LOCAL AND GENERAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 185, 30 March 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Excellent Traffic Cqnirol The Rotorua Borough and County traffie inspector, Mr. D. M. Ford, was kept continually on the move on Easter Moftday and with his two assistants did much good work in controlling the streams of motor-cars going to and from both the speedway on the T-e Ngae Road and the athletic sports at Ngongotaha. Visitors to the motor-cyele races were very pleased with the traffic arrangements on the Te Ngae Road and no inconvenience was met in the parking of vehicles either inside or ontside the course. Child Found Injured When passing the Rptorua Town Sqnare on Monday afternoon a Rotorua medical man found a boy of about nine or ten years of age lying on the ground injured. The chiid, a son of Mr. J. Rogers, of Te Koutu, was suffering from a broken wrist. He was admitted to -King George V. Hospital for treatment. Big Fisli from Ohau Fishing at the Rotoiti end of the Ohau Channel during the week-erid Mr. W. T. Pakes, of Rotorua, took a fish on the fly which thrned the scales at llilbs.

Dangerous Lake Shore Notice boards have been erected by the Tourist Department warning the public that the area along the lake shore from behind the Ward Baths behind the Postmaster Bathis dangerous. One board is placed at the Eruera Street entrance to the area and another near the Postmaster Bath. This action has been taken as a re^ilt of information received by the Department's manager at Rotorua, Mr. L. J. Bayfeild, that the receeding of the lake had left stretches of semi-quicksands which might trap a stranger wandering in the vicinity. Rotorua Axeman's Success Mr. W. J. Costello, of Rotorua, who conpeted at the Te Aroha Athletic and Axemans Club's annual sports meeting at Te Aroha on Easter Monday, was successful in winning both the 12 inch standing chop and the 15 inch underhand chop. Looking for Jobs. 'Tf there was a strike to-morrow and men now in work were to com3 out there are plenty of other fellows looking for something to do and they would take the job. They would not mind what names they were called if they had been looking for a job and had been going short for some i time," Mr. H. McKenzie, secretary of the Post and "Telegraph Employees' Association, warned those who talked . about taking action at a well attended public meeting at Ohakune.

Trade with Chatham Islands. The steamer Tees is at present engaged in making trips from Lyttelton to the Chatham Islands. Although no regular service is maintained between the Islands and New Zealand, •the Tees makes trips when the trade warrants it, and also carries passengers. She occasionally calls at Wellington. Trade between New Zealand and the Chathams is keightest in summer and autumn. Sheep and cattle are conveyed to be sold at Addington market. The Tees also carries wool, and sometimes cheese. Frozen cod is the principal cargo for Wellington. However, the Chatham Island trade | is state d to show a falling off this j year, in common with world trade.

Looking Them Over For years, a tall old woman, dressed in hlack, has excited euriosity in offices overlooking the River Avon's banks along Oxford Terrace, Christchurch, by her daily custom of removing from the rubbish containers what seem to he all the undamaged letters and docnments that she can find! Each paper that proves to her taste, she puts in a handbag after a glance, and moves on to the next reeeptacle. To one man's knowledge she has scarcely missed a day in nearly three years. Otago as Whaling Base. Memories of the days when the thriving whaling industry are revived by the presentation to the Otago Early Settlers' Association by Mr. J. Ellison of a try-pot, a number of spears, and a ladle which were nsed in the operation of trying-out at the Weller Bros.' whaling station at Otakou as far back as 1831 (says the Otago Daily Times). Although over 100 years old and considerably rusted, the objeets are in fairly good condition.- ' The pot, which is circular in shape, is abont four feet across thc; top, i^hile the iron^ ladle with the woodeli handle still intact, is about seven' feet long. The harpoons, some still with fragments of rope attached, have heads shaped like arrows, while the spears have a pear-shaped point like the assegais of the Zulus of Africa. Question Solved by "Grit" A sturdy oid settler of North Taranaki has solved the cost of living questiOn. He had previously been farming, and, like many others, had come to grief when prices for produce fell so seriously. But he was not going into a towri. He pfeferred the country, so he arranged to rent a cottage from a farmer and work out the rent ih gruhbing gorse. From the tangle of fern, blackberry, and furze he made a kitchen garden and all the summer he has had enough vegetables and to spare, and for the winter he has some good crops. It costs liim 10/- a week for flour and sugar, and occasionally he indulges in meat wheh hares are scarce. His outside earnings in February wero £5, and out of it he was able to put away £3. It shows what can be done when a man of grit and independence is "up against it."

"The Splashing of Crocodile Tears." "There is the sound of the splashing of crocodile tears," remarked the Rev. E. L. Frost at a meeting of the Napier Secondary Education Board when a letter was received from the Department requesting head teachers to watch carefully for any pupils whose parents might he too poor to provide them with lunch. It was recognised, continued the letter, that any attempt to meet such delicate situations- would call for. the utmost tact and sympathy, but it was felt that the matter could safely be left to the discretion of the teachers concerned. The Department regretted that it was unable to assist in such cases, but thought that something might he aceomplished through local effort. The letter was received without further comment.

South Island Roads. The making of a road along the shore of Lake Te Anau towards Milford Sound has been completed for 46 miles beyond Te Anau, and the forward men are now within' 20 miles of Lake Gunn. The tunnel that will be xequired is to be at a point some 15 miles beyond the spot where the advanced gang is now working. Probably the length of that tunnel will be about a mile. The particulars as to that tunnel have not yet been investigated by the Public Works Department's surveyors. "Wild Cat Goldmining Schemes." The need for some way of protecting the public from wild cat goldmining schemes was stressed last week by Mr. R. T. Stewart, a mining engineer of Dunedin, who is at present on a visit to "Wellington (says the Wellington Evening Post). He suggested that no company should be allowed to solicit the support of the public until the claim had been approved by an advisory board on which the Mines Department was represented- The ground would have to be properly prospected, and would have to bear indications that, given proper methods, it could he profitably worked for some years. The suggested advisory board would take no responsibiiity for the floating or suhsequent operations of the compahy, its part being more to protect the public against the launching of goldmining schemes which were doomed to failure from the start.