LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 June 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Diphtheria Cases. Two Masterton diphtheria patients and three carriers of the disease were admitted to the Masterton Hospital isolation ward this week. Heavy Flood Bill, The restoration of roads, bridges and culverts in Hawke’s Bay and Wairoa counties to the condition they were in before the flood of Anzac Day will cost £178,600. Of this sum £95,000 is the responsibility of the Main Highways Board, £45,000 that of the Hawke’s Bay County Council, and £38,600 that of the Wairoa County. Council. New Railway Line. With a view to having Taneatua (240 miles south-east from Auckland by rail) and Opotiki connected by railway, it is intended to make an aerial survey of the 30-mile route. An announcement that Cabinet had reached a decision to this effect was made yesterday by the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon M. J. Savage. The intention of the Government to proceed with the construction of this line was announced some time ago. Early Catch of Swordfish. With the capture of three striped marlin swordfish at the Bay of Islands yesterday, the first day of the 1938-39 fishing season, a remarkable big-game fish record was established. In no previous season has a fish been caught before the middle of December. The first fish, weighing 2531 b., was caught by Mrs G. J. Hassall, Bay of Islands. Mrs Hassall later caught a slightly larger swordfish, weighing 2641 b., but in the meantime another had been secured from a launch owned by Mr J. Fuller, RusselL

Charity Ball. At a recent meeting it was decided to hold the Charity Ball this year on Wednesday, August 3. French Sloop at Dunedin. The French sloop Rigault de Genouilly arrived at Dunedin yesterday morning after a good trip down the coast. This is the first time since March, 1928, that a French warship has berthed at Dunedin. The usual round of official visits was paid. The sloop will remain at Dunedin till June 6, when she will sail direct for Tahiti. Day of Horse Not Over. “The day of the horse is not over, in spite of what may be said,” remarked Colonel P. H. Bell, Officer Commanding the Southern Military district, speaking at the annual reunion of the Veterans’ Association at Christchurch. Recently, he said, when defence schemes had been carried out in certain parts of New Zealand, someone had said: “I wish we had a regiment of cavalry. “There are parts of New Zealand where you can’t use motor vehicles —you must have horses,” he added. Toll Calls and Telegrams. “Returns show that the remarkable popularity of telephone communications throughout the Dominion has not adversely affected the telegraphic traffic,” said the Postmaster-General, Hon F. Jones, yesterday. The Minister said that both branches of the service had experienced a substantial increase in business this year. The April telegraphic figures, with a total of over 407,000 messages, represented an improvement of almost 24,000 telegrams over the total a year ago. April was again an excellent month for the telephone, the toll messages reaching a high level easily exceeding 1,250,000. This was an increase of over 8 per cent within 12 months.