Local and General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 154, 12 September 1941, Page 4

Local and General

Manawahe Contribution. People of Manawahe will no doubt appreciate the fact that £8 10s 6d was raised at the Spinsters' and Benedicks Ball, held in aid of medical benefits for the district. Hill Crest Steps. . The concrete steps being laid near Messrs Hamlll's garage to provide shorter pedestrian access to Hillcrest are well on the way to completion, the Borough Council workmen having been engaged there for some weeks. Donation Acknowledged. In our last issue appeared a letter from Lord Southwood soliciting assistance for the restoration of the famous Great Ormoaid Street Children's hospital which was bombed and destroyed and we have pleasure in acknowledging the first donation, (his being 10s from "K.M." Improved Condition. At this week's Borough Council meeting the Mayor reported that since the Ladies' Rest Room had been closed on Saturday afternoons the improvement in its condition was very marked. The measure adopted had resulted in the facility being free from the abuse it had received and was now quite easily kept in a clean condition.

Building l , in Whiakatane. During last month building per- , mits to- the value of £470 were issued by the town clerk (Mir D. V. Saunders) these involving two additions to shops and the erection of one shed. To and' From the Cattle Fair.' Mobs of station-bred cattle on the roads leading to the Whaliatane saleyards were a reminder to travellers on Monday and succeeding days that the spring cattle fair was one of the events of the week. In these days of high-powered motor cars the minutes spent in passing through cattle on the roads seem like hours. Douglas Street Bridge. The new Douglas Street bridge is to be erected in concrete at an estimated cost of £310. At last mouth's meeting the foreman (Mr W. S. Henderson) thought that his estimate might be too low for a concrete structure and no decision was arrived at. However, on reconsideration he stated that the figure would cover the work. Drivers' Wages. At the monthly v meeting of the Borough Council • informatiqn was received from the Department of Lahour stating that where a driver was engaged on different types of vehicles he must be paid at the rate set down for the higher paid work, even though he might be driving the vehicle in question on only one day in the week.

Mine Workers. Persons employed in mines and quarries in New Zealand last year totalled 9800, an increase of 131 on the previous year. The increase is mainly due to an increase from 4762 to 5046 in the number of men employed in coal mines, whilst there was a decrease of 56 in the number employed in the gold industry and 131 in the number employed in quarries. Springtime Pastures. Real spring weather is promoting" a fair growth of grass on-pastures in the Whakatane County at the present time. However, the appetites of cattle can just about keep pace with the growth, so that the grass is in no danger of "getting away." On most farms most of the cows are now milking, and so are eager for new spring grass as a change from the winter diet of hay and scanty grass.