NEWS OF THE DAY

Taranaki Daily News, 7 November 1935, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Slip on Mokau Hill. A slip on the hillside has brought down a considerable quantity of earth on the road leading from the Mokau bridge to the Mokau township. There is just room for a car to pass. Hawke Cup Cricket. The Wanganui Cricket Association advised the Taranaki Cricket Association ■yesterday that it had agreed to play the Hawke Cup elimination match at New Plymouth on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 5, 6 and 7. Health Stamp Sales at Patea. Health stamp sales at Patea totalled £23 Bs, stated Mr. G. R. Taylor at a meeting of the Patea campaign committee. Mrs. J. N. Anderson, organising secretary, reported having solicited the support of dairy companies in the district. Mrs. R. W. Haddow gave the committee an assurance of support. Juvenile Employment. “It is now felt that the college can afford to pick and choose when positions are offered to students,” stated the principal, Dr. D. E. Hansen, reporting on juvenile employment to the Technical College Board of Governors at Christchurch. He said the acute period was over and that it had been possible to secure work for many boys and girls. Broken Leg for Cyclist. In a collision yesterday afternoon between a bicycle and a motor-truck at the corner of the Okato factory road and Main South Road, Mr. Frank Goodwin, a factory employee, received a simple fracture of the thigh and abrasions to arm and shoulder. He was riding home to lunch on his bicycle when he was knocked down by the truck. He was taken to the New Plymouth hospital, where his condition last night was re-' ported to be satisfactory. White Mudguards on Cycles. A total of 607 bicycles had part of their rear mudguards painted by the service officer to the Automobile Association (Taranaki), stated a report to the association last night. At the New Plymouth Boys’ High School 259 cycles were painted, 107 were painted at the Girls’ High School and eight other schools were visited and an average of 30 cycles painted at each school. The association decided to instruct the service officer to call at country schools during his rounds to paint any cycles belonging to pupils. Better Demand for Flax. There is a more hopeful outlook in the market, for flax this season than for many years. During the past year the price of high fair grade New Zealand flax has been about £l4 a ton, but about the middle of August the price improved by easy stages until it reached £2l about a month ago. Subsequently the market receded to its present value of £2O a ton f.0.b., io which must be added the Unemployment Board’s subsidy of £4 a ton. Rewai’s Philosophy.

A young farmer near New Plymouth had taken his cream to the road gate. Eagerly he sought the morning paper and sat on the roadside reading the war news. Slowly down the lull came old Rewai, an ancient Maori resident. "What to story?” he asked of the reader. The young man explained as best he could. “Good country Abyssinia,” said the old man. “No sharp things. No good to other country. One time I fight for my country,” and he brought his fist down into his palm. “You fight for your country?” and again he brought his fist down into his palm. “Now, och! no good. Te law, you know, te law. Now you must go to te secretary” (meaning, no doubt, the League of Nations). Collection of Commission.

Victory of some magnitude is represented by the announcement of the Commissioner of Taxes that no tax will he charged automobile associations collecting commissions on fees for an insurance company. The battle has raged for some time, particularly between the Auckland association and the commissioner, and at last night’s meeting of the Taranaki association it was reported that the associations had won. The secretary was instructed to apply for a refund of the tax paid under protest by the Taranaki association. Safety First Campaign.

The seven to 10 years’ plan for a national safety first scheme, outlined to the annual meeting of the North Island Motor Union at New Plymouth in August, has not yet been proceeded with, according to a report by the secretary, Mr. V. Duff, at the monthly meeting of the Automobile '‘Association (Taranaki) last night. Neither the Government nor the insurance companies, he said, had shown tangible sympathy with the objects of the scheme, but the North Island Motor Union had nevertheless decided to keep pressing for its adoption.

Crossings in Devon Street. The Automobile Association (Taranaki) decided last night to refer to its executive the question of having crossings painted for pedestrians in Devon Street, New Plymouth. It also decided to recommend to the New Plymouth Borough Council to repaint the white lines in Devon Street. It was stated during the discussion that the need for crossings being marked was imperative, and that besides Devon Street crossings should be painted in Courtenay Street outside the Central infant school. The question of crossings for pedestrians was taken up by the borough council some years ago but nothing was done. Fewer Lambs.

Lambing figures for the North Island this year show a 1 considerable decrease both in numbers and percentages when compared with the figures for recent years, according to estimates compiled by the Department of Agriculture. The estimated average per cent, of lambs for the North Island this season is 83.68, compared with 88.70 per cent, last year and 91.23 per cent, in 1933, and is the lowest since 1930, when the figure was 83.19 per cent. The estimated number of lambs in the North Island this year is 8,114,361. To this number the Wellington district has contributed 3,253,619, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay 3,243,858 and Auckland 1,616,884. From Tunnel to Cutting.

Piercing a hill on the Main Irunk railway just south of Mercer station is one of the shortest tunnels on the New Zealand railways. With a length of about a chain and a-half, expresses often are through it before passengers realise there is a tunnel at all. The tunnel, which no doubt represented th cheapest method of penetrating the hill when the line was constructed, is now to be removed. An advance party of workmen is at Mercer erecting a camp to accommodate from 30 to 40 men, who are to arrive within the next few days to cut away the hill above the tunnel, the stone lining of which will then be removed, converting it into a cutting some 60 feet deep.

The preparation of a programme of folk and carol music was begun on Tuesday night by the New Plymouth Choral Society, which hopes to present an extra concert of such music before the end of the season.