LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 20, 16 October 1937, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

The Rangitata. The New Zealand Shipping Gompany advise that • their m.v. Rangitata left London on Oetober 14, for Auckland, where she is due on November 17. Dry Speii in Waikato. Very little rain has fallen in Hamilton for over a fortnight, the rainfall for Oetober to Wednesday last being only 0.24in., and the farmerB are now feeling the need for more. When the new season opened there was excellent grass development, and the pastures did very well for a period, with the result that butter-fat production was at a high level. Plunket Street Appeal. Undaunted by showers of rain tljis morning, a band of helpers was early on the streets in Hastings coljecting for the Hastings Plunket Society's street appeal. In addition to the street collection a shop was opened for the day in Heretaunga street. Here produce aud other commodities were offered for sale and found a ready response from the public. Hamilton Post Office, Tenders for the erection of Hamilton' s new post office would be called before the end of this month, said the Postmaster-General, the Hon. F. Jones, after inspecting the plans for the new building. The new post office would be an imposing building, with really fine lines, remurked the Minister, and would be a distinct asset to the town. Physical Fitness of Drivers, "Speaking from a medicai point of view, I can say that there are a great many people driving motor-cars who are not* pbysically fit," said Dr. Staniey Brown at a meeting of the general committee oi the Automobile Association (Southland). "They might drive quite safely for years, but at any time they are liable to have an attack which might prove very dangerous to themselves and other traffic." Boxers at Wairoa. . Three Hastings amateur boxers participated in the amateur boxing tour-^ nament conducted by the Wairoa Boxing Association jn VVairoa last evenmg. The star bout of the evening was the meeting of Joe Mclvor, -of Hastings, and W. Shaskey, of Gisborne, the northerner having a very narrow points victory. S. Peters, of Hastings, drew in his contest in the bantamweight division, while J. Lucas, the third member of the visiting team, was defeated in the lightweight class. Modern Weddings, "Marriage used to be regarded as holy matrimony, but ypu have only to look at the faces of the people taking part in many church weddings to see that for them it is not a sacred ceremony,'' said the Rev. D. J. Davies, of Wellington, in a sermon in St. Mary's Cathedral, Auckland, "Weddings are apt to be regarded only as soci^l functions, and too oiteii as- nothing more than an opportunity for vulgar display No wonder marriages celebrated in such a mood end in the Divorce Court." Big Cutting Compieted. Fifty-three chains in length, 64 feet deep and representing the excavation • of more than 300,000 cubic yards of spoil, the Hawkeswood cutting, on the southern end of the uncompleted sec- ; tion of ihe South Island maia trunk, ; was finished last week by the Public Works Department. The largest cut- ' ting in New Zealand, it took 11 months : to complete. Two large draglines, three bueket excavators, two "carryall' scrapers .and a 'ffiull-dozer" trac- : tor were used on the work in conformity with the decision of the Minister of Public Works. the Hon. R, Semiile, .■ to use Jabour-saving machinery to speed up thp work. Nigh^ Survoy Work. Durjng the past fortnight strong ! beacon lights have been ohseryed on ; hills on which trigonometrical stations ■ are situated in difierent parts of North , Auckland, and also at the Waipapa* kauri aerodrome. It has now been ascerta.ined that the hglits 011 the trig Hills have fieen set up by .Goyernment surveyors, and it is assumed that secrecy js being observed because the work 1 that is being carried out by these surveyors has to do with defenee, as the Waipapakauri aerodrome has been the ; location of oue powerful light. At present this aerodrome is being enlarged by the Goyernment, so that when compieted the largest aeroplanes in New Zealand will be able to ose it.