Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 26, 19 June 1939, Page 4

Local and General

HILLCREST PUMP The pump installed for supplying water to Hillcrcst was supplied by the Whakatane Fanners' Supply Com ' pany, and not by Cutlers Hardwme 5 Ltd as was stated in Friday's issue. The pump is an "Anderson Bulldozer" and is a new high efficiency model. THE REFUGEE PROBLEM Included in the programme "Alex, ander's Ragtime Band" at present screening at the Regent Theatre is a short feature "March of Time*' featuring the ''Refugee" problem. This is quite the mo,st sensational of this series and is the film that caused such a stir in Germany and Italy r?- \ cently. The film is hanned in these countries and 'they actually tried to ■ stop its screening in other parts of the world. CENTENNIAL PARK A start has been made with the concrete Ava.ll at The Heads Avhich will bound the centennial memorial park. The Avail will be four feet in height and of reinforced concrete, sloping in, to the top and supported by abutments on the shoreward aide. A metal track has been made from the present road to the fiat rock so that access is giA'en to the beach for loading sand. The sand at 'Ilie Heads is stated to be of the highest quality for concrete. OUT OF SEASON GROWTH Plants and shrubs at present hi (lower in the Napier Borough Council's gardens and resales represent practically every season of the year, and the superintendent of parks and reserves, Mr C. Corner, said that during his 21 years' experience he had not known anything just like the present season. The phenomenal growth of gra,~s on the playing areas and in the public gardens had calied for frequent attention, and on Friday eight motor mowers Avere used to cut gnass on the on, Marino Parade, and in CliA-e Square.* ON THE "HARD" The Whakatane Harbour Board'?, pilot launch Avas up on the ''hard'' on Thursday, and Friday for her Marine Department surAey. Iv\ r ery two years the tail shaft is drawn and inspected. EA r erything Avas found to lxin good condition and Capta, ; n G. Carey took the opportunity to do A'ariou.s odd painting jobs on the hull. Weak spots on the coppcr paint surface Avere touched up to repel the attentions of marine Avorms. They will attack any bruised portion Avhich is paintless and constant attention is needed to guard against them. The launch Avas put back into the Avattv later in the afternoon and brought the Toa in. OPOSSUM TRAPPING In his report to the Wellington City and Suburban Watvr Supply Board, the forestry officer, Mr A. N. Pcrham, stated that if the industry of trapping opossums in the areas controlled by the board is to : be brought back to approximately its previous proportions, at least two more closed seasons are required, i'olloAved by a series of open and closed seasons. He states that qatches haA'e not decreased 'to any great extent in the past ) because trappers have been going further afield for their, catches. The board receiA'cd only four tenders for trapping for approximately 30 areas, leaAing about 2(5 1 A'acant. 1 PRAISE FOR THE PRESS "The New Zealand Press, especif-1-ly if one remembers the possible eir- j culation, is of high with j little sensationalism, and editorial j Avriting of high c alibre," Avrites Dr , F. H. Spencer in a report just is- ] sued bv the Carnegie Corporation of j New York. Dr Spe'ncer spent two months in New Zealand in 1935. j "EA-cryone of the four principal cities ( has at least one (and often two) j solid, Avell-Avritten daily papers, and : I Avas .surprised both at the numbers | and at the quality of the papers pub- ] lished in the smaller towns. If the ] absence of sensationalism and the I presence of Avcll-knoAvn editorial cnl_ [ umns and sound criticism in the i Press are evidence of a conscrvatiA r e t may such conservatism endure. In some other respcc'ts the country cannot be accused of conservatism. An educational system which furthers the conditions describ- ' ed mast have many merits.'* 1

BOATS IN PORT The Northern Company's Toa berth ed on Friday evening Avith a full general cargo, including 40 tons of ce_ . ment. She Avas Avorkecl until 11 \ o'clock on Friday night and again x on Saturday, sailing that CA'ening , with 239 boxes of butter, 55 crates of cheese 140 bags of maize and > empty drums. The Vesper also airhrcd on Friday evening. She Avas despatched early on Saturday morning. WHITE ISLAND t A particularly hcaA'v plume of i steam hung OA-er White Island on Saturday. Activity Avas obviously ; more pronounced than usual, and ; may be connected with the tremors i which Avere felt in Whakatane on . Saturday, the first at about 11.15 : a.m. This shake Avas about scale , three or four on the Rossi-Forel ■ Scale as Avas a second shake in the early afternoon. STONE-AGE WORKSHOP Between the Flat Rock and the launch slip at The Heads a number of boulders are exposed at loav tide, several of them deeply grooA-ed and scored. To the casual glance they are not but they take on some interest Avhen it is realised that the markings on the boulders are not due to the action, of the sea, but are man-made. These are the anga, or sharpening stones Avhere the Maori of earlier days shaped his stone adze and or rubbed dOAvn his mere and patu. With a suitable coarse rock and plentiful supplies of sand and water to hand, nothing but skill and patience Avas notded to aehieA T e the efficient tools and Aveap_ ons Avhich the stone.age Maori made out of unpromising materials. BIGGEST AIR .FLEET IN N. Z. With the addition of two Tiger Moth aeroplanes Avhich have been ordered, the Wellington Aero Club will haA'e the biggest lleet of machines in Ncav Zealand. When the new machines arriA'e the club will haA'e 11 aeroplanes. The club already has a Avider range of aircraft aA-ailable for tuition than any other Ncav Zealand club. The increasing demand for tuition has kept the club extremelv busy, bift the extra tAvo machines are expected to cope Avith the demand. The club's fleet Avill consist oi' the following machines Avhen the ncAV aeroplanes arriA'e: Gipsy Moth, Gipsy Major, four Tiger Moths v Miles Hawk, Miles Magister, Whitney Straight, Vega Gull and Waco.