LOCAL & GENERAL

Hutt News, Volume 1, Issue 32, 17 January 1929, Page 6

LOCAL & GENERAL

That the West Coast is becoming

increasingly popular as a tourist resort is vouched for by the fact that weekly dozens "of.- touring parties are taking advantage of the facilities offered at Victoria Park as a/ camping ground. Although most of the campers stay but a night in Greymouth, some few tents have been pitched at the park for over a week. A fully equipped motor canivan and a caravan trailer hitched to the back of a car, both of which paused through Greymouth the other day, attracted attention. Touring cyclists and motor cyclists ihave also been of late much in evidence. The majority of the tourists make for the South Westland glaciers, whore difficulty is being had in providing sufficient accommodation.

"Since the taking over of the Hutt Valley 'buses by the Railway Department there is a marked difference in the treatment the passengers receive at the hands of the drivers,' ' writes "Perturbed." "Time seems to mean nothing to the average driver, who stops his 'bus at the depot near the railway crossing at Petone and casual ly disappears into the office whilst many of the passengers very nearly reach the 'foaming at the mouth' stage. A minute or two to a business man often means the keeping of, or the missing of an appointment, and the Department would do well to see that there is a mininmm of delay in the changing of the drivers at the depot.. rt

The monthly meeting of the Hutt County Council was held yesterday, Mr D. B. Hoggard occupying the chair. The Wellington Automobile Association wrote asking if the council was prepared to paint white the smaller bridges on the main highway between Wellington and Palmcrston North. The request was agreed to. The clerk was instructed to make application for a subsidy on the money to be expended by the council on the widening of Mungaroa Hill road. It was decided to inquire into the matter of who was responsible for the Akatarawa cemetery.

An interesting exhibit in the window of a Manawatu business man is one of the new Irish, bank notes. The reason for their rarity is that they are not legal tender except in the Irish Free State though, of course, they .can be converted into Engish money. When these were first issued there was a good deal of discussion on the picture thereon of the head of an Irish colleen. Sir John Lavcry, the "mient Irish R.A., was responsible for the design and though the head is supposed to be purely emblematic it bears a strong .res'em blance to that of Lady Lavery. Sir John has painted several portraits of his wife, and they ranlc among the finest of his works.

A desire for the observance of, a mid-week half-holiday instead of on Saturday is being expressed in Matamata, Thames and Pearoa. The position is especially interesting as far as Paeroa and Thames are concerned, as it is considered that the first, of the two centres to keep open its shops on Saturdays will practically secure a monopoly of the business at Hauraki Plains settlers. The desires for a change is influenced by the success of a change at Te Aroha. Th 3 mattertwill be discussed at the next meeting of the Thames Borough Council and there is also a movement on foot at Pearoa to effect a change as speedily as possible.

"I'm surprised at the way you/ do not have maids out here. The mother unrl daughters, they do all the w6rk, and keep the house so neat and tidy." said Mrs Schmidt, wife of Professor J. Schmidt, leader of• the Danish Seienfine Expedition who is at present spending a few days in the Manawatu district, in conversation. "In Denmark we do not do our own work, as you do i.n New Zealand, '' she said "and we have far more maids, but you pay them so much out here. I have three maids, •and to my cook I pay eighty-live kronen ( a >rotten is a little m^re than a shilling) nnd my two parlourmaids each roeeive seventy-five kronen a month." Mrs Schmidt was very interested in the .••alary, that a waifl earns in New Zealand and said that in Denmark' the young people had far niore' desire for household duties than in New Zealand. Electricity, she thought was a, wonderful aid in the house, and she was greatly in admiration of the electric stoves. New Zealand kitchens, she had found pleasingly neat and most efficient.