LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 108, 24 May 1937, Page 6

LOCAL & GENERAL

Opunake a Borough. A proclamation published in the Gazette issued last week constitutes Opunake a borough. The Opunake ^brough Council will consist of a mayor and six councillors to he elected at a poll to be held on June 18. Remuera Arrives. The New Zealand Shipping Co., advises that its R.M.s. Remuera arrived at Auckland from London at 9.80 a.m. on the 23rd instant. Passengers for Napier proceeded by last night' s express. Band Contest, A total of £4* 16/6 was collected by the Hastings Citizens' Band yesterday afternoon at the open-air concert given in Oornwall Park, Hastings. The weather being ideal, there was a large crowd in the park. A fine programme was given by the band, the cornet duet by Bandsmen Macpherson and Gray entitled, "Playmates" being particula-rly pleasing. School Milk Tenders, By the closing tim© for tenders for the supply of milk to the schools in Hastings two tenders had been received at the. borough oft'ices. The details of the tenders are not available for publioation, as they have to be submitted to the Minister of Health, the Hon. P. Fraser, and the Department of Health, whio with the Department of Agriculture, and the local health otficers are to control the milk-in-schools scheme in Hastings. Farnwrs' interest in Transport. The keen interest taken by farmers in motor transport, and especially in transport taxation, was shown at the annual conferenee of the North Canterbury distriet of the New Zealand Farmers' XJnion by the appearance on the agenda paper of seven remits on the subject. Among those carried were the following : "That the present taxation on petrol be maintained and devoted entirely to the Main Highways" Fund," and "That the heavy-traffic fees on farmers' own trucks be abolished." On© member stated that the total taxation on a farm truck, even if it were takep out of the shed only once a year, was nofc far short of £1' a week. Handsome Park Gates. New Plymoutii's Pukekura Park is to have impressive entrance gates, as befits one of the most beautiful reserves in New Zealand, if the decision of the Pukekura Park Committee is approved by the New Piymouth Borough Council. Two pylons 30 teet high, four feet broad and seven feet deep will flank a carriageway 18 feet in width, twice as wide as the one used at present. They will have curved, fluted iacings towards the carriageway, will contain tioket-offices, and each will have a suitably inscribed memorial bablet to the late Mr Charles Sanders, wliose legaoy made the proposal possible. New Aeroplane for West Coast. A de Havilland Dragonfly is to be added to the fleet of Ajr Travel (N.Z.), Ltd., th© company which operates the air service in South VVestland. The order has been sent to England by cablegram, and it is expected that the ' machine will reach New Zeajand about the middle of August. The Dragonfly is a twin-engined biplane, similar to the de Havilland Pragon liapides used by Cook Strait Airways, only slightly smaller. The engines are four cyiinder Gipsy Majors of 130 horse-power, giving a top speed of 147 iniles an hour and a cruising speed of about 125 miles an hour. The cruising range with norinal fuel load is 885 miles. The cabin has two seats, side-by-side in the nose, with dual controls. A singl© seat is behind, and a seat for two right across the back of the cabin. It is possible for short flights to fit an extra moveable seat alongside the single seat, thus giving accommodation for a pilot and tive passengers.