THE OPOTIKI NEWS Friday, May 19, 1939. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 184, 19 May 1939, Page 2

THE OPOTIKI NEWS Friday, May 19, 1939. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Cold in Gisborne. According to an Opotiki resident, the weather-"was bitterly' cold all day yesterday in Gisborne, and lie apparently did not think much of the cold in Opotiki this morning, after the taste of Gisborne weather. Yesterday’s Temperatures. North Island! .temperatures yesterday showed a decided drop, many districts recording below 50. degrees for the first time tki.s year for 9 a.m. reading. Temperatures were: Auckland 53 degrees. Tauranga 47, Opotiki 45, East Cape 55, Gisborne 48, ed the teams will give a good account Cisborne Railway Revenue, The revenue from the GisborneMotuhora. railway line for the four weeks ended March 31 totalled £2600, compared with £2744 for the corresponding period last year. The expenditure. totalling £2701, was £199 lower than that for 1939, and the net loss on the four weeks’ operations was £lOl, as against a net loss of £156 in 1939. A General Frost. The first general frost this year was experienced in the Opotiki district this morning, a white coating being in evidence everywhere. Yesterday morning there was an occasional trace of frost on the; flats, while in the vicinity of Nukuhou the frost was fairly heavy. Gisborne experienced a frost of nine degrees ye.sterday morning, this being the second heaviest frost registered there this year. Boat Delayed. The m.s. AVaiotahi was la to in arriving at Opotiki this week, the boat having become stuck on the bar when trying to enter the river in the early hours of yesterday morning. Despite every effort by* the engines for a long time the boat -remained fast and lay on the sand throughout yesterday in a calm sea. Early last night- the boat was moved off after the engines had been working for some time but she again grounded l inside the river but was got off again without much trouble. Unloading was in full swing this morning.

An Unusual Exhibit. During the height, of the thunderstorm on Tuesday afternoon, a heavy fall of hail occurred between Opape and Torero. Hail is still lying on the ground in places at ALorice’s Bay. Two large lumps of fused .hail from the bay, were brought into the News office this morning by Air. lion Smith as proof of the extent of the fall anti the time it is taking for the hail to melt. Judging by the- thickness of the lumps.of fused hail, it will be a few more days before all signs of the hail disappear, unless rain'falls in the meantime.

Cook- C-3i;r.£y Rate Decrease. A decrease of -£4OOO in the rate to be struck in the Cook- -County was decided on by the. County Council at a special meeting held in committee at Gisborne on Wednesday. Hie . council decided-to strike-a rate of approximately £45.000. that for the previous year being £-18.851. The rate in the £ shows a wide, variation from last year, because 6l:‘ a higher total county valuation and a deduction in the total amount to be strfiek. 'J he rate proposed for the present year was 4?d in the £ on the unimproved value, whereas last year it was C|d. £SO Lost and Found. It is not unusual for small sums ff money to be lost—in fact it is commonplace—but when a roll of £5 notes totalling £SO disappears, naturally the person to whom it belonged would have many moments of anxiety. Such was the experience of a Palmerston North resident a lew days ago. .He made a purchase at a greengrocer s shop and when taking some small change lfom a purse Ahe bundle ol notes -fell out unnoticed. Later the less was reported! to the police and almost at the same time th^/police were informed by the • greengrocer, a Chinese, that he had found a substantial sum on. the floor of his premises. This was duly returned to the owner, whose reward, significant of his relief. was £5.