Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 136, 15 March 1940, Page 4

Local and General

Golfing Season. The WhaUatane Golf Club will commence the season on Saturday, March 30, when a foursome tournament will be held. The course is reported to be in excellent order and a good attendance of members is anticipated. Visitors are invited. Sales talk. A super-salesman was about to commit suicide by jumping into tihe river. He was stopped, however, by a policeman, who said: "Here, you can't do that." "Can't I? r replied the super-salesman. lie talked to the policeman for ten minutes, j and then they both jumped in. Fire Brigade Called. The Fire Brigade was called on Wednesday afternoon to a lire which had started on a vacant section in King Street. Some blackberry and long grass was blazing when the Brigade arrived but it was only a few minutes before it was extinguished. Even New York. Quite a lot of attention was drawn on Wednesday night to a large saloon car of a popular make which was parked in the Strand. The bonnet was covered Avith the badges of various Automobile Asso- ! ciations, including most of these in the North Island, that of Bengal and one of New York. Chilly Evenings. Although the rather more pessimistic predict a severe winter ahead, it is to be hoped that the eiiilly evenings experienced during the last few days arc not a true indication of what is to come. Overcoats and scarves have made an increased appearance during the last few daj's in the streets of Whakatane as evening draws on. and spirals of smoke from many house chini ' neys also give an indication of evenings by the fireside. Many motor- : ists who have been accustomed during the past few months to starting their cars with the first touch 1 of the starter, have experienced 1 difficulty during these last few days ( and a change to lighter oil lias been ' necessary.

Harvest Festival. The Methodist Church held the Harvest Festival last Sunday and a considerable quantity of produce j was contributed. At the sale on Monday night a very satisfactory ' sum was,realised. | Surprise For Visitor. ; An Auckland visitor to the town yesterday expressed surprise at. the number of new buildings, houses, Neon signs, and other indications , of progress in Whakatane, Fifteen years ago he said, such a place as he now viewed was not dreamed of. Peter the Whaler. The children's magazine section had to be held over from to-day's issue as Centennial material is presented on the page usually occupied bj r Peter the Whaler columns. This feature will be published on Monday. Fine Weather Indicated. The hopes of all interested in the Centennial celebrations are concentrated* on the weather. From reliable sources however it is learned that there will be every prospect of a tine day which will enable the full programme to be staged without a hitch. A Long .Trip. An Opotiki motorist who left for Gisborne on Saturday had an unusual iy long trip. Leaving Opotiki at 1 a.m., good time fwas made to : Motn. It was then discovered that the Otoko Hill was impassable, as 1 was also the alternative route,. The < ear was then put on the train and Gisborne was not reached until : about midday. Defective Vision. Is early a third of New Zealand motorists have some visual defect that might cause trouble under eertain conditions, according to tests of 3300 drivers made by the Government Transport Department at the Centennial Exhibition. The results indicate that women have on the average better eyesight than men. Of the 300 women tested, 38r or 29.3 per cent., have vision that is in some way defective. This percentage, though a little less than that for the men, is surprisingly high..

Cricket Draw. The Clarke Cup scries will be advanced a stage further during the week-end, when Paroa meet Whakatane and Hillcrest play P. and T. Both games arc scheduled for the Domain. Free Centennial Booklet. The Centennial booklet produced by the BEACON for free distribution to-morrow lias been completed and is a fitting memento of the important daj r . It contains brief surveys of town and district and deals extensively with the transformation which has taken place on the Plains. Recruiting Figures. Recruiting figures for last week were as follows, the previous week's figures being shown in parenthesis: Auckland 18 (105); Paeroa 52 (49); Whangarei 21 (29); Hamilton 19 (38). Returns in the Maori Battalion were: Auckland 2 (12); Paeroa Hi (18); Whangarei — (7); Hamilton 2 (1). These totals arc effective figures, after allowance has been made for wastage, including that due to reserved occupations and other causes. Motorist's Suggestion. Stating that petrol rationing had reduced the private car owner to one-third of his normal mileage, a motorist suggested in a letter received by the Automobile Association (Auckland) that the cost of warrants of fitness, driving licences and insurance should be correspondingly reduced. "It is a novel suggestion," said the president, Mr F. G. Farrell. "and should not be turned down." It was decided to write to the Motor Union in Wellington, informing it of the suggestion. White Feathers. Two sailors off H.M.S. Achilles, while spending their leave near Hamilton, were presented with a while feather by a woman in Victoria Street. When approached,, the men, who were in civilian clothes, told the woman they were on holiday. After handing them the feather she suggested that, "as they were not doing their bit," they should make a donation towards the funds ior soldiers' comforts. The sailors handed the woman 10s and departed, leaving her none the wiser as to their identity. Modern Town Crier. It is a far cry to the dark ages of the town crier, but in the midst of prCjgj-ess Napier was forced back to this antiquated method of advising the people of an important news item. The town crier had been modernised as much as possible—he was driving a modern car and speaking through a modern amplifying system strapped to the can Inclement weather had caused the civic reception to men of the Achilles, which was to have been held in the Sound Shell, to be transferred to the Muni cipal Theatre, and this means was adopted of informing the public of the necessary last-minute change.