LOCAL AND GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, 3 January 1933, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An enjoyable programme of appropriate music was provided at the band rotunda by the lake at Pukekura Park on Sunday night by the Taranaki Regi-mental-Municipal Band. There was a large attendance, and the playing of the band under the baton of Lieutenant F. W. G. Macleod was fully appreciated.

Motorists busily repairing punctured tyres while the vehicles stood jacked up on the roadside were a fairly frequent sight along the main road north of New Plymouth yesterday. Whether “the depression” has caused people to run on tyres long since past their prime, or whether the punctures were just in the normal course of events, is hard to say.

The racecourse totalisator is usually regarded as the financial barometer. One of the pleasing features of the New Year racing carnival is that substantial increases on last year’s amounts are recorded by the Stratford Racing Club, Canterbury Trotting Club and the Auckland Racing Club. The Auckland Racing Club’s summer meeting opened on Boxing Day and the first two days of the fixture disclosed large decreases.

A visiting motorist complains of the neglect on the part of so many drivers of machines in Taranaki failing to observe the rule of keeping to the left of the road, especially on hills. He says that yesterday afternoon he just escaped two collisions on hills because of oncoming drivers driving rapidly around corners on their wrong side of the road. Such recklessness he characterised as almost criminal and calls for severe punishment.

Looking very forlorn, a twin-tyred “double-decker” sheep lorry stood deserted on the roadside between Urenui and Waitara yesterday afternoon. The lorry had been bringing a large load of sheep to the Waitara freezing, works when it lost both tyres from one side of the back axles. The axle end had scored a deep line in the tar-sealed road. The driver had gone to secure assistance. The Waitara freezing works are becoming very busy, the number of sheep and lambs dealt with being 2500 per day. This number is expected to be greatly exceeded during the next week or two. No trouble is being experienced in coping with the increase, the new chain system of killing working with efficiency and expedition. A motorist at present installed at the Urenui beach camp for a month’s holiday, Mr. J. Annabell, Blenheim, states that the Urenui camp is the best he has yet encountered in New Zealand after staying in motor camps all over the Dominion since this form of holiday became popular. Mr. Annabell is paying his third extended visit to Urenui, and says that should prove his satisfaction.

New Year celebrations at Waitara were of the quietest nature. Few people were on the streets late. As the clocks struck midnight the hotel gongs were beaten, and a small muster, mostly men, sang a few of the popular songs. It has been the custom to blow the freezing works whistle to farewell the old year and welcome the new, but on Saturday night this was not done, the first time, it is believed, for 30 years.

“All We Know About Bowls,” was the promising title of a small text book passed round among the tournament players on the Paritutu green, New Plymouth, yesterday. As the authors were six of New Plymouth’s most prominent bowlers, the book was eagerly sought by followers of the fickle pastime. “Here’s a new book on bowls,” was a remark invariably followed by an expectant grasp at the volume. When opened it was found to contain blank pages.

Curiosity attracted 100 persons or more to the corner of Devon and Currie Streets on Saturday morning, when a five-seater sedan car was being removed by a breakdown lorry. The back axle was broken as the car turned into Currie Street.

“It is an illwind,” etc. A New Plymouth business house, which specialises in cutting and bevelling glass, has been kept busy during the holidays in supplyinf new glass wind-screens for motors, so many having been smashed as the result of collisions and accidents.

A flight over Mount Egmont made by Mrs. Anstis, Westown, at the age of 70 has only whetted her appetite for more. Mrs. Anstis was taken by Mr. K. Martin, a New Plymouth Aero Club pilot, for a flight lasting more than an hour and a quarter in a Western Federation plane on Sunday. Having experienced what flying is like, she stated afterwards that her desire now was to make a trip to Auckland.

“What sort of a Christmas trade did I have?” replied a New Plymouth grocer to a News reporter’s question. “Pretty good; a record, in fact. I thought the night, before Christmas Eve that the public had made all. their purchases and spent all their money, but on Saturday they continued to come in and spend. The fact is that though butterfat pay-out is down quantity is up and about as much money was in circlulation as -in the previous year.” Pukekura Park has proved a very popular rendezvous during the holidays with visitors from all over New Zealand, who are all enthusiastic regarding its natural and horticultural beauties. For the week from Christmas Day to New Year’s Eve 550 visitors were admitted to the fernery, and, judging from the remarks in the visitors’ book, they found it a delightful experience. The park is certainly looking very well at present with its bright patches of flowers, including hydrangeas, dahlias and salvia.

