Local & General

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 34, 28 May 1947, Page 4

Local & General

No Publication Next Monday Owing to Monday next, King’s Birthday, being a statutory holiday there will be no issue of the Beacon on that date. Advertisers and subscribers please take note.-

Flags Flown On Monday the Post Office flag was flown in honour of Queen Ma-ry who celebrated her 80th birthday. On the deserted County Council Chambers next door the flag was at half-mast. The Chambers were closed as a mark of respect to the late Cr. F. Burt who died suddenly on Saturday. Government and Fertiliser Works A question as to the official attitude of the Government to the establishment of a fertiliser works in Tauranga was asked Mr A. J. Voss at the conference in Tauranga last week. The chairman of the confer- /

ence-(Mr J. D. Alach) called for the purpose of discussing the proposal, said that no information had been received as to the Government’s attiude. However, it was the Government’s attitude to decentralise industry. If the Works were set up in the district, labour would be available.

Preparing For Oil Locos Work has begun on the installation of four oil tanks at the Palmerston North railway yards. The concrete foundation's are being laid. Each tank is 30 feet long and 9ft. in diameter, with a capacity of 13,000 gallons. The tanks will hold supplies for the new oil-burning locomotives and the fuel will be transferred by an electrically-driven pump to the engines. The tanks, which may be ready for use in six weeks’ time, were previously used for storage at the R.N.Z.A.F. sta-‘ tion at Ohakea. Old War Canoe Removed In order to protect it against the depredations of thoughtless tourists and children, the old Ngati Pikiao war canoe, which was recently dug from a swamp on the shores of Lake Rotoiti has been removed from the beach to a place of safety on the Rotoiti native farm at the i equest of the Whata family to,whom the canoe belongs. It is hoped in the near- future that a refreshment kiosk will be constructed at Rotoiti and it is believed that the Whata family has agreed that the -canoe be housed in this building where it will be kept as an attraction to tourists.

Approach to Education

The New Zealand system of a prevocational approach in secondary education was the best at present, was the opinion of the Director of Education (Dr. E. C. Beeby) expressed in the course of an address to secondary school teachers in conference in Wellington. However, lessons could be learnt from overseas experience, and if the school leaving age were again raised it would have to be looked into. An example of a new type of school which might then become necessary would be the proposed agricultural high school in the Auckland Province, which would take boys only after the fourth form.