THE OPOTIKI NEWS Wednesday, March 8, 1939. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 155, 8 March 1939, Page 2

THE OPOTIKI NEWS Wednesday, March 8, 1939. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Correction. The final match in the bowling competition which took place recently at Taneatua was won by Peebles teaiu, which beat Borrie’s team. The Taneatua team thus won the “tin hat”. Cattle Fair Postponed. ■ As a, result of the exceptional weather conditions prevailing and the market conditions, the cattle fair which had been arranged for Monday, 13th. inst. has been postponed until further notice. Card Evening. A progressive .500 evening will be held in the Regent Tea-rooms on Thursday next. The function is one of a series being organised by the members of.the RebeJjah Lodge and an enjoyable evening is assured all who attend. Collision at Omaio. A head-on collision between two cars occurred near Omaio on Saturday, both cars later being brought into* Opotiki on trucks. The cars were badly damaged. On tv was driven by Mr. AY. H. Hunt while the other was owned by,'Mrs. Sheaf of AA’hakatane. Monster Eels. A big catch of eels was secured yesterday by a party of Opotiki Maoris in the AYaiotahi river. . Some of the eels were of enormous size, two of them weighing 18 pounds each, while two other's were very little lighter. The catch created considerable interest as the big eels were being cleaned near the Opotiki wharf.

Houses in Gisborne. For the first two months of the present year seven permit's for houses have been granted in the borough of Gisborne, the estimated! value being £5440, the -average cost being a little less than £SCO. For the corresponding months of 1938 seven housing permits were issued, the estimated value being £6265, an average of nearly £9OB. It is interesting to note that the cost this year for houses in £llß less than for the corresponding period last year.

Cheaper Milking. The fall recorded l in the revenue from milking motors received by the Manawat-u-Oroua Electric-Power Board during the first- nine months of the financial year, a matter of £350, was said by the engineer, Mr. AY. A. Waters, at a board meeting to be caused by the use of improved machinery. To-day with more modern plant it was found that farmers were paying on an average a third le.ss for power. One member suggested that owing to labour difficulties many farmers were milking fewer cows.

Moral Declension. That there was undoubtedly a moral -declension among .the Maori people, was a statement- made at the Rotary Conference in Napier by Or. H. B. Turbott, an officer of the Health Department. “The attack on it would peem to tie not only through the churches, but through the schools and through a resuscitation of Maori leadership,” he said. “Maori councils have power to deal with gambling and adultery, but they to use that power. There is no doubt the ideal control would lie by Maori elders within the tribal structure.” Gambling in Australia. An interesting illustration of the extent of gambling in Australia, was the sight of the building in which the State lottery tickets were for sale, stated Mr. H. L. Commin, Hastings, who lias just returned from Australia. The building was bigger than any bank building in New Zealand, and in it about- 40 female tellers were busily engaged in selling lottery tickets at 5/3 apiece all day from nine to three. At times one had to stand in a queue to buy tickets, said Mr. Commin.