A Salvation Army service at which the opportunity was taken to farewell Adjutant Green, who will leave New Plymouth on January 10, was held at Mr. Atua’s residence at Moturoa, New Plymouth, yesterday. There was a large attendance. The band was present under the leadership of Deputy-Bandmaster Thompson. Two farewell speeches were made by Mr. Atua and the Rev. Hemi Mikora, and Adjutant Green replied. A Maori hymn was sung by the conference delegates of the Presbyterian Maori mission.

The totalisator is said by many to be a financial barometer. If that is so the Stratford Racing Club’s annual meeting which opened 1933 should prove a good augury for Taranaki, as the totalisator investments showed an increase of 11 per cent. .The machines handled £16,798 10s-, as compared with £14,958 10s. on the first day last year, an increase of £lB3O. Part of the increase no doubt was due to the popularity of win and place systems of betting. Of the total put through the totalisator £10,666 10s., or 63 A per cent., was invested on the place machine.

A former New Plymouth resident is satisfied with his New Year holiday. He bought a horse for a few pounds on a Manawatu farm and set off for Taranaki. The journey from Palmerston North took four days, and the total expenditure, including two shillings for horse shoeing, was 8s- 6d. All necessary food was purchased, though free shelter was obtained at farm whares on two nights, the third night being spent with an acquaintance in South Taranaki. The traveller found most farmers quite willing to afford shelter to man and a little grass for a horse, though he suspected that his story of riding for a mere holiday excursion was not always credited. From the point of view of the police, New Plymouth was comparatively quiet. John Ryan, who celebrated both Christmas Eve and last Saturday night rather too well, was charged before Messrs. O. ■E. Flyger and W. G. Reid, justices of the peace, in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday with being found drunk in Powderham Street on December 31, having been previously convicted of a similar offence on December 24. He was fined 10s. Ronald Stanley Land was charged with wilfully obstructing Constable O’Neill in the execution of his duty in Devon Street on New Year’s Eye, and with using indecent language on the same occasion. On his own application he was remanded until January 5Delegates to the Presbyterian summer conference at New Plymouth stood to answer the roll call at St. Andrew’s Church on Saturday night. “Last year,” said the Rev. R. R. Adair, while he was conducting the roll call, “Gisborne was not represented at the conference. This year, however, Gisborne is represented by a happy trio.” There was consternation in the camp of the Gisborne delegation for a few brief moments. Then up rose the “happy trio,” but unfortunately they were only a blushing duo, to the general amusement of the conference. Someone must have been “playing the wag.” A suggestion has been made that a special train should be run to the crossing at Nena Road, near Bell Block, on the afternoon of the arrival at New Plymouth of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. This would facilitate the attendance of the public as passengers would be deposited at a spot within half a mile of the aerodrome. It is believed that the matter is being considered by the Railway Department. Apart from the fact that such an excursion train would meet the need of what will be a notable occasion in the history of New Plymouth, it would also serve to avoid what might otherwise lead to a congestion of road traffic.

A young man, H. Beckbessinger, Waitara, had a very painful experience on Sunday evening as the result of a sting from some insect. He had just returned home from a visit to a New Plymouth beach when he felt a sting in the back of the leg. He removed the sting but the leg quickly began to swell and it could soon be seen that the young man was in a serious condition. He became unconscious and was foaming at the mouth. Dr. R. L. Barclay remained for over an hour and a half and gave several injections before relief was given. Yesterday morning, however, Mr. Beckbessinger was much better. He has no idea of the nature of the insect that stung him, but thinks it must have been something that he picked up at the 1 each. Ships were still taking full cargoes of Australian wheat to Japan, said a Taranaki man just back from Sydney. English and Japanese ships, of all sizes and kinds, had been kept busy for months shifting millions of bushels. The price was comparatively low, but the clearing of the surplus supplies had proved a God-send to the Australian wheat farmer. The Japanese was becoming a wheat-eater as well as a ric.e-eater, the Sydney visitor said, and he was also getting ready for any emergency arising from his occupation of Manchuria. An interesting aspect of the matter was the friendliness exhibited by the Japanese towards the Britisher and his dislike for the American. In walking across from Dawson’s Falls to the North mountain house on Sunday morning, Mr. L. A. Taylor, of Hawera, came across a mob of 17 goats, mostly old, horned, animals, feeding unconcernedly near the junction of Dawson track with Bell’s Falls track. Mr. Taylor described the walk as a most interesting one, but suggested it would be a convenience to trampers were the signs on the direction posts repainted, they having become almost obliterated by the weather. Looking down on the plains the fact impressed itself on one that Taranaki was comparatively treeless, and that farmers had still to realise the value of shelter in what was a wind-swept provinca.