THE OPOTIKI NEWS Monday, March 6, 1939. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 154, 6 March 1939, Page 2

THE OPOTIKI NEWS Monday, March 6, 1939. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Shipping. The m.s. Waiotalii left Opotiki for Auckland on Saturday afternoon. Organ Recital. A'-grand organ recital will be given by Professor . Purver in St. John’s Church to-morrow night, commencing at 7.4-5' p.m, Duke Street Drain. At the monthly meeting of the Opotiki County Council a letter was received from the Opotiki Bacon Factory asking that the council compel property owners to clean the drains below the factory. It was decided to confer with Mr. Wilson on the subject and if necessary have the work done. School Bus Destroyed. . While the school bus which runs between Opotiki and Wairata to bring children to the Opotiki District High School was on its way to pick up the children this morning, it caught lire and was almost totally destroyed. The driver was Mir. Rc/n. Anderson, who escaped uninjured and it was fortunate that no children were in the bus at the time. The vehicle was the property of Mr. C M. Bell.

Drilling for Oil. Better progress in connection with the coinpany’s operations at Totangi is indicated by the latest bulletin of the ’Now Zealand Petroleum Company. Limited, as tinder: —“Totangi No. 1 hits u oav readied 2650ft'.. having passed by 240 ft. the point at which trouble from excessive deviation was experienced originally. •’The formation being passed through ijsj soft mudstone. Deviation front the vertical is only two degrees, which i< regarded as satisfactory/ 3 Too Much to Eat. Speakers and writers on fitness week emphasised the virtue of an abundant supply of. wholesome food, said Mr. J. H. Stevens in an address before .members of the Palmerston North ltotary Club. They did not realise tliat the average man and woman who weighed about 10 stone consumed more solid food than a cow weighing dO stone. Yet not one cow in a hundred was even unwell, while one person in 10 was on the sick list several times a year. The Maori, who used to regard health as a sacred thing and considered sickness a disgrace, had little to eat because of the difficulty of acquiring food.

Witness Absent When Called. Because lie was not present in the court building when called to give evidence as a witness in the trial of Dave Grace, who was before the Supreme Court on a, charge of murder, a bench warrant for the arrest of Dr. Edward Charles Grant, medical superintendent of the Waiapu Hospital. Te I’uia. was issued at Gisborne. However. the witness arrived at the courthouse before the warrant was signed and the order was not put into execution. After concluding his opening address to the jury the Crown prosecutor, Mr. F. YYrey Xolan, asked lor Dr. Grant to< be called as the first witness for the Ciown. Mr. Xolan said be was informed by Detective G. A. MtAYhirter that the witness, who had been bound! over, was not in attendance anc\ that the police’s attempts to locate him had failed. His rcquefcJt for a. warrant to* he issued was granted l»v Mr. Justice Northcroft.

Iron Lung. When a letter was received from the Department of Health at Friday’s meeting of the Opotiki Hospital Board, in connection with Lord Xuflield’s offer to supply an “iron lung” to all hospitals in the British Empire, members doubted whether it would lie necessary to have an “iron lung” at every hospital in the Bay of Plenty, in view of tin* fact that patients requiring to lio treated in the “iron lung” were very rare in smaller districts. It was thought that if an “iron lung” was available al> Gisborne or at one of the Bay of Plenty hospitals that that would he suffiieent. for any emergency case in Opotiki. It was decided to write to the hoard's referred! to and ask for their opinions. The secretary was instructed to deal'with the •matter. The letter from the Department. stated that it would be necessary for boards to pay freight and duty from the ‘Morris works to New Zealand.

Painful Burns. Painful burns to the body and bauds were received by an l pper Otara settler, Mr. Claude Shaw, when bis clothes became ignited during burning operations on his farm. Mr. Shaw was wearing trousers which had been used while spraying ragwort, and as he was .moving about a hillside with a torch settling fire to rubbish for clearing purposes, he slipped and fell and his trousers were set on fire.- Mr. Shaw hastily removed the burning trousers but not befero lie was burned on the body and hands. Mr. Shawhad a very painful journey hack to his homo on horseback, and had to stop occasionally to put one of his hands, which was badly burned, into' a stream to alleviate the pain.

Light Rain. A light fall of rain fell in the Opotiki borough and along parts of the coast-line on Saturday night, but not sufficient to be of any benefit, only three points being recorded at the southern side of the borough. Rain fell only a short distance into the county. A good shower was recorded in the Gtara valley last nigliF but the rain did not extend any distance. Fitness Commutee. Mr. IV. A. Gault (chairman) and Or. 0. Black were appointed as the two c-ounty representatives of the permanent committee to be formed in connection with the fitness campaign, at the monthly meeting of the Opotiki Comity Council. The appointments were made at the request of Cr. G. S. Moody on behalf of the Fitness Committee.

Fencing at Pound Property. A communication from Mr. F. Armstrong on the bad state of the fencing between the pound property and the writer’s property was received at Friday’s meeting of the Opotiki County Council. Mr. Armstrong stated that lie had done his share of the work. It was resolved to write to Mrs. Kelly stating that if the fence is not put in order to the satisfaction of the council within 14 days, the council will have to review the position with regard to die pound.

Shortage of Water. Country residents in many parts of the Opotiki County are experiencing difficulty through a shortage-of water for household and farm purposes. Those who rely on tanks for their water are having, in many cases, to cart water for some distance, while even those who have springs find chat their springs are drying up and arc barely sufficient to- supply the required amount of water. One 'Woodlands icsident reports that for the first tii.no since lie has been on. the estate, the spring running into his well is practically dry, and gathers barely sufficient water overnight to last through the following day. The cows are being driven down to the Waiocka river each day for water, and the river is also falling rapidly in level. Paerata Ridge is also experiencing difficulty and t-lic position will become very serious if rain does not fall shortly. Only 1.23 inches of rain was recorded during February while no rain has fallen in the country in the present month.