Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 169, 5 June 1940, Page 4

Local and General

Albatross at Tc Karaka. A strange visitor to Te Karaka. Gisborne, last week was an albatross that apparently was blown inland in an exhausted condition. The bird, which was noticed on the property of Mr A. E. Buckingham, had a wing spread of 7ft. 500,000 Daffodil Blooms. Forty thousand more daffodils given by citizens have been planted in the "woodland" area of Hagley Park, Christchurch. The total number of bulbs planted is now 340,000. and, allowing for natural increase, more than 500,000 blooms are expected next spring. School Accommodation. The additions to and renovations ~ of the shelter shed at the Whakatane School, designed to relieve thrposition that arose through lack of sufficient accommodation 'for the children attending, have been completed and it is expected thajt the classes affected will transfer from the Show slied this morning. School Children's Effort. The sum of £2 2s has been handed the Red Cross secretary from the children attending the Native School. This has been raised by various small functions held by the children themselves. Many of the girls are also spending their spare time knitting for soldiers at the front, and already there are a number of socks and balaclavas ready. Rainfall in May. Mr H. Muscutt. of King Street, reports that the rainfall ih Whakatane for the month of May totalled 5.07 inches. This is far in excess of the amount recorded for th? same month last year—l.76ins. The dry est May was in 1936 (1.33 in) a,nd the wettest in 1928 (10.18 in). The total for the year to date is now 17.48 in, or just double for the same period last year which recorded only 8.65 in. . Revenue from Health Stamps. Health stamps sold this year totalled 998,792. Of the lower denomination of the two stamps 482,746 were sold, and the higher 516,046. Each of the fcrmer contributed one halfpenny to Health Camp funds, and each of the latter one penny, so the total amount of money rendered available for the purpose for which health stamps are issued was £3155 18s 3d. The realisation of a bigger sum somewhat militated against by the alteration in the postal rates caused by the outbreak of ,war. v " - Dangerous Practice. Mention has been made previously of the alarming prevalance of dangerous bicycle riding, particularly among school children. One most objectionable habit, that of carrying a second passenger on the handlebars, has, been frequently observed, and it cannot by any stretch of imagination be said that this as a safe way of carrying another passenger. Not only is it illegal, but it is also highly dangerous. A littleknown fact is, that in any case, it is contrary to the regulations for a cyclist to "double" a passenger on the cross bar of his cycle, though this a matter which is not looked upon so seriously.