Local & General

Chronicle (Levin), 7 September 1949, Page 4

Local & General

Mine Still Working. Gold-bearing ore is still heing won from the Martha mine in Waihi, which the company intends to c^se. Because the remnants being mined have proved more payable than was expected, the clo§ing of the mine has been dei layed. Very few underground workers have left since the company announced its intentions, but a few surface men have gone to other jobs. Victorian Chairs Popular. Heavy old Victorian furniture, such as a year ago, was sehing for a few shiPings in auction rooms around Auckland,' has enjoyed an amazingWogue in recent months, according to various Auckland upholsterers, and today the demand far exceeds the supply. In some instances, old chairs and sofas, when re-upholstered, have brought considerably more than was probably paid for them when new. Air Force Day. Air Force Day will be observed throughout New Zealand for the first time on Saturday, September 17. Main statipns of the Royal New Zealand Air Force will be open for inspection by the public, and ground and air displays will be given. Air Force Day will be held annually as part of the cnmmemoration of the Battle of Britain. Its main purposes is' to acquaint the public with the functions of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and, in particular, with th^ work of the flying and technical men. Famous Maori PressThe Te Awamutu Historical Society believes that it possesses the remains of the faanous press on which the Maori King's newspaper, Hokioi, was printed in the 'sixties of last century. The possibihty ,that the press recently found at Huntly is the historic relic is discussed by the society in an article which says that its members recovered an old printing press from the banks of the Waipa River, in the Pokuru district, in 1935. It is believed to be the Hokioi press, which was supposed to have been lost in the river when it was heing sent to Kopua mission station in 1863. Old Maori Implements. What are thought to be Maori agricultural implements of an unusualiy early period have been dug out of swampy ground on Motukawanui, the largest of the Cavalli Islands. The implements, vjhich include kumara diggers ahd what might be a fern or flaxbeater, were found about 2ft.under the surface by a man who is farming on the island. They appear to have been deposited in a sxream in a . basket and to have been covered slowly for centuries. One treasure among the find is a smali piece of notched greenstone, believed to have been a fiax-scraper. Honesty Boxes. The honesty boxes of Auckland tramcars are gradually bringing in more revenue. From a poor start in December, 1947, when the boxes on six trams averaged twopence halfpenny daily, the takings in the boxes 'now installed on 165 trajns have increased to between £30 and £35 per week. The' returns for the last three months iiave shown a sharp increase. A few days ago five florins were . collected from one box. Transport Board officials think this might be conscience money. Since the introduction, of the honesty boxes, conscience money posted to the Transport Board has fallen off sharply. * ti