Paeroa to Pokeno Railway.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 44, 20 January 1938, Page 8

Paeroa to Pokeno Railway.

A visit to Thames, Mercury Bay, Coromandel, AVlienuakite, Tairua, Waihi, Paeroa and Te Arolia, is to be paid by the Minister , of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple), who will leave Wellington by the Limited express this evening for Frankton. When at Paeroa on Thursday next Mr Semple will perform the ceremony of turning the first sod on the Paeroa to Pokeno railway. Power for Settlors.

Commenting, that the cost of supplying electric power to a number of settlers near the Totara Reserve had been found prohibitive, on account of it being necessary ,to deviate the reticulation lines from the reserve, Cr W. McKay, at the meeting of the Pohangina County Council yesterday, urged that steps be taken to secure a subsidy towards the cost. It was resolved to ascertain what parts of the county were not yet reticulated, and to approach the Minister of Public Works, in the matter. Old Coins Found.

A George 111. enny of 1806 and an East India Company s copper coin of equal size, dated 1804, were dug up recently upon a' piece of ground in Victoria btreet, Onehunga, that was being prepared for a lawn. The East India Company’s coin bears the company’s coat of arms on one side and an inscription in Arable on the other. Both doubtless are typical of the pennies which circulated in New Zealand during the >eariy colonial period. The site on which they were found had been used for many’years as a Chinese market garden, but a good deal of top soil had lately been removed in the process of levelling. A deposit of pipi shells exists near by and it is thought that the .coins were probably lost by Maoris.

■ Pool at Raumai

| During the hot weather of this summer one of the most popular swimming pools has been that in the Pohangina River adjacent to the Raumai bridge, and many parties have gone out from Palmerston North to use it. There were 400 cars there last Sunl day, when it is estimated that there | were 1000 people present. I Railway Passengers. I During the week ended January 15, 1 1938. 3900 return tickets were issued at the Palmerston North railway booking office. This number bears comparison with the corresponding period of last year, when about the same number were issued. The revenue figures are also close to those for the corresponding week of 1937. Nearly Missed the Boat. A block and tackle were requisitioned to hoist a passenger aboard the liner Awatea at Auckland on Tuesday. The lowering of the gangway 6liarp on sailing time caught the passenger unprepared, for he was still talking with friends oil the wharf. In the meantime a bucket was engaged in taking lastminute letters from the wharf to the ship.

Success of Operation. ' Frank Murphy, the New Zealand boy who went to iiaigiand last feeptember to undergo an operation for a tumour on the brain, has made such good progress that he has been attending a -London secondary school. He stays at New June House, a Toe H branch, and is. under medical supervision. A date for returning to New Zealand has not been fixed.

Misconstrued Signal. Two climbers on Mount Egmopt on Sunday evening lit a fire for amusement. This was seen at the Dawson Falls hostel, where it was construed into a distress signal. Two guides immediately set out for the scene, and while they were nleased to know that all was well with the climbers, they did not appreciate their strenuous climb. The fire created alarm, since for those who do not know signals a fire is the first thing with which they could attract attention.

Ragwort Menace. “The negligence and utter carelessnes winch some farmers show in dealing with this menace cannot be too strongly stressed.” stated Mr G. G. Winter, inspector to the Waikato County Council, in a report on ragwort control to the council. Mr Winter said odd plants were allowed to come into full flower and even shed seed on road frontages and near homesteads and cowsheds, and no attempt was made to deal with them until an inspector visited the place. Drainage Boards’ View. Representatives of four drainage boards in the Manawatu met this morning to discuss the form of evidence to be submitted by drainage boards iroiu this area to the special committee of the House of Representatives hearing representations in connection with the Local Bodies Amalgamation Schemes Bill. Those present were Messrs H. Seifert (Makerua Drainage Board), F. J. Foster (Sluggish River Drainage Board), R. J. Law (Buckiey Drainage Board) and W. E. Thomas (Manawatu Drainage Board). Boy Found Unconscious. Yesterday afternoon, about 3 o’clock, Robert Olsen, son el Mr and' Mrs Ail Olsen, of pouch Aorsewood, was picked up unconscious on tlie hill going outer South Norse wood and commonly called Regarth’s Hill. The boy was riding his bicycle, and the indications point to las having been struck by a car, as the bicycle was considerably damaged, tlie earner and back wheel being stove in. The hoy was conveyed to tne Dannevirke Hospital suffering from severe facial injuries and bruises. He was unable to give any account of what happened. Sex of Drivers.

For the purpose of dealing with tlie road acciaent problem, information was sought from tlie Pohangina County Council, yesterday, by the Commissioner of Transport relating to variations in petrol consumption, in the registration of motor-vehicles, and in the number of new and renewed licenses which were being issued by it, in common with other authorities throughout New Zealand. It was requested that in each case the sex of the licensee be notified. The council decided to take steps to forward the necessary information.

Monarch Butterflies in Auckland. “The Monarch butterfly is again seen on the wing in Auckland gardens,” states an Auckland naturalist, Mr T. Skeates. “This large and beautiful creature measures about 4Jin across the wings, and its eaterpillai lives on the ‘swan’ plant. It will not touch any other plants, and is quite harmless. The public should protect the Monarch, both in the . caterpillar and butterfly state. It is an asset to any country.” The insect has wings of an orange-brown colour, veined and bordered in black. Round the margin of the wings are two rows of small white spots.

Flight to New Zealand. Although no definite advice has been received in New Zealand of the date on which Flying-Officer A. E. Clouston will commence his flight from England to New Zealand in an attempt to lower the existing record, it is thought that the departure will be made on February 1, and preparations are being made at Motueka for a landing there about February 5. Originally it was thought that Fly-ing-Officer Clouston would make his landing at Wellington after crossing the Tasman, but the authorities at Motueka extended an invitation to him to land there as his parents, Mr and Mrs E. E. Clouston, live at Neudorf, near Motueka. Water Supply. “We are practically certain that the trouble is caused through the heating of the water in the mains,” said Mr J. R. Hughes the city engineer, in explaining to-day' that there had been no complaints received this morning about the municipal water supply. On the way in from Tiritea the mains were close to the surface of the ground over certain areas, he said, and it was believed that the water was affected by the sunshine and the warm ground over these lengths. There was no extraneous matter in the mains, but even though there had been no complaints received this morning the flushing Was being continued and would be proceeded with while the hot weather lasted. Lions at Large.

An interesting photograph has been received by a Palmerston North resident from a friend who is now in South Africa, the view showing a pair of lions on the side of a road. The photograph was taken in the Kruger Park, an area of many thousands of acres set aside for the preservation of native game. The scene was taken from the inside of a motor-car and the animals are seen quite at ease, only about a chain ahead of the vehicle. In the course of a speech at the Rotary Club in Palmerston North some time ago, His Honour. Mr Justice Ostler, referred to tne same matter and explained that the animals in the park were extraordinarily tame, many not taking the slightest notice of traffic on the roads through the reserve.