Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 117, 31 January 1940, Page 4

Local and General

Weather Clears. After being extremely unsettled for some weeks, during which strong winds and gales were the order, the weather lias cleared and promises to be the real Summer variety from now on. Free Air Tank Explodes. The free air tank at Bell and Hodgson's Store, Waimana, exploded recently. A hole was blown in the rool of the store room and windows were broken and a''tides near the tank were scattered in all directions. Mr Kneebonc who was standing nearby at the time of the explosion was most fortunate in escaping serious injury. Wet Mamaku. Mamaku was again the Avettest place in the Bay of Plenty and adjoining areas during December. Rainfall figures for the month show that the fall in these districts varied from 11.87 inches at Mamaku to ,*.16 at Opotiki. The fall at Wliakatanc was 4.7(> inches, at Edgecumbc'4.32, and at Lake Rotoma 7.22 inches. At Taupo and Upper Atiamuri slightly over three inches of rain was recorded, Avhile at Waiotapu the fall was 4.24. Te Puke Cricket Club. After a lull of several weeks because of the inclement Aveather and the holiday season, members of the Te Puke Cricket Club were at the nets during the week-end lor a practice prior to meeting the challenge next week from the Rotorua Club for the Williams' Cup. All the players expressed pleasure at being back on the cricket Held once again, and displayed a keenness and enthusiasm which augurs Avell lor the challenge match next Aveek.

Cricket Draw. The draw for the Clarke Cup series is as follows: Post and Telegraph v. Hillercst, Whakatane a t . Paroa, Central a bye. Both games will be played on the Domain Shipping Activity. The Motu arrived, on Sunday morning and after loading .'ißoo boxes of butter, 2.)5 crates of cheese, 296 drums and 4"; bales of wool, sailed at ten o'clock yesterday morning. The Clansman made port on Monday morning, bringing about two hundred tons of general merchandise and benzine, and is 'Scheduled to sail this morning with a full cargo of dairy producc. Filling the Tanks. The majority of motorists, Avhen pulling in at service stations yesterday, said "Fill her up!'" instead of asking for two or three gallons. It had been anticipated that there Avould be a minor rush as the end of the month approached and expectations Avere fulfilled. There should be brisk business for garage and service station proprietors to-day, as from to-morrow petrol can be obtained only by presenting the current coupons . An Audience's Reaction. Some idea of the reaction of Mr Average Man to the peculiar technique of Herr Hitler was gained hi a Hastings picture theatre recently, when a newsreel shot of that gentleman employing his usual standthumping mode of address while speaking to the Reichstag Avas flashed on the screen. A medley of boos and laughter in approximately equal proportions greeted his appearance, while row upon row of goose-step-ping soldiers CA r oked only mirth.Evidently the Fuehrer and his men are still regarded merely as figures of fun by the majority of New Zeaianders. Storm Damage.

Damage was caused at a number of places in the Auckland Province by tlie heavy rain and wind on Saturday, At Pip iron, on the Thames Coast, the Piako River backed up by the tide, broke its stop-banks. Lowlying farm lands were Hooded to a depth of about a foot. Flooding was also general in the Opotiki district. The service car from Ruatoria was unable to get through because the approach to the Maraehake Bridge. Rotorua, was struck by a high wind which damaged telegraph and power lijies, while fences, trees and wireless masts were brought down by the 70 m.p.h. gale which lasted for about half an hour. Surveying Sen Currents. A bottle, covered in barnacles, was recently found on the Tirohanga Beach, Opotiki, by Mr J. D. Clark. II conlaisied a paper from the U.S. Hydrograpliic Office, Washington, stating: "Thrown overboard by Captain Johansen of the Monterey on February .161, 1939.t Latitude 32 degrees 30 minutes south, longitude 175 degrees 30 minutes east. If the finder of this paper will return it lo the Hydrograpliic Office. Navy De-. partment, Washington, he will thereby assist in the verification of ocean currents. His service will be very much appreciated by all mariners." The bottle was thrown into the se<* a few hundred miles directly north of Auckland. Another bottle thrown into tthe sea off Sydney was- recently found at Gisborne.

Enjoyable Ohope Dance. Once more the weekly dance in the Captain's Cabin at Ohope drew a large and happy crowd last Saturday evening. The usual good music was supplied by the Savoy Dance Band, and the crowd responded well to modern and old-time numbers, all of which were vigourously encored. Dances at Ohope in future should be assured of every success if last Saturday's were any criterion. Eager to Enlist. The Medical Board sat again in Whakatane on Saturday and one of the recruits coming forward to be examined for the third Echelon declared his age as forty; he did not seem t ! o be older. Unfortunately he was followed almost immediately by his son, aged 25, and later on, by another son aged 22. The elderly recruit was asked to state his correct age. Scot Greets Scot. ' As a gesture of good fellowship towards Paeroa Scots a large buncli of new cut heather was taken by Mr R. Eraser to the Paeroa and District Caledonian Society from the Whakatane Society last week. The bunch of heather, Avhich had been gathered by Mrs F. E. Berry, honorary secretary of the Whakatane Society, was made into about 50 buttonholes, which were distributed among the assembled Scots. 'Steel Helmet' Bowling. Now on show at-Caislev's, the unique bowling tiophy, the 'Steel Helmet' for which the returned soldiers throughout the Bay compete annually is a most fitting though singular object. It is now engraved and the winner's names inscribed thereon from year to year. It is intended to treat the helmet as a shield and many of those competing for it today envision the time when it will be literally covered with the names of the holders. Wartime Expressions. War-time colouring "was. lent to the Steel Helmet bowling tournament during the week-end when an erstwhile Digger found the army slang mounting readily to his. lips as his bowl became 'trenched' and there was the immediate call for 'stretcher bearers.' The success of the day was further helped by tihe label above the refreshment booth which was labelled 'Buckshee Estaminet,' the sandwiches 'Bully Beef,' 'Plum and Apple' and 'Pork and Beans.'