Interprovincial

New Zealand Tablet, 19 January 1911, Page 114

Interprovincial

The Grafton (Auckland) bridge is the biggest reinforced concrete bridge in the world, with its span of 300 ft. Frost was experienced in Christchurch and surrounding districts on Saturday morning, and it is reported that at Marshland the potatoes wore blackened by it. ■xT M -i r o David Peat has presented the Borough Council with 13 acres of land for the purpose of a playground tor the children of Wanganui. The land is situated on the borough boundary, and constitutes a magnificent gift, the value of which it is difficult to estimate. The Borough Council have decided to call it the David Peat Park. & The work of renovating Auckland Government House is now. in full swing (says the Herald). No structural alterations will be made, but the house will be repainted and repapered, and some renewal work is also necessary. Gardeners are also at work in the grounds. It is expected that Government House will be ready for occupation about the middle of March.

The municipal tepid bath at Christchurch has of lalo greatly_ increased in popularity, and continues to do so. here is proper accommodation for 60 persons only, but sometimes as many as 200 arc using the bath at once. The ladies patronise the bath in great numbers, and it has been •suggested that the time is ripe to establish a municipal bath lor the use of females only. Attempts to fly will be made by two' Aucklanders in the course of the next few days. One enthusiast has just completed a machine on the linos of that of M. Bleriot the r rench airman, while the other man lias only a little work to do to finish his machine, which is a bi-plane. Two other aeroplanes are in course of construction in the city and good progress is reported in each case.

Sir Joseph Ward, sneaking to a Press reporter in Christchurch, said that he had recently completed an extended southern tour through Stewart Island, Riverton, Clinton, Ldcndale, Mataura, and Gore, and the districts surrounding. The whole of the country through which he had travelled seemed to be remarkably prosperous, and many of the farms were perfect gardens to look at. The regulations in connection with the registration of barmaids under the new Licensing Act are at present engaging the attention of the Labor Department. When the regulations have been framed barmaids can begin to register, but the Act gives them until June 1 next to sum on. . As soon as practicable after the completion of the register, and thence forward, as he thinks fit, the Secretary of Labor will publish in the Gazette a list of all persons registered. 1

Rotorua has been the leading attraction for holidaymakers during Christmas and New Year. Though boarding houses have multiplied rapidly, they failed to keep pace with the growth of the district’s popularity, for many visitors who thoughtlessly left their board arrangements until their arrival had to tramp wearily from one boarding house to another without finding accommodation. A striking illustration of this difficulty arose when the visitum Labor S 3. from New South Wales, Messrs. Holnmn and Bceby, got to Rotorua. They had endeavored to book accommodation ahead, but the best that could he done for them toe first night was a shakedown in the leading hotel. I armors state that workmen are very scarce at Dm present time (says the Feilding Star), and those men who have been engaged in harvesting operations have been unusually worried owing to the difficulty of obtaining and retaining men Dairymen too, are in many cases'being hampered by the scarcity of laborers, and this accounts partly tor the fact that parents have been found <miltv of keeping their children from school. Road contractors anticipate trouble in carrying out their works owing to the same cause, and building contractors have for some time been much concerned about the scarcity of tradesmen As showing how easily work may be obtained by those willing to take it, it may be stated that two English immigrants recently arrived in Feilding, and sot out in the morning to find work. _ Before noon each was located in a permanent job at his own respective occupation, one being a wheelwright and the other an engineer