LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 47, 11 March 1937, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

Exfcibition of Water Ooiours. Much interest has been taken in Miss Watkins exhibition of watercolours at tlie Hawke's Bay Farmers ' Tearooms that she has decided to keep the picturel on view until Wednesday next. Certiflcate3 of Fitness. The Automobile Association (H.B.) decided last evening to apply to the Transport Department for authority to issue to motorists certificates of fitness in accordance with the traffic xegulations of 1936. Free Milk For Schools. Opposition to the matter of supplying milk in bulk to school children was expreissed by the committee of the Hastings Street School, Napier, at a meet-, iug this week. A motion was adopted that a central milk depot, where milk could be pasteurised and placed in halfpint eontainers for distribution, should be established. True Democracy. " Dictatoiships come into being when peopie are prepared to let one man use his mind for them. True democraey. is when all use their min.ds to the best o± their ability," pointed out Mr. Ben Roberts, M.P., president of the New Zealand Co-operative Alliance^ when speaking at a meeting held in Hastings last night, Masonic C-unvocation, The annual convocation of the Royal Arch Freemasons of New Zealand was held at Invercargill yesterday, when representatives were present from all the Chapters throughout the Dominion. During the proceedings Colonel G. Barclay, of Dunedin, who has been selected as the First Grand Principal for the ensuing year, was installed in offi.ee, Bobby Jones For New Zealand? The possibility. of his coming back' to New Zqaland in two years in company with R. T. Jones, the outstanding golfer of all time, was mentioned by J. H. Kirkwood after his exhibition ronnd at Shirley on Saturday with Walter Hagen, H. R. Blair, and C. C-. .Clements. Nothing definite had been arranged, but Kirkwood was very hopeful that this tour could be arranged. Bobby Jones was still a great golfer, and Kirkwood said he was certaan that a tour of Australia and New Zealand by him would be greatly appreeiated, Boy's Narrow Escape. Shattered by an explosion, a siove m the kitchen of a house in 'Westown, New Plymouth, was blown to pieces on Friday night. A boy aged between 32 and 13 years had a fortunate escape from injury, for he had just walked on to the verandah after placing a piece of wood on the fire, in front of which he had been sitting. It is not established what'caused the mishap, though it is surmised a detonator may havo been in the wood Historic Find at Piako. It is reported that a brass plate from the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte has been unearthed on the banks of the Waihou xiver and it suggests that the French were early visitors to the Piako district. Some of the first missionaries in the Dominion early in the century were Frenchmen and it is likely that oue of their exeursions led up the river and the plate was lost. It is possible, however, that it was lost in later years, Profit From Railways. "I aio not by any means ona of those people who believe that railways have outlived their usefulness," said the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, when replying to an Auckland deputation in support of the Morningside tunnel. "Railways have played a very great part in developing the jjroductivity of this country; and if we are not going to authorise. any railway unle&s it can be shown that it wili retnrn a profit — well I think the logical concius:on of that would be to appiy it to the roads and ask whether they pay. It is very hard to estimate whether they pay or not. As a matter of fact all of them pay. New Zealand would be a funny old country without them. ' ' Retiritag Age for Folicemen. A saiggestioa that officers of the police force should be retired at 60 years of age instead of 65 was warmly supported when it was made to the annual conference of the New Zealand Federation of Justices of the Peace Aasociations in Christchurch. The proposal was made by Mr. A. Williams, who said that policemen were penalise.d five years by the rule about the age for starting. Civil servants could start work at the age of 16, but a policeman had to be 21. Policemen did all sorts of d/uties which the general public knew nothing about, and worked all aorts of hours, and tney wero entitled, just as other people were, to spend the latter years of their Hfe in peace and quietness. The suggestion, which was embodied in a remit, was unanimously approved, and will be brought befora the Government.