LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 22, 10 February 1937, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

Train Delayed. The Wellington-Napier night goods, train, which usually arrives at Napier about 7.30 a.m. was delayed yesterday by heavy traffic at Palmerston North and did not arrive at Napier until 9 a.m. Rotorua Bowling. Two teams from Hastings are competing at the Rotorua Bowling Oub's annual tournament, which opened on Monday. Ajb the end of the first day's play fhe Heretaunga team (Sharkey, Harvey, Maher, Maher) had won two games and lost one, and the Hastings Ulub's team (Watters, Graham, Duff, Parkinson) had won one game and lost two. 500 Years Too Late. "This may be tbe first visit paid to Hastings by an Australian surf lifesaving team, buf as a matter of fact it is quite 500 years too late," said the Mayor, Mr G. A. Maddison, with a smile when welcoming tbe Australian swimmers to Hastings last evening. "It must be about 500 years ago that the tide ran out from Heretaunga street and never came back again," he added amid laughter. Protectlon of Tomatoes, A novel method of protection has been adopted by an Auckland gardener who has been troubled by tbe depredations of birds among his tomatoes. A fish-net, attached to the top stakea at the centre, stretched out in the manner of a tent, and pegged securely to the ground, has proved an effective deterrent to the activities of the robbers without depriving the plants of air and sun. Safety- Avenue" Testing. The "safety avenue" system of checking motor vehjcles for mechanical fii-, ness may be introduced into Auckland, ' if tbe recommendations of tbe legal and by-laws committee of tbe City Uouncil are adopted. Tbe "safety avenue" is a long lane fitted with pits and speeial instruments, and cars as they pass aloqg the avenue are tested, automatically and by inspectors, for brake efficiency alignment of headlights steering reliability and so on. The system, which is widely used in the United States, enables a vehicle to be tested in about five minutes. Five-Mile Main Street. Several unusual. records are held by New Zealand, but perhaps one of the most unusual is that one of its large towns has the longest main street in the southern hemisphere.. That town is New Plymouth, and its main street, Devon street, is five miles from end to .find. And, what is more, jt is straigbt for five miles, although there are several "dips" jn the road, as it runs through the undulating country on which New Plymouth is built. Of cqurse, the town itself does not stretch right along this road, but nevertheless it is known as New Plymouth 's main street, even though. one end is near the port and the other pass-ts through » few outlying farms. Lord Bledisloe — Farmer. Addressing directors of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association Mr A. S. Holms, Waimahaka, who recently returned from a visit to Great Britain and the Continent, described Lord Bledisloe as a "fine, homely farmer who knows everything that is hap-. pening on his estate in Gloucestershire." New Zealand' s former Govern-or-General has a wonderful estate, which is run on strictly practical lines, said Mr Holms. He has a fine herd of Red Poll cattle and breeds 1500 pigs. The raising of the pigs is done scientifically in every respect, and both the pigstyes and cowbyre are models of cleanliness and efficiency. A Far-Flung Cian. Some fun was caused at a toWnship up North recently at a farm job, where iour men were employed. Three were Europeans, and one was a Maori. The farmer found it diffieult to distinguish between them, as they were all called "Mac", and he said .they would have to tell their full names, so that when he called any on© of then they would respond. The strange thing was found out that all their surnames were Mackay, and then it was discovered that one was of Dutch origin, one was a real Scot, and the other Irish, while, of course, the Maori was a New Zealander. The solution was that the farmer gave' a nickname to each. When paying them off he remarkedH what a great Scotch mixture the Mackays must be. "All's Well . . . One coupl© in Christcburch will remember the paralysis outbreak for f?ome time, though, fortunately, their experience was a happy one in the end. Their child, a toddler, was dressed for a day's outing in th© country and was carried out to theix; motor car. On arrival at their destination the child toppled over each .time it was placed on its feet. This unusual happening upset not only th© child, but the parents, whose minds instantly becam© fearful of the disease. No 'time was wasted in making a hurried dash back to the city and summoning a doctor. The doctor had a wasted visit, however, because before his arrival the anxiouB mother found that bothi the child's legB were through only one leg of the rompers. The question now arises: Did father dress the baby?

Ruahine at London The New Zealand Shipping Co„ advises that its R.M.s. Ruahine arrived at London during the afternoon of Pebruary 7. Ash Wednesday To-day. To-day is Ash Wednesday, the day observed in the Christian Church since the beginnjng of the ninth century as the first day of Lent. Commerce Certificates. At the monthly meeting of the Hastings Ch.amber of Commerce on Monday next, opportunity will be taken of presenting the certificates to the candidates from Hastings who were suecessful at the recent Cbamber of Commerce examinations. The meeting will be held in the boardroom in the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Meat Co. buildings, Karamu road, at 7.45 p.m. Eager for Information. "They simply ate up all the information we could give them and hungered for more facts," said an official of the Heretaunga Swimming Club to a Herald-Tribune representative this morniflg when commenting on the practice of the members of tfie Australian surf team while in Hawke's Bay to jot down in a note-book various piece? of information about the district. "They made it quite obvious that they intended to make the most of their tour, and the keen interest they displayed in the life of the people here and other information was amazing," he said. "It was clearly no casual gleaning of facts after the manner of tourists, but an honest endeavour to broaden their outlook and absorb knowledge." Mementoes of Visit, All the members of the Australian surf team are keen collectors of mementoes, and it is their desire to have some reminder of every town and district they visit. They were very much taken with the Heretaunga Swimming and Life-Saving Club's coat badge during their visit to Hastings, and before departing tbis morning they were eachpresented by the club with a badge. Their desire for mementoes is expressea in another direction, for it is not the policy of ihe team to collect the trophies they secure at the various carnivals they participate jn but to pool the prizev-money and request the club coneerned to purchase a number of books as prizes.