LOCAL AND GENERAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 55, 27 October 1931, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Plnnket Society A meeting of ladies interested will be held at the residence of Mrs. Wilkie, in Pukaki Street, on Thursday next, at 2.15 p.m., for tbe purpose of discussing witb Mrs. Sutcliffe a proposal to form a branch of the Whakatan Plunket Society in Rotorua. Labour Day Week-end The Labour Day week-end railway exeursion to Rotorua from Auckland, showed the beneficial results of reduced railway fares. The train which arrived in Rotorua on Saturday evening carried 300 passengers — 70 more than last year's Labour Day exeursion — and this influx of visitors together with many others who arrived by road, gave the town quite a "be-ginning-of-the-season" appearance over the week-end. Bowls, cricket, golf , and the opening . of the new speedway on Te Ngae Road, all drew their quota of enthusiasts, and the generally fine weather which prevailed, did not dampen, even if it did not unduly encourage, the holiday atmosphere. Too Great a Handicap. A certain amount of added excitement was caused during a race at the Rotorua Speedway yesterday afternoon when the rear' tyre came off the rim of one of the' motor-cycles fend the rider completed one and a half laps on the rim with the tyre flapping about behind him. To add .to the unfortunate rider's predicament, the cheering crowd pressed too hard against the surrounding fence, which eollapsed, neatly flattening out about jfifty spectators in front of the approaching machine and forcing the rider to pull up. No one, however was hurt and the fence was repaired before the commencement of the next race. Exodus to Seaside. Although many city dwellers vlsited Rotorua for the Labour Day weekend few Rotorua residents apparently went to the city, the main exodus from the town being in the direction of the Bay of Plenty beaches where good weather generally favonred holidaymakers. Cultivation on Mokoia. • Some of the Maoris who have interests in the land on Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua, are extending the already cultivated area by clearing the native bush on the southern side of the island in preparation for the growing of crops. It is their intention to build a whare on the newly cleared area when the ground is sufficiently broken in to be eropped. Crowded Golf Course. The Arilcikapakpa golf course proved its attraction during the Labour Day week-end by the number of golfing enthusiasts who visited Rotorua to enjoy a few days of the royal and ancient game. The course during the week-end was crowded from morning to evening, numbers of players being continually gathered around the first tee waiting to drive off. "Gandhi's Subject" The following conversation ensued when Miss Madeline Slade, daughter | of a British admiral, was questioned j by French customs inspectors at Mar- ! seilles when she arrived there recerit- | ly. Are you Miss Slade? No, Miss j Slade died six years ago. I am Mirabehn, disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. Are you a British subject? No. I am nobody's subject except Mahatma Gandhi's, whom I regard as my f ather. The inspectors looked puzzled, hut after eyeing her white, nun-like garb, shaved head and sandalled feet, passed her through the gates. Eiacouragmg News. Most encouraging is the steady stream of news from Great Britain which shows that a new spirit of optimism is abroad. Improved conditions in the Old "World must neeessarily be refiected in New Zealand. That the tide is turning in Great Britain there is cause to believe, and with it must eome an inereased demand for New Zealand produce. Figures published this week showed that the eonsumption of New Zealand butter is increasing, and with a decrease of unemployment this movement should continue. — "Waikato Times." Traming Young Farmers. "I feel it desirahle to bring before members that certain phases of our work are at the present moment receiving more attention than previously, notably that dealing with future farmers," said Mr. N. G. Gribble, secretary of the New Zealand Land Settlement and Development League, at the league's last meeting. "We are now approaching the 80 mark, and by the end of the year we should have reached a total of 100 placed on the land at a very trifling cost."