Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 90, 20 November 1939, Page 4

Local and General

New Consumers. The Electrical Engineer reported to the Borough Council last week that installations for the month were: 4 ranges, 1 water heater, 1 motor and 2 lighting and heating. In addition, eight new scrvicc lines r were erected. New Local Body Award. The new award for borough coun- • cil, town hoard, harbour board and power board labourers in the Northern industrial district provides for an increase in the minimum rate of pay from 2/4 an hour to £4/8/4 a week, to 2/5 and £4/11/4. 97 Year Old Gardener. As reported in our previous issue, Mr John Green, of Goulstone Road, is still active. Cutting wood when the BEACON representative left on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Green further demonstrates his remarkable energy and ability in taking a second prize at the Horticultural Show. He gained this place with Aquilegias. , Efforts Appreciated. In a letter to the Borough Council, the Director-General of Agriculture said that he was glad to hear that the Department's efforts in connection with the Centennial Park •were appreciated. He added that he would be pleased to convey the appreciation of the Council to Mr C. R. Taylor. The Price of Potatoes. In this column last Wednesday was an account of the increasing prices paid by a Thames resident for potatoes. On a shop window in Whakatane last week we read that new potatoes were on sale at 3 for 1/-. Perhaps youth out for a joke, had erased the 'lbs.' Rubber-Steel Alloy. American scientists claim to have discovered a new substance, which strictly speaking is neither vegetable nor mineral. It consists of rubber and steel amalgamated in such a manner as to form an extremely elastic metal. The discovery is expected to revolutionise the manufacture of springs and sound absorbing devices. Local Body Debentures. Proof that people with small savings are seeking investment by the purchase of local body debentures is shown in the case of the Newmarket Borough Council. The council invited subscriptions for a loan of £20,000 to provide an Olympic swimming pool and applications for deben tures exceeded the amount required by over 50 per cent and most of the applications are in rcspect of sums of £200 and £300. More Veterans. In Friday's issue we mentioned that Mr Green, who recently celebrated his 97th birthday, had a sister approaching the 100 mark. We read now of a luncheon at Wanganui, where all but two of the guests were older than their host. The occasion was the 80th birthday of ; Mr J. Siddels, who retired in 1905 from the Police Force after many years service. Unusual Playmates. One employee at the Paper Mills took his cattle-dog pup to wont with him on Friday night and another employee had a starling as company. Apart from a little game of Hide- ! and-Seek for a while, these two pets l saw nothing unusual in being to- . gether and were the bee l - of friends. ; Sand on Footpaths. ] The sand on some of the footpaths < saves the ?hoes from sticking to < them on these hot (.lays, but some 1 children experience uiiriculty in ] keeping their feei. The Pipes Were Calling. On Friday evening the Wliakatane : Caledonian Society's Pipe Band paraded. The Strand, which is a bright place on Friday nights with the shop lighting was further brightened by the green kilts and cloaks of the pipers and the )scarlet uni- ' forms of the drummers. "Hie'lan' Laddie" and "The Hundred Pipers" stirred the shoppers and stirred also the younger folk. It would have been more appropriate if the tunes were, "The Hundred Laddies" and "Hie'lan Pipers," because • there were about five score boys in the wake of the band. • .

New Sub-station. A start has been made with the erection of the structure for the Hinemoa Street sub-station. Large Shipment. The Clansman arrived on Thursday at 10 a.m. with 200 tons of general cargo. She sailed again on Sat- ; urday morning with the largest consignment of butter for the season in her holds, 6188 boxes being shipped. "Other items were: 500 crates of cheese, 17 bales of wool, benzine drums, and a small quantity of general goods. Century to L. R. Spring. Hillcrest's captain, L. R. Spring, scored a particularly fine century on Saturday, this being the second in two weeks and both being scored against Wliakatane. Hillcrest and P. and T. were the successful teams in Saturday's competition games. The scores Ave re Hillcrest 159 v Wliakatane 148, P. and T. 100 v Central 52. Details later.