LOCAL AND GENERAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 89, 5 December 1931, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Next Athletic Meeting. In view of the special carftival sports Meetiiig being arranged hy the Rotorua Amateur Athletic and Cycling Cluh for Boxing Day, December 26, and in order .to give competitors an opportunity to run themselves into form, it has been dedded to arraiige a further evening sports meeting fbr Friday next, December ilj at the High Sehool grounds. Particulars of the hvents to be decided will be ptihlished on Monday morning next. Facilities at Camp Site A recent inspeetion of the motor camp reveals the necessity for additional sanitary accommodation being provided before the new holiday seasoti commences," stated a report from the sanitary inspector redeived at Thursday night's meeting of the Rotorua Borough Council. The existing accommodation should be increased by at least 30 per cent. in order to meet "rush" conditions. There should also he accommodation for campers washing hands and cleaning teeth, which operations are at present carried but under the. various taps abOut the camp. This could be satisfactorily arranged hy providing tempor1 ary benches fitted with taps over suitable metal troughs, and disposing of the waste water into sumps. After a hrief discussion it was decided to provide the necessary accommodation but in view of the fact that sewerage facilities will shortly be available at the camp, it was decided that the work should be done oii temporary lines. Meaning Changed Owing to an unfortunate omission of two words in the type, the aniendmend moved by Councillor E. T. Johnson, at Thursday night's meeting of the Rotorua Bordugh Council, when^ the Council's attitude towards danding in the streets on Christmas Eve, was under discussion, was given the opposite meaning to that intended. Cr. Johnson moved. that the Council definitely decline to grant permission for portions of different streets to he closed for dancing, but in the type, the two words "declihe to," were dropped. New Telephone Switchboard Steady progress is being made with the installation of the new branching multiple telephone switchboard at the Rotorua Post Offiee. Hundreds oPwires have yet to be connected and it will be several weeks before this can be completed. When this work is concluded, a general changeover will be made from the old board to the new. The old system required the operator to watch and operate all portions of the large switeh board, but the new one can be operated from one sectiorl, thUs felieving the operator frbm the necessity of jumping up to answer calls registering at the far end of the board. This means that there will he less delay When there is oiily one operator on duty. Improvements to Street. Improvements to Ranolf Street South giving access to the motor camp site are proceeding paidly. Anumber of the extra relief workers who are being employed by the Council up to December 19, are ehgaged in the formatioii of the street and footpaths aiid when the work is completed, the reduction in grade and general improvenient in the street should assist both motorists and pedestrians consderably. The camp is now being tidied up ih preparation for the holiday period. Record Butter Output. The N,Z. Co-operative Dairy Company's Ngongotaha butter factory established another record for output last month, the total amount of butter manufactured being 131 tdns. This is 15 tons more than the output for Novemher last year, which was itself a record for Noveilaher to that date. Dairy Herds Producing Well. The dairy herds in this district are now producing heavily and with the favourable weather conditions prevailiftg farmers are looking forward confidently to another record output this season. Tax bn Ptish Bityclas? Should there be a special tax on pedal bicycles? This has recently been suggested as an easy way of raising money. It has actually been tried in Guernsey, where for some years every owner of a bicycle had to pay half a crown annually for the privilege of using it. Paper numbers Were issued to the cyclists when the tax was paid, and Were affixed to the back of the maehine. As the paper on whieh the numbets were printed was a different colour each year, there was an automatie check on whether the payment had beeh duly made. A very large number of people still ride bicycles in Britain, especially in the rural districts, and even a small tax might yield a cohsiderable amount. -