NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

There were no bankruptcies at New Plymouth for the month of November, according to the records of the official assignee, Mr. J. S. S. Medley. In the corresponding period last year one bankrupt filed his petition.

That motor-car keys should be suitably tagged so that their ownership could be traced was a suggestion made at the annual meeting of the Automobile Association (Taranaki). The committee will ascertain whether patent rights will be affected.

A big English car, one of the fleet of six in which the Duke of Gloucester and party will tour New Zealand, has been seen in Taranaki for the last three days. The car, huge and all-red in colour, attracted considerable attention. It is being run in by carrying the Main Highways’ Board representatives on their tour.

At a special meeting of the Taumarunui Hospital Board on Wednesday the managing secretary, Mr. A. E. Calderwood, presented correspondence from tne Loans Board in connection with the board’s loan conversions, and it was decided to issue new debentures for £49,500 in place of the present ones in accordance with an Order-in-Council authorising the board to do so.

There was a slight decrease in New Plymouth building figures last month compared with those for November last year. Eight dwellings and six minor buildings or alterations have been approved by the council this year and the total value of the work is £6090. In November, 1933, ten dwellings, one business premises, and six additions were approved, of a value of £7603.

Bathers who made the most of in unusually warm evening and enjoyed tne surf at New Plymouth beaches last night had the novel experience of swimming into bands of phosphorescence so pronounced that the luminous particles actually adhered, to their arms when lifted out of the water. Bathers at Fitzroy were ringed with luminous bubbles and their progress could be distinguished some distance away by flashes of pale fire on the dark surfaee of the water.

No damage was done by a fire which occurred yesterday in the holds of the German ship Erlangen, which is at present at New Plymouth. The fire occurred when a steel grab was lowered into the hold to commence unloading sulphur. Fumes were the chief danger and the ship’s carpenter, wearing , a gas mask, went below and extinguished the fire before any damage was done. Outbreaks of the kind are frequent on sulphurladen vessels, as any sudden friction is sufficient to ignite the cargo. The chief officer, Mr. W. Lappe, mentioned that it was on record that as .many ,as 50 fires had occurred on one ship while loadmg sulphur.

Mr. J. Rudsits, who for several years past has carried out large road formation and metalling contracts in the Ohura, Taumarunui, Waitomo and Kauieke counties, received word that his contract for supplying or spreading 8000 yards of metal on the Wairoa-Gisbome maimhighway had been accepted by the Public Works Department. Mr. Rudsits left Taumarunui on Monday for Gisborne, and will start work at Harris* Hill, 20 miles from Gisborne,-and work towards Wairoa.

A seven-year-old Maori boy, Rang! Waka, whose parents reside at Otaki, is in the Palmerston North Hospital suffering from bums to the arms caused through an electric shock. The boy noticed an electric transformer and climbed up on to the platform. In doing so he touched live wires, and he coula not release his hold of them. A woman motorist came to the assistance of the boy, and on his release being effected he fell from the platform.. While he was fortunate to escape serious injury, he was burned about the arms. He was taken in an ambulance to the hospital. The condition of the boy is stated by the hospital authorities to be satisfactory. The surfaces of many roads in the thermal district have been affected recently by storm-water coursing down them, and travelling is in consequence rather rough in places, according to reports from the Automobile Association, Auckland. It is expected that improvements will be effected before the holiday period. Roads which are particularly mentioned as being in need of maintenance are the Taupo-National Park highway, the Taupo to Tarawera section of the Taupo-Napier road, and the Ati-amuri-Tokaroa length of the TaupoPutaruru highway. Th'e Atiamuri-Roto-rua direct road is not recommended for car travelling at present, as it has been badly affected by heavy rain. Some interesting revelations concerning some of the least-known privileges conferred on a person who is granted the "freedom of the city” were made by the Mayor of Blenheim, Mr. M. McKenzie, at a welcoming ceremony to the Bishop of Nelson this week. Remarking that he did not know whether, the bishop expected to have the privilege conferred upon him during his stay at Blenheim, Mr. McKenzie said he would be prepared to grant it with certain reservations. He said that one of the ancient privileges conferred by the award entitled the recipient to graze a cow on the village common. As the only common within reasonable distance was the ladies’ croquet court he did not wish to arouse their indignation by havjng the bishop leading a cow toward the lawn, but if he undertook not to do that it would be all right. Another privilege mentioned was the right to sell fish.