods. A few miles north of Hukatere and adjacent to the Ninety Mile Beach, where “Wizard” Smith will make his attempt on the land speed record, is a huge seagull rookery. At the present time, says the Advocate, the young birds, yet unable to fly, are running about on the sands and being fed by their parents. Visitors to the vicinity get a noisy reception. Thousands of the adult birds fly backwards and forwards, occasionally swooping down towards the intruders with the hope of scaring them away, at the same time uttering almost continuous shrill and sharp cries of disapproval. The little fluffy young birds lie flat on the sand, many of them trying to hide under a few leaves of shore grass or rushes. Altogether it is a most interesting study—one of the wonders of the shore.

The price of benzine was again the subject of discussion at the meeting of the Egmont County Council yesterday, members remarking that they had heard nothing of what the Government had. done as the result of the recent inquiry. It was an important matter to farmers as the use of benzine played an important part in primary production. Particular emphasis was laid on the disparity in the prices at the various centres, it being stated that at one coastal township benzine could be purchased at one penny per gallon cheaper than at New Plymouth or at any other Taranaki centre. Another member stated that he understood one Government department had arranged a contract for the supply of benzine at a greatly reduced price and that officials of that department could obtain it at that price. He did not consider it right that one section of the community should be able to have such an advantage over others. A motion was passed drawing the Government’s attention to the disparity in the prices.