LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20669, 6 March 1937, Page 8

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Under Offer to Government It is understood that the Grey District Power Board is negotiating with the Government for the latter to take over the Board’s hydro-plant at Kaimata and supply the Board with power in bulk. Success of West School Pupils The Timaru West School Committee has received letters from the Education Board conveying congratulations on the success of Margaret Ellis and June Bowkett, pupils of the school, in gaining Barclay prizes, and on the success of Margaret Ellis, June Bowkett and Catherine Taylor in the recent New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association’s stafl memorial scholarship examinations. Fine .Engineering “Your New Zealand engineers have certainly done wonderful work in carving good roads through and round hills and mountains," said the Hon. R. T. Ball, a former Minister of Public Works in the New South Wales Parliament, in an interview at Invercargill. "I certainly take off my hat to your engineers,” he said. "To make so many miles of good roads through such rough country is an amazing performance.” Good Salmon Fishing An exceptionally good month's salmon fishing was provided in the Rangltata during February, stated the ranger to the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society yesterday. Although the run began in the early part of the month salmon were caught during the last few days of January. The river provided 18 fishing days, being dirty for the remainder, and easily the best was February 21, when there were as many as 74 rods on the river and upwards ol 64 fish were caught, some of them weighing more than 301 b. For the coming week-end it was likely that the river would be in the best fishing condition for a week, said Mr Pellett. It was clearing from a fresh yesterday and might be in fishing order to-day. Rotary Conference After being in session since Tuesday last, the sixth Pacific Regional Conference of Rotary International ended at Wellington yesterday with formal valedictory speeches and farewells to overseas delegates whose visit, it was stated by the chairman, had given Rotary in New Zealand a fillip it had not had for years. Mr F. Hall-Jones, of Invercargill, was nominated as District Governor of Rotary for New Zealand to succeed Mr W. Thomas, of Timaru. In returning thanks for the nomination, Mr HallJones said he was deeply sensible of the honour conferred on him. The office, outside the professions and politics, was he considered, the highest to which any man could aspire. "... And Thereby Hangs a Tale” Perhaps It was because the light was not too good at the time or maybe her thoughts were elsewhere, but it is certain that one shop girl will take more care in examining objects which appear to have been lost before she picks them up in future. It was nearly closing time last evening and she glanced round the shop to see if anyone was waiting to be served. As she did so her eye caught what appeared to be a fur stole lying on the floor in front of the counter behind which she was standing. She walked -round the counter and picked the “stole” up by the tail, and her surprise may easily be imagined when the object came to life with amazing rapidity and bit the hand holding tho tail. It was while the outraged animal was scuttling from the shop that the assistant realised it was a pomeranian. Gilbertian Situation An attack on the provision in the Shops and Offices Amendment Act vesting in the Labour Department the power to dictate to grocers when they should work overtime was made by counsel appearing in the Magistrate’s Court, Dunedin,, for Wardells Ltd., which pleaded guilty to a charge of -extending the working hours without a permit. It was stated that one vague clause of the Act said that grocery firms could observe overtime for stocktaking and other special work, and the Magistrate postponed the penalty to allow the Master Grocers’ Association to refer this clause to the Arbitration Court for an interpretation. Mr Anderson, for Wardens, stated that this was the first such prosecution in the Dominion. Before the amendment in July employers could decree overtime, but now it could not be worked without a written permit. The present breach occurred during the Christmas rush. Great concern was expressed by grocers everywhere over the position and it was a Gilbertian situation. Last Tower Completed The last of the steel towers or trestles in the big viaduct at Mohaka, on the route of the WairoaNapier railway, has been completed and is almost ready to receive two pairs of girders to bridge spans of 100 ft and 80ft respectively to complete the roadway over the Mohaka River—the highest viaduct in the Southern Hemisphere. The erection of the last trestle took the staff 35 hours. Only seven men took part in the work, and they are very proud of their achievement. Although the sleepers have all been laid south and north of the viaduct, there is much yet to be done before the undertaking is completed. Ballasting is being carried out on both sections, there being, six trains a day on the south side. No sleepers have yet been laid on the bridge proper, although laden trucks can still travel out some distance from the north bank on temporary rails. The work is a month ahead of schedule time, and the clinching of the last rivet does not now seem far distant